What is Mexico's 'supercartel,' and what does it mean for crime?

(NewsNation) — Two of Mexico’s most notorious drug cartels are reportedly forming an unlikely and powerful alliance that represents a serious shift in the operations of international criminal organizations and could create a dangerous ripple effect across the world.

A faction of the Sinaloa cartel known as "Los Chapitos" is joining forces with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, a partnership that many experts consider to be a “supercartel,” The New York Times reported.

The formation comes after violent infighting within the Sinaloa cartel and a crackdown on the flow of fentanyl across the U.S.-Mexico border pushed the portion of the cartel led by the sons of the drug lord known as El Chapo to seek a partnership with Jalisco, sources told the newspaper.

The apparent merger comes as Mexico's secretary of defense recently stated the Sinaloa cartel is losing its power, territories and influence across the country after the arrest of one of its leaders in 2024.

Who is involved in the new 'supercartel' partnership?

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Drug Threat Assessment report indicated earlier this year that “Los Chapitos” and Jalisco, led by Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, could be developing a partnership.

The possible collaboration would also give Jalisco more access to corrupt leaders within the Sinaloa cartel, which would shift the power structure among cartels, the report said.

The New York Times report indicated that as part of the reported partnership, the Los Chapitos are willing to surrender territories that they previously controlled over to Jalisco in exchange for cash and weapons to bolster operations.

“It’s like if the eastern coast of the U.S. seceded during the Cold War and reached out to the Soviet Union,” Vanda Felbab-Brown, an expert on nonstate armed groups at the Brookings Institution, told the newspaper. “This has global implications for how the conflict will unfold and how criminal markets will reorganize.”

What do the two sides of the 'supercartel' gain from the bond?

While Los Chapitos benefit from additional money and weapons that would come from their long-time rivals, Jalisco will likely gain expertise on the trafficking of fentanyl with the international reach that could make the international criminal organization more dominant on the global stage, including in Mexico.

Cartels, while operating independently, are responsible for more than 30,000 deaths each year. But as part of the new collaboration, the newly formed "supercartel" will command fentanyl supply chains, digital surveillance networks and a militarized workforce that stretches across more than 100 countries.

The New York Times reported that the Los Chapitos faction of the cartel was desperate for money due to the Trump administration’s crackdown on fentanyl entering the United States and deaths within their organization. That created the need for the organization to find support in the unlikely source of the Jalisco.

“Imagine how many millions you burn through in a war every day: the fighters, the weapons, the vehicles,” an unnamed high-ranking member of the Sinaloa cartel told the outlet. “The pressure mounted little by little.”

NewsNation's Jorge Ventura contributed reporting to this story.