Explore ‘El Chapo’ and the Sinaloa Cartel’s Smuggling Routes

Update February 22, 2014: Associated Press reports El Chapo has been detained by Mexican and U.S. authorities. Fusion aired a documentary titled “El Chapo Guzmán, CEO of Crime” in November 2013 before his arrest.

Joaquín Guzmán Loera or “El Chapo” has taken the Sinaloa Cartel from a regional operation to a worldwide criminal enterprise. Yearly profits for meth, marijuana and cocaine trade are estimated at $3 billion. The success of Chapo’s international business is built on a system of criminal franchises that run different parts of the drug trade. These interactive maps show some of the known routes he uses and the renowned criminals he’s been linked to.

CHAPO’S MULTINATIONAL ENTERPRISE: THE SINALOA CARTEL’S ROUTES

These are some of the documented routes the Sinaloa Cartel uses for transporting drugs and weapons in and out of Mexico. Click through the numbered tabs to see the routes used for each item.

WORLDWIDE CRIMINAL FRANCHISES

The Sinaloan Cartel is also called the Federation Cartel. The cartel uses a transnational network of independent criminal organizations. Click on the images to see some of the most famous groups that have worked with El Chapo Guzman.

DISCLAIMER: The list is based on Univision Investiga’s reporting, official documents and a review of published articles, but it is not a comprehensive list of the Sinaloan Cartel’s operations.