this post was submitted on 23 Feb 2026
140 points (99.3% liked)

World News

54116 readers
3091 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News !news@lemmy.world

Politics !politics@lemmy.world

World Politics !globalpolitics@lemmy.world


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] lastlybutfirstly@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Why is the cartel burning random cars, buildings, and businesses? Are they like rioting? Or do they have something against the particular owners of these things or is there a coherent strategy?

The article says that the burning cars are for a blockade. Are they pulling people out of cars and setting them on fire? What about the buildings and the Costco? What kind of blockade does that form?

[–] hector@lemmy.today 5 points 1 day ago

The Sinaloa cartel has done this a couple of times, once when Guzman's son was captured the first time by the federals, they started burning shit and blockading roads and whatever else, shooting shit, in a show of force and the federals released him.

Since then I guess that might have emboldened them at this strategy, Mexico seems like they won't repeat that kind of capitulation.

But yes, it's rather random, they burnt some supermarkets in the Yucatan even just yesterday or whatever and that's not even the same state. It would make more sense to do targeted violence, but also would further escalate things.

The federal units are rather known for being heavy handed, and torturing people. Also half of their cartels are now run by their former army guys, they use army units for most of this, I called them federals but it's mostly armed forces.

After the US got Calderon in the 00's to target the cartels, it was mostly sinaloa, as I understand it, and they played a long game, quiet, sneaking product in shipments, working through existing criminal networks. After they were smashed, they splintered into multiple other groups that fell into fighting over territory, many of which supplanted existing criminal groups rather than working with them.

In that fighting, many brought in former army guys for protection, the zetas, and those zetas predictably ended up seizing control of a great many. It's actually indicative of the future of the Mexican state itself. Any time you bring the army into domestic affairs, it's a matter of time before they see the levers of power, the weakness of civilian leaders, and they subordinate the political leadership, if not take it outright.

But anyway, half of the cartels are now run by these former army guys, like the specialized army units that hunt these cartels, that are known for executing prisoners and torturing them and such.