Mexico's Deadliest Rivals Join Forces to Control Fuel Theft in Guanajuato

Mexico's two most powerful and fiercely rival drug cartels have joined forces to control fuel theft in Guanajuato, the country's most violent state and a critical industrial corridor, according to intelligence from the Attorney General's Office (FGR) obtained by NPI Irapuato.

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and Los Chapitos, the faction of the Sinaloa Cartel led by the sons of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, are collaborating to dominate huachicol, the illegal tapping of state-owned fuel pipelines, in a move that upends decades of cartel rivalry and threatens to intensify violence across the Bajío region.

Guanajuato is no ordinary battleground. The state leads Mexico in total homicides, a grim distinction it has held for several consecutive years. It is also home to a sprawling automotive manufacturing sector, hosting plants from General Motors, Honda, and Mazda, plus a large American and Canadian expatriate community centered on San Miguel de Allende. The state's dense network of Pemex pipelines, which run through industrial zones and rural farmland alike, has made it ground zero for fuel theft in Mexico.

Huachicol is big business. Illegal fuel siphoning costs Pemex, Mexico's state oil company, an estimated 20 billion pesos annually, or roughly one billion dollars. Criminal groups tap pipelines at night, drain fuel into tanker trucks, and sell it at discounted rates through a network of clandestine filling stations. The operation requires territory control, political contacts, and logistics, all of which an alliance between CJNG and Los Chapitos can provide in abundance.

The partnership is notable because the two organizations have been the principal combatants in Mexico's cartel conflict for nearly a decade. CJNG, led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias "El Mencho," and the Sinaloa Cartel under its various factions have fought across at least a dozen Mexican states. That they would cooperate, even in a limited capacity, suggests the financial returns from Guanajuato's fuel infrastructure are large enough to override traditional enmity, at least for now.

FGR intelligence indicates the alliance focuses on operational coordination rather than a full merger. CJNG contributes its extensive network of enforcers and logistics in central Mexico, while Los Chapitos bring political connections and established distribution channels. The two groups have reportedly agreed to split revenues and territories within the state, reducing direct confrontation over pipeline access points.

For Guanajuato's residents, the implications are stark. The state already records more than 3,000 homicides per year, many tied to territorial disputes between criminal groups. A unified front between Mexico's two strongest cartels could crowd out smaller competitors and consolidate control over not just fuel theft, but extortion, kidnapping, and drug distribution in the region.

The development also raises the stakes for the foreign manufacturing sector. Automakers and suppliers operating in the Bajío corridor have invested billions of dollars in Guanajuato, drawn by its skilled labor pool and proximity to U.S. markets. Security costs have been rising steadily, and a cartel alliance of this scale could accelerate that trend.

Mexico's federal government has deployed military units and the National Guard to Guanajuato in repeated surges, with limited success. Fuel theft volumes have proven resilient, and criminal groups adapt quickly to law enforcement pressure. An alliance between CJNG and Los Chapitos presents a more sophisticated and resilient threat than either group alone.

The FGR report, first reported by NPI Irapuato, has not been publicly released. Mexican security officials have not commented on the alleged alliance.