The Juarez Cartel is one of the oldest surviving drug trafficking organizations in Mexico, with its roots reaching back to the 1980s. The group began its narcotics activities before moving into human trafficking, kidnapping, and extortion.
The wealth of the cartel was largely due to its control of the crucial border city of Juarez, a strategic trafficking corridor into the US.
Originally one of the most powerful cartels in Mexico, it began fighting the Sinaloa in 2004. Ciudad Juarez became the murder capital of the world for three years straight, before the city's drug trade ultimately came under control of the Sinaloa. The loss of the cartel's home city, coupled with an outdated business model, led to the group's decline.
Today, the Juarez Cartel is struggling to maintain its relevance against the Sinaloa. It has aligned itself with the Zetas and the BLO in attempts to win back its former zones of control, although this might prove difficult as the group's suspected leader was arrested in the beginning of October.