Juárez War

When the Sinaloa Cartel attempted to seize the Ciudad Juárez–El Paso corridor from the Juárez Cartel, it triggered one of the most violent episodes in Mexican history. Ciudad Juárez became the “murder capital of the world” with over 3,000 homicides in 2010 (population ~1.3 million).

The Juárez Cartel’s enforcement arm La Línea and the Barrio Azteca street gang fought against Sinaloa-aligned forces. The 2010 Villas de Salvárcar massacre — 15 teenagers killed at a house party — brought international condemnation. By 2012-2013, the Sinaloa Cartel had largely prevailed. The war devastated the city’s social fabric and economy.