The **Sinaloa Cartel** is one of the world's oldest, largest, and most powerful transnational drug trafficking organizations, headquartered in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico. Founded in the late 1960s by Pedro Avilés Pérez, it evolved from a small marijuana smuggling operation into a dominant global criminal syndicate specializing in trafficking marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl, alongside extensive money laundering activities including use of cryptocurrency[1][2][4]. Historically, the cartel emerged from the fragmentation of the Guadalajara Cartel in the late 1980s after the arrest of its leader, Félix Gallardo. Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada rose through the ranks, establishing the Sinaloa Cartel as a formidable force by innovating smuggling techniques such as tunnels and aircraft, and cultivating deep networks of corruption and bribery. Despite Guzmán’s arrest in 1993 and subsequent prison escape in 2001, the cartel expanded its control over drug trafficking routes into the United States, dominating markets in nearly every U.S. state by the mid-2010s with an estimated annual revenue ranging from $3 billion to $39 billion[1][2][6]. In recent years, leadership transitioned to Guzmán’s sons, known as “Los Chapitos,” who continue to manage complex drug trafficking and money laundering networks, employing couriers, bulk cash shipments, wire transfers, trade goods, and cryptocurrencies. The cartel remains heavily involved in fentanyl trafficking, which has fueled a major public health crisis in the U.S. The cartel’s operations extend to at least 50 countries, making it the Mexican cartel with the largest international footprint. It also engages in violence to secure its interests, including against law enforcement and rival groups[3][6]. Notably, in July 2024, Joaquín Guzmán surrendere