There are no fixed numbers, but four major Mexican cartels currently dominate drug trafficking, human smuggling, and organized crime networks in Texas. These transnational criminal organizations operate through decentralized network cells and local U.S. gangs rather than as visible, territorial street empires. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

The primary cartels operating in Texas include:

• Gulf Cartel (Cártel del Golfo): Historically controls lucrative smuggling routes in South Texas, primarily operating through the Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, McAllen, and Laredo. [1, 2, 3]
• Sinaloa Cartel: A massive transnational organization highly active across West Texas and the El Paso-Juárez corridor, utilizing alliances with local gangs like Barrio Azteca for distribution. [1, 2, 3]
• Juárez Cartel (Vicente Carrillo Fuentes): Primarily operates in the West Texas region, leveraging strongholds across the border in Ciudad Juárez. [1, 2, 3]
• Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG): Operates as a highly powerful and heavily armed organization expanding its reach into Texas distribution networks.
• Note: Los Zetas and their offshoot, Cartel del Noreste (CDN), also maintain historically significant smuggling presence, particularly in the Laredo and Eagle Pass sectors.

Because cartels rely on operational secrecy within the U.S., they typically contract local street and prison gangs (such as the Mexican Mafia, Texas Syndicate, and Tango Blast) to handle physical logistics, local distribution, and debt collection. State agencies like the Texas Department of Public Safety continually monitor and enforce against these cells. [1, 2, 3, 4]