The Mascota area and its surroundings are considered a strategic location for the activities of the cartel led by El Mencho. Within this area, several clandestine laboratories dedicated to the production of fentanyl are found.

In addition to the laboratories, the Mascota area also houses clandestine airstrips that are used by cartel members to receive planes from the South and to send shipments to Tamaulipas and Ciudad Juárez. These airstrips are carefully camouflaged with huge pots that are removed during the nights to allow planes to land and facilitate quick and efficient exchanges.

In addition to Mascota, there is another strategic location where airplanes land and take off: Ixtlán del Río, in Nayarit. This area is completely controlled by the gardener Audias Flores, making it a place of great importance for drug trafficking and other illegal activities.

Regarding drug transportation, El Mencho, with the use of tankers that appear to carry fuel or gas, is one of the most commonly utilized strategies by this cartel to conceal their merchandise and avoid detection by authorities. The tankers are modified with secret compartments where the drugs are hidden, and the nails in their structure are used to prevent movement during transport.

It is crucial to mention that due to the narrow spaces where the drugs are stored, only slim individuals can enter these areas to ensure that the product remains in the proper place throughout the entire transportation time. Therefore, the maximum allowed weight is 60 kilograms, as it is necessary for these individuals to be able to move easily and quickly.

Colonel José Isidro Grimaldo Muñoz was kidnapped on December 17, 2022, by direct order of El Mencho in Tlapalpa and is among the disappeared who were eliminated. According to investigations, Colonel Grimaldo Muñoz was taken to an unknown location and his whereabouts were never known. This has caused great consternation in the military community and society in general, as Colonel Grimaldo was a highly respected and beloved man.

At the exit of Mascota, there is a ranch owned by Sigilfredo, an important partner of El Mencho. It is also used as an operational center for the criminal organization. However, this place is more than just a base for the cartel, as it has been discovered that atrocious acts of the highest severity are committed here.

Evidence has been found that this ranch is used for settling scores, and the victims are executed and subjected to a process of acid dissolution to erase all evidence of the crime. Additionally, bodies have been discovered buried in the vicinity of the ranch. The horror does not end there, as it has been revealed that in the nearby forests, the victims are also burned using diesel, a method that results in extreme brutality.

Despite the magnitude of these atrocities, the cartel has implemented highly sophisticated security measures to prevent the detection of their illegal activities on the ranch. A vast amount of drugs and money is carefully hidden in the rooster cages, and the horses that also inhabit the place are used to transport drugs and carry out other actions involving the criminal organization.

José Luis Gutiérrez Ochoa Tolín, known as Mr. TT or simply Tolin, is a sinister character within the organization of Mencho, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). This individual has been identified as one of the main leaders of the CJNG in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, and Bahía de Banderas, Nayarit.

In June 2015, Tolin was arrested by authorities, but he was released in 2018 and has continued to operate as the plaza boss in the Bahía de Banderas area. It is known that he is the brother-in-law of Rubén Oseguera González, alias Menchito, son of Mencho, which indicates his proximity and loyalty to the criminal organization.

Tolin assumed leadership of the criminal cells for the sale and distribution of drugs in the municipalities of Tonalá and Guadalajara, activities that were previously led by his father, José Luis Gutiérrez Valencia, also known as El Ojo de Vidrio and/or Don Chelo. After his father’s death in December 2017, Tolin took control of the drug distribution in the municipalities of the state of Jalisco.

The Mencho Cartel continues to move large quantities of drugs with impunity in the border region between Mexico and the United States. Using the Mandarina entry point to Compostela, the drugs are transported overland to Compostela, where they are organized and prepared for further transportation. But this is not all, as it is estimated that up to 30 tons of drugs are transported by train through the cities of Nogales and Nuevo Laredo, which serve as important distribution centers for drug trafficking.

It is worth noting that drugs reach the estuary of the Mandarin Canal, sometimes even through submarines, because the vegetation prevents them from being detected by satellites.

To move drugs from Compostela to the north, small aircraft are used. However, this is not the only means of transportation. A considerable amount of drugs is loaded onto train cars bound for Nogales and Nuevo Laredo. These two cities serve as important drug distribution hubs, with estimates indicating that up to 30 tons of drugs are transported through these cities in each shipment.

It is truly alarming that the authorities in the region continue to ignore accurate reports and not even respond to the accusations. This raises two possibilities: either they are extremely incompetent and negligent in their duty to protect citizens, or they are somehow involved in these illicit activities. The overwhelming amount of drugs passing through cities like Nogales and Nuevo Laredo demands immediate attention and action. These reports cannot be ignored, as they represent billions of dollars supposedly intended to combat the trafficking of fentanyl and other harmful substances. With respect to the above, it is worth noting that Juan Bremer and Ricardo Santa Cruz, partners in the Mandarina development, are the main money launderers for El Mencho. El Mencho typically stays in the development because it has a very strong security system, to which even federal forces cannot gain access.