In the 1980s a criminal group rooted in the state of Sinaloa evolved into the first large-scale drug trafficking organization and became the precursor of most of Mexico’s current major criminal organizations. Headed by Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, the group was known as the Felix Gallardo organization, (later known as the Guadalajara OCG). The Felix Gallardo organization became extremely powerful due to their connections to powerful Colombian OCGs and the lack of internal rivalries or competition within Mexico.
The organization began to split apart in the late 1980s, due in part to the 1985 murder of U.S. DEA agent Enrique (Kiki) Camarena. Camarena’s death led to increased U.S. pressure on the Government of Mexico to combat narcotics trafficking leading Mexico to begin to re-organize and expand its federal police forces. Mexico’s renewed law enforcement efforts, in turn, contributed to the decline of Guadalajara organization leading to numerous internal divisions. One notable division occurred when Héctor Luis “El Güero” Palma Salazar broke from the Félix Gallardo organization.
