Mexico's violent drug cartel Jalisco New Generation targeting Hong Kong cocaine market and reaping huge profits, says official
Violent newcomer to Mexico's turf wars said to be targeting Hong Kong and reaping huge profits, as Latin American gangs push into the region
A powerful new drug cartel behind a surge in violence engulfing parts of Mexico is now targeting Hong Kong's lucrative cocaine market, according to a top official at the Mexican National Chamber of Industry.
The Jalisco New Generation - an aggressive newcomer to Mexico's drug wars whose audacity and modern weaponry have launched it head-first into a clash with the country's military - was reaping huge profits selling cocaine at a considerable mark-up in Hong Kong, said chamber president Rodrigo Alpízar Vallejo.
His comments come amid an increased push by Latin American drug cartels into the Asia-Pacific region in recent years.
Investigations by the found that the Sinaloa cartel - one of the world's biggest, most established syndicates - maintained both a corporate and criminal presence in Hong Kong.
In addition to trafficking cocaine to the city, the group also ran front companies and bank accounts which it used to launder drug funds, according to official Mexican documents and interviews with law enforcement sources.
Last year, Mexican authorities dealt the Sinaloa cartel a surprise blow by capturing kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in a heavily armed raid on his beachside den in the Pacific resort town of Mazatlan.
The arrest was just one of a number of drug bosses captured by the Mexican government as part of an ongoing crackdown.
