kidnapping prior to President Calderon's offensive against the cartels. The cartel terrorised the Southwest border and beyond with executions, torture, beheadings, kidnappings, and bribes to law enforcement, military personnel, and government officials According to court documents, the organisation made hundreds of millions of dollars by moving hundreds of tons of cocaine and marijuana from Mexico and Colombia into the United States. Carlos' active role within the cartel was to carry out money laundering operations. Carlos did this through several companies situated within Mazatlán, Guadalajara and Mexico City. These companies consisted of real estate, construction, night clubs, money exchange houses and retailing shops. The organisation's business strategy concentrated on drug trafficking and implemented risk-mitigation strategies such as recruiting attractive, affluent youths with dual citizenships to limit inspection when crossing the border. Carlos' brothers Ramón and Benjamín would recruit them into trafficking and enforcing for the organisation in the most upscale night clubs. History The Tijuana Cartel was originally known as the Arellano Felix Organisation It was originally formed in the 1960s in Sinaloa predominantly delivering heroin and marijuana from Sinaloa to the United States. In the 1980s, the organisation was led by Carlos' godfather, Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo. Miguel's arrest marked the end of the Pax Padrino period and the beginning of the “territorialising” period of the organisation. After Miguel's arrest in 1989, the organisation was passed down to Carlos and his family members. Carlos' brother Benjamín Arellano-Felix took leadership of the Arellano-Felix organisation. Soon after, conflict began between Chapo Guzmán and the Arellano Felix Organisation, with killings between the two occurring in 1991. They attempted to reconcile their conflict in November 1992, however, Chapo struck an attack the following day. In 1993 the Arellano Felix Organisation recruited hit men who assassinated Cardinal Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo when attempting to kill Chapo causing a significant crisis for the Arellano's. As a response, they began bribing high-level Mexican government officials to minimise the government response which starved their profits. This led to their involvement in kidnapping to increase profits. From 1993 to 1995 Carlos' brothers Benjamín and Ramón were lying low outside Tijuana and the organisation was left to Ismael Higuera Guerrero. The 2000s, represented the beginning of the success of US–Mexican law enforcement decapitation strategies following the arrests of the cartel's significant leaders, El Chuy and El Mayel. Despite Carlos' brother Ramon's death and his brother Benjamin's arrest in 2002, the