A New Chapo, Mexico–Cuba Kiss Cam & Electronic Music Paradise
Mexico Decoded’s weekly briefing makes sense of the news that matters.
1. Trump’s War Talk Toward Drug Cartels Escalates
Trump sharply escalated his rhetoric toward Mexico, claiming the country is “controlled by cartels” and warning that the U.S. could “start hitting land” to deal with organized crime. After the remarks, Sheinbaum spoke directly with Trump to contain the fallout. She described the call as “successful.”
Decoded:
Trump has no real interest in weakening the cartels. If he did, he wouldn’t have slashed funding for addiction treatment or freed convicted traffickers. What drives Trump is economic leverage. The cartels serve as an issue he weaponizes strategically to extract concessions from Mexico to benefit U.S. companies.
2. Gas Collusion, to the Wall
A specialized federal court upheld a ruling finding 50 LPG companies guilty of colluding to block competition and raise prices. Monopolies affected 97% of Mexico’s regional gas markets.
Decoded:
This is an early signal that Mexico’s judicial overhaul may be starting to bite. The case against the LP firms had been frozen since 2022. Its sudden resolution suggests courts are less willing to indulge corporate obstruction and more prepared to enforce competition law.
3. New “Chapo” Emerges
The Sinaloa Cartel has a new top figure. After years of infighting following the capture of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán in 2016 and two of his sons in 2023, a trafficker known as “El Chapo Isidro”—once an ally of Guzmán—has risen as the cartel’s main drug exporter.
Decoded:
This is why cartel violence can’t be solved by Mexico alone. As long as drug demand remains high in the U.S., leadership vacuums will be filled.
4. Mexico Caught on the Kiss Cam with Cuba
The Financial Times revealed that in 2025 Mexico overtook Venezuela as Cuba’s top oil supplier. Mexico began exporting crude to the island in 2023 and now provides roughly 44% of Cuba’s total oil supply.
Decoded:
Set ideology aside. Mexico’s oil exports to Cuba should be understood as a humanitarian intervention because fuel shortages have real human costs in the island. Those who argue that cutting off fuel through economic sanctions is the surest path to Cuba’s regime change run into decades of research showing sanctions rarely topple governments.
5. Mexico emerges as top electronic party destination
Mexico has become one of the world’s top destinations for electronic music. The country offers an environment that blends both tropical landscapes, with Zamna Experience in Tulum, a top tourist destination in Mexico’s Caribbean, and a global metropolis, with EDC in Mexico City.
Decoded:
Mexico has strategically timed its festivals, which has paid off. Zamna coincides with the peak of winter travel season, while EDC, held a month later, has become one of the leading music festivals internationally due to its scale and production values.