The word sicario comes from the fanatics of Jerusalem, assassins who killed Romans that had invaded their homeland.
In Mexico, a sicario is a hitman who works for the highest bidder, completely unconcerned with any code of honor.
Crocodile, along with several operatives from the Sons of Anarchy, was crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to prepare the path for Dante's upcoming meeting with Felipe Lobos.
During the past week, they had uncovered several things about the current state of Mexico and the specific area where they would be negotiating with Felipe Lobos regarding the Jiménez cartel.
As is well known, various criminal economies thrive along the U.S.-Mexico border, where organized crime groups regularly transport drugs, weapons, and people.
Northern Mexico is a key area for organized crime, not only because of the trafficking of narcotics destined for the U.S. but also due to the smuggling of migrants, which generates millions in profits each year.
This, in turn, has caused disputes between drug cartels vying to control the routes used for smuggling undocumented individuals seeking entry into the United States.
Crocodile also discovered two organizations dominating half of the border territory: the Sinaloa Cartel and the Gulf Cartel.
No matter the goods flowing in either direction, control lies with whoever dominates the territory.
Additionally, it was revealed that both groups charge taxes and fees to migrants passing through Mexico, much like Los Zetas did in 2005 when they were the most powerful cartel of their time.
The other half was controlled by the Caborca Cartel in alliance with other organizations. It could be said that nearly every cartel in Mexico had some level of control near the border, but two major alliances were locked in conflict: Felipe Lobos' cartel versus the Jiménez cartel.
According to recent reports about attacks on the Sons of Anarchy, these assaults were orchestrated by the Caborca Cartel, who called themselves Los Doce Monos (The Twelve Monkeys).
That was the conclusion they had reached, so the primary objective was to strike back with greater force.
Felipe Lobos' cartel was at odds with the Caborca Cartel because of the alliance between the latter and the Jiménez cartel, which had the support of other groups.
The Caborca Cartel operated primarily in Sonora, the Gulf Cartel in Tamaulipas, and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in Baja California, while Felipe Lobos maintained operations in the State of Mexico. The latter was discreet in every sense.
Being highly disciplined and powerful, Lobos' cartel was among the largest distributors of cocaine to the U.S. Yet, they competed with the Jiménez cartel, which was just as strong.
With additional support from other allied cartels, Felipe could not openly wage war against the Jiménez cartel simply because they had attacked one of his U.S. suppliers.
But now that Dante had sent William to pave the way, he brought thirty Sons of Anarchy members—former special forces operatives trained in terrorism.
"Zz... We're entering Ciudad Juárez."
Crocodile looked out of the armored black SUV with great curiosity, as he had never been to Mexico before.
He knew Ciudad Juárez, officially Heroica Ciudad Juárez, was a Mexican city located in the state of Chihuahua. It was the state's most populous city and the seat of the Juárez municipality.
The city was less than ten hours from the U.S. border, making it, along with Sonora and nearby cities, a hotbed of organized crime vying for control of territory.
Whether they were Chinese, Colombian, or Mexican organizations, many groups wanted a piece of the lucrative U.S. market.
Crocodile understood perfectly well that they would draw attention as soon as they arrived. Fortunately, Felipe Lobos had prepared a safe house stocked with the weaponry they had selected for this mission.
"I want everyone to stay sharp. Whether they're kids or old folks, if they aim a gun at us, they're enemies." Crocodile wasn't nervous. He had been deployed as a soldier in other countries, so this mission wasn't any different.
"Understood, boss."
Beside Crocodile, Tig Trager, a high-ranking member of the Sons of Anarchy—who called themselves SAMCRO abroad—looked out the window and asked, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking right now?"
"Women?" Crocodile wasn't thrilled to have Tig as a companion. This man, besides being a womanizer, was extremely violent—the most reckless, capable of doing anything without hesitation.
Tig, formerly a sergeant-at-arms, was recruited soon after leaving the military, where his true skills weren't appreciated.
Dante saw his potential and brought him in. Tig was the most effective when violence was required.
Crocodile understood why Tig was there, but he preferred a more discreet approach, and Tig was far from subtle.
"Not women. I'm wondering about the kind of mess we'll have to deal with here and the attention we'll draw from U.S. law enforcement." Tig was aware that the DEA operated near the border and sometimes collaborated with the FBI for operations in Mexico.
It was always a problem to catch the attention of federal agencies, especially since they were being investigated for their ties to Ghost, who was dating a prosecutor investigating Felipe Lobos.
"Don't worry about that."
"And why's that?"
"We've got a sicario on our payroll. He's working closer than you think with the DEA and planning to use an FBI agent to operate in Mexico. With them, we'll know everything they're doing and move more securely." Crocodile thought it unnecessary to explain technicalities to Tig, who only cared about women.
For him, wasting time on such conversations was unthinkable.
"Damn, even the DEA is working with sicarios. They must be crazy to get involved with a hitman in Mexico." Recalling his past battles, Tig knew that working alongside a sicario funded by someone in power rarely ended well.
To Tig, sicarios were the last people anyone should trust.
"But that's the DEA's only way to slow down the flow of drugs into the U.S.," Crocodile remarked. He knew that as long as consumers kept demanding more drugs, there was no stopping their entry.
Dante had reached the same conclusion at his pub. To prevent others from selling, he did it himself—offering the highest-quality product.
The DEA faced the same problem that Dante would later solve. Unlike soldiers, DEA agents could fight their own war but knew they wouldn't save the day—they could only obstruct or delay criminals from smuggling drugs into the U.S.
That was the harsh reality.
Tig lit a cigarette and said, "I have a lot of faith in our boss's plan. His plan has inspired many."
"Yeah, I have to admit, it's brilliant." Crocodile, fully on board with the plan, understood better than anyone what Dante intended to do—make it nearly impossible for the average citizen to access cocaine unless they were very wealthy.
"Kill the foolish rich and save the poor addicts. I like that phrase," Tig murmured as he tapped the ashes of his cigarette into an ashtray.
As they headed to the safe house stocked with weapons, everyone couldn't help but think of their families, knowing that once again, they would be killing the bad guys.
The Sons of Anarchy would deliver justice in their own way—not for the nation but for all those who wished to live honestly and were victims of crime.
Now, they were truly in the devil's den.