The Mexican Cartels have an estimated 10,000 or more hardcore members in total Sinaloa and Los Zetas being the largest and more numerous but they very different in business model and the way they operate. Los Zetas are more similar to the American mob in organization, structure and how the groups depend on the soldiers to control territory first, extract revenue from said territories,basically the "estacas" or soldiers are the back bone of the organization and spirit of the group. They are structured very similar to the American mob where's the captain and his "estacas" have controlled areas of the city with a local boss and sometimes the local underboss. Obviously the American mob doesnt have as much membership and corruption to control large parts of the U.S and because of that the American mob doesnt have more upper levels like the Zetas do like middle level bosses/lieutenants and regional bosses/generals that control various states etc. Also the like the American mob the Zetas soldiers have to kick up revenue from extortion, drug sales, oil theft, stolen cars, piracy etc. up the food chain unlike the other drug cartels were money from drug trafficking flows down the food chain eventually to the sicarios and down to lowest guys like spotters/informants. Obviously the mob doesnt have an intelligence network like the Zetas and other drug trafficking groups etc. The Sinaloa Cartel is a more old fashioned group where the soldiers arent the back bone of the group but simply reinforcers that can be thrown away or disposed of, the power lays within the various drug families or groups that operate within the Sinaloa Cartel. They (Sinaloa) dont really go after territory itself or sheer territory but seek to control ports, harbors,corridors etc. or logistics to move the massive amounts of hundreds/tons of kilograms of cocaine, black tar heroin, marijuana, and since they ports they import pharmesudicals from India or China to make into meth. Obvioudly there are areas or strongholds the Sinaloa Cartel operates that can't be penetrated by their enemies added that Sinaloa state and authorities are in cahoots with the Sinaloa group but what makes the Sinaloa so astonoshing is that they have the capacity to invade other drug cartels HQ/corridors with sucess permanent or long term presence and move drugs through their corridors or face war. The other cartel simply dont have the same capacity to do so. Sure the Gulf and Los Zetas may intent to do incursions into rival HQ/trafficking corridors but they have failed what Sinaloa has did and continues to do so. Have a permanent presence in rival HQ, hell they even have established a presence in Medellin Colombia profiting from local drug sales amid the turf war between La Oficina and Urebenos ever ending war for control of the city. They slowly creeping into right straight to control cocaine production in Colombia. Something the Colombians never managed to do in Mexico's case controlling the drug trafficking routes in Mexico or less even the corridors themselves. Quite suprising.