- The U.S. government worked with the Sinaloa cartel from 2000 to 2012 as part of a divide and conquer strategy. In exchange for intel on rival cartels, the U.S. government allegedly allowed the cartel to smuggle billions of dollars worth of drugs. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/01/13/report-the-dea-really-did-strike-a-deal-with-mexicos-most-notorious-deadly-drug-cartel/ 7 comments worldnews