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Wealth and power need each other. As the best-known and most prosperous trading organization in the American Southwest, the Cartel is always acutely aware of the rapacious, piratical nature of the inhabitants of the wasteland. Protecting their business and finding new markets has resulted in the spread of civilization -- purely as a side effect.
Origin
Pre-War
The Juárez Cartel was a major cocaine-smuggling organization in northern Mexico.
Post-War
The Cartel originally started as a breakaway group of heavily-armed drug traffickers, fleeing from Mexico after the nuclear war in 1989. They took over Mojave County, Arizona (including Lake Havasu City and Kingman), and soon more-or-less merged with small groups of survivalists, refugees, and soldiers. In the following decades the Cartel became the center of a network of trade caravans braving the many deserts of the continent.
Several stranded trains in the Kingman rail yard contained a large amount of oil and gasoline ... enough for the Cartel to operate on for many years.
What Outsiders Know
They sell fuel, salt, food, etc. In theory democratic. Their capital is Kingman Town (aka Cuidad Kingman).
Their inflexibility towards raiders and vagrants has made the roads of the Southwest much safer.
They have half a dozen major trade routes extending as far west as the Foundation, in California, as far east as what used to be northern Texas, and south to Ciudad Juarez, with outposts to protect their trade.
The Reality
While some factions may have hidden agendas or clandestine goals, the Cartel traders have long stated their intentions on public record: they seek to trade, grow rich, and become powerful. If you’re good for business, you’re a friend, if you’re not, well, you’d better move along – fast. They're known for their honesty, going a long way to live up to a bargain -- and a long way to enforce one.
History isn't important to them; they aren't concerned about any "drug lord" accusations (as if anyone in the post-apocalyptic world would care). They certainly are willing to trade with just about anyone, no matter how sordid.
They don't buy or sell slaves, or carry any besides personal, household slaves -- the Rangers made it clear that engaging in or abetting slave-trading would be very expensive.
Population
Over the whole network of Cartel locations about 20,000 persons live under the Cartel's control.
Culture Notes
The various jefes and important types have been seen wearing an odd combination of a suit jacket and a letter jacket: leather sleeves with stretchy cuffs, but the body of the garment is pretty much a suit coat.
Drivers and mechanics often wear a sort of tee-shirt (or polo shirt, if it has a few buttons): it has a row of four or five pockets across the whole lower hem. They hold tools and small items.
Hoods with sewn-in goggles have been seen. They don't cover the mouth and lower face, so you look sort of like a homeless supervillain ... the Komerk term for these is el gafcap.
Komerk is the 'native language', but many natives know Road Talk and Unislang. Literacy and numeracy among those born into the Cartel is nearly universal.
Communication with mercenaries and caravan guards is done in Unislang if they don't know Komerk.
Territory and Locations
thick black lines are the usual Cartel trade routes
Kingman Town (population 3,000) contains a vast railyard, filled with thousands of rusting railway cars. Lake Havasu City and Bullhead City are agricultural centers. There are truck stops, paradas, at intervals along the routes. Some of the paradas:
Some are in communities under Cartel control, others are established with the permission of the local overlord or government.
Ciudad Juarez (population 9,000) is the largest Cartel-controlled town; trade south of there is subject to a lot of negotiations with various warlords and commercial groups in old Mexico.
Organization
The Cartel is organized into "plazas", or territories. The jefe of a plaza handles recruitment, training, room and board for his people. Moving up from command of a plaza, to the Centro at Cuidad Kingman, is the goal of any ambitious Cartel member.
A convoy will be under the command of a mandamás. Truck drivers are camioneros; guards and gunners are chongos. On a large convoy, the chief of the guards and gunners is el vencedor.
Equipment and Resources
Best known for the "Cartel Rifle", a somewhat clunky weapon in .41 Cartel caliber. A recoil-operated semi-auto rifle, originally built to employ black powder; some are built for full-auto fire, and equipped with a bipod. Originals were built at various sites, but most are built in Styx nowadays. Magazines are mostly poorly-made copies of BAR mags, and hold 20 rounds. Ammo is made from cut-down 7.62mm NATO cases, so technically 10.4x40mm; ammunition loaded in Styx employs cordite. It's between .44 Magnum and .444 Marlin in power (depending on powder used, of course).
Being well-off traders, the Cartel uses all sorts of salvaged weapons.
Vehicles
Every kind of motor-operated vehicle.
Aircraft
From time to time a few light aircraft are operated by the Cartel, around Cuidad Kingman.
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