The Sinaloa drug cartel, Mexico's largest organized crime syndicate, has been involved in a bloody battle with the rival Juarez cartel for control of the border city of Juarez. An NPR News investigation, including an analysis of 2,600 arrest documents, found strong evidence that Mexico's drug fight is rigged, with federal forces appearing to favor the Sinaloa cartel. This video tells the story.

Two municipal police officers embrace after they were ambushed by unknown gunmen in the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez on April 23, 2010.

Javier Manzano / AP

The Fight For Juarez: When Will The Killing End?

A couple comforts each other upon arriving at yet another crime scene caused by drug violence in Juarez.

Julian Cardona for NPR

Related Links

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Mexico's Drug War: A Rigged Fight?

Mexico Seems To Favor Sinaloa Cartel In Drug War

On The Trail Of Mexico's Vicious Sinaloa Cartel

The people above are just a few of those arrested for cartel-related crimes in Mexico over the past four years. The photos came from the 2,600 arrest documents that NPR analyzed as part of an investigation into whether the drug war is a rigged fight.

Watch the video above for the story behind the numbers. NPR reporter John Burnett carries us from the highest ranks of the Sinaloa cartel into the desolate Juarez Valley and then the Rio Grande, where the Mexican military appears to assist an SUV stuffed with marijuana.

Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

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