Again, not glorifying either party but reports show the Cartels is as violent as ISIS.
Minus the suicide bombings, the Cartels have infiltrated many levels of government and law enforcement to the point that in 2007, 300 high ranking federal officers [
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6239674.stm] were temporarily suspended to stop corruption. so they didn't take over bases in the sense ISIS has but they still took them over and maintain them under false pretense meaning they were stealthy with their move.
ISIS and the Cartels both have video recording of both sides butchering other humans.
ISIS and the Cartels both have video of executions and beheadings
ISIS and the Cartels both shoot a wide range of weapons although ISIS is more destructive as they have old munition left over from Iraq's first war in 90's and munition they stole from Iraqi forces that fled or were captured and killed
ISIS does one thing better than the Cartels, and that's record and distribute their footage in a social media driven society.
But removing ISIS's ability to capture the attention of the masses,
both groups are evenly matched in their level of brutality and take no prisoners movements.