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Modern Warfare 2 (MW2)

Cartel Protection Mission Walkthrough

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☆ Camo Challenges | List of Blueprints
★ DMZ Key Locations and Map
☆ Ashika Island: DMZ Keys | Weapon Cases | Map Guide
★ How to Get Weapon Cases

Modern Warfare 2 - Cartel Protection Walkthrough
Cartel Protection is a campaign story mission in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (MW2). Read on for a complete walkthrough of Cartel Protection including tips for beating the mission on Realism Difficulty, a list of achievements, as well as a list of weapons you can find & use.

◄ Previous Mission Next Mission ▶
Borderline Close Air

List of Contents

Cartel Protection Overview

Mission Information

Cartel Protection
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Campaign - Cartel Protection
Description Ghost, Soap, Rudy, and Alejandro's Los Vaqueros pursue Hassan under the cartel's protection. Mexican Army troops in the pocket of the cartel intervene.
Place Las Almas, Mexico
Date & Time 30 October 2022, 1000
Character Soap
Completion Reward Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Campaign - Chuy OperatorChuy Operator

Starting Weapon Loadout

PDSW 528PDSW 528

Soap starts off the mission with a suppressed M4 that has an M203 grenade launcher attachment. His secondary will be a suppressed PDSW 528 SMG for the CQB sections of the level.

Cartel Protection Walkthrough

Cartel Protection Realism Difficulty Video Playthrough

Complete Mission Walkthrough

1
Modern Warfare 2 - Go Inside First Area
Let Alejandro open up the door to the first area. There will be a couple of enemies right after opening the door, so prepare to shoot after entering.
2
Modern Warfare 2 - Go Inside The House on the Alley
Lead the team inside the house at the corner of the alley. Try to peek and shoot the enemies inside to avoid getting hit or dying. There will be a shotgun-wielding enemy in the hall, and another enemy holed up in the 2nd room to your right.
3
Modern Warfare 2 - Go to the Next House
Head outside and assault the house right next to your location.
4
Modern Warfare 2 - Follow Alejandro to 2nd Floor
Alejandro will do most of the work from the first floor. Follow him up to the second floor.
5
Modern Warfare 2 - Secure the Second Floor
Clear out the room at the second floor. Use grenades or a flashbang to secure the room quickly. One enemy will be behind the couch and the other will be under the table.
6
Modern Warfare 2 - Hold Out for a Bit
An army of enemies will come after that. Try to hold out for a few minutes and wait for the next objective to show up. Alternatively, you can sit behind the room until Alejandro tells you that his team is safe (no need to fight the Mexican Army).
7
Modern Warfare 2 - Jump from the Window
Jump from the window and escape through the mountains.
8
Modern Warfare 2 - Hold Out 1st Encounter
Hold up and kill all the pursuers to proceed. Use the rocks and trees as cover to avoid getting shot at.
9
Modern Warfare 2 - Hold Out 2nd Encounter
Go down the slope and hold your position once again and take out the next batch of pursuers. Use the same strategy from the earlier encounter.
10
Modern Warfare 2 - Hold Out 3rd Encounter
Continue heading down and take cover once an RPG hits an area close by. Shoot down all the enemies to proceed.
11
Modern Warfare 2 - Follow Alejandro on the Edge of the Cliff
Follow Alejandro on the edge of the cliff until you reach the next location. Be careful when jumping around as you might fall to your death.
12
Modern Warfare 2 - Hold Out 4th Encounter
You'll get ambushed by more enemies up the hill. Kill all of them to proceed further. This wave of enemies will have armored soldiers carrying RPGs so make sure to take care of them first.
13
Modern Warfare 2 - Follow Alejandro and Ghost
Follow Alejandro and Ghost again and jump down on the edge.
14
Modern Warfare 2 - Jump to the Water
Dive to the water once you reach the dead end.
15
Modern Warfare 2 - Go to the Nearby Bridge
Try to avoid the enemies as much as possible and go to the nearby bridge. Use the rocks and water to avoid getting shot at.
16
Modern Warfare 2 - Bridge Destroyed
Graves will call in to support you from the air once you reach the bridge. Hide and wait for his team to take out the enemies on the bridge before you proceed.
17
Modern Warfare 2 - Finish the mission
Go to the vehicle to proceed with the next assignment.

▶ Next Mission: Close Air

How to Beat Cartel Protection in Realism Difficulty

Realism Difficulty Tips
Checkmark Use the Weapon Mount Feature to Peek Corners Safely
Checkmark Take Advantage of Bullet Penetration
Checkmark Swap Out the PDSW 528 for a RAPP H
Checkmark Skip Fighting the Mexican Soldiers at the House
Checkmark Take a Firing Position Near the Downed Soldier
Checkmark Hide From RPGs Under the Ledge
Checkmark Use the RAPP H to Suppress the Enemy Wave
Checkmark Stick to the Right Edge of the River

Use the Weapon Mount Feature to Peek Corners Safely

You can use the Weapon Mount Feature (T on PC) to safely peek corners as it allows for a smaller target and easier recoil control when you do. Enemies tend to laser you if you wide peek them. Use Weapon Mount to clear out buildings safely and methodically.

Later on, this same feature can be used while you fight off the Mexican Army in the mountainside. Use Weapon Mount to shoot and retreat to cover quickly.

Take Advantage of Bullet Penetration

Most if not all of the walls and doors leading up to Hassan's safehouse will be very thin. Take advantage of this and utilize bullet penetration to clear out hiding enemies without putting yourself at risk.

Later on, while you and the rest of squad are on the run in the forested mountainside of Las Almas, bullet penetration will still play a role as it is possible to shoot through trees especially when enemies use it for cover.

Swap Out the PDSW 528 for a RAPP H

Pick Up the Modded RAPP H

Once you get to Hassan's safehouse, make sure to swap out your PDSW 528 secondary for the modded RAPP H light machine gun beside the window. You will need this gun later on to fend off waves of enemies without having to constantly reload. However, make sure to keep your M4 as it will be the perfect secondary later on.

You Do Not Need to Fight the Mexican Soldiers at the House

No Need to Fight Mexican Soldiers

After you fail to find Hassan at the cartel safehouse, the Mexcian Special Forces will close in and attack your position. During this sequence, Alejandro will tell you that you will need to cover his men as they make their escape.

You do not have to do a thing during this segment of the mission. Instead, sit at the back of the room and wait for the scripted fight to play out. After some time, Alejandro will signal that his men are out and that you can now evacuate the building.

First Firefight: Take a Firing Position Near the Downed Soldier

When you reach the first downhill slope behind Hassan's safehouse, you will have to turn around and fight pursuing Mexican Special Forces. Use the rock where an allied soldier is shot as a firing position as it gives ample cover while still being far enough away to ignore grenades.

Third Firefight: Hide Under the Ledge

The third firefight will happen when the pursuing Mexican Army first starts shooting RPGs at you. To dodge these one-hit kill rockets, hide under the large ledge and let enemies push you. Use your RAPP H light machine gun instead of the M4 so you aren't caught reloading at a bad time.

Fourth Firefight: Use the RAPP H

The fourth firefight will be a bit more difficult. To safely clear this, use your RAPP H and shoot from cover. Delay your shots when enemies start jumping down the far cliff since hitting an RPG soldier will immediately make them shoot at you. Cover is destructable in this area, so one rocket is enough to ruin your day.

If you hear an RPG go off, use your non-lethal grenades to stun the rocket soldier and unload on him with the RAPP H. However, do note that if you fail to kill RPG soldiers while they're stunned, they will automatically shoot you with a rocket after the stun ends.

Stick to the Right Edge of the River

Hug These Rocks While Swimming

To get to the end of the level quickly, stick to the right edge of the river. If enemies are peeking over the lip of the edge, dive down but continue swimming forward. Once you reach the rock before the bridge, you will have already made it to the end of the mission. This method is the easiest as shooting back at pursuing enemies is not necessary for this to work.

Cartel Protection Achievements

There are no obtainable Achievements in Hindsight.

Weapons Found in Cartel Protection

All Weapons in the Level

All Weapons
.50 GS.50 GS Bryson 800Bryson 800 Bryson 890Bryson 890 Expedite 12Expedite 12
Kastov 762Kastov 762 Kastov-74uKastov-74u Lachmann-762Lachmann-762 M16M16
M4M4 MX9MX9 RAPP HRAPP H RPG-7RPG-7
VEL 46VEL 46 X13 AutoX13 Auto

Modern Warfare 2 (MW2) Related Guides

Modern Warfare 2 - Campaign Missions Banner.png

Campaign Story Walkthrough

All Campaign Missions

List of Campaign Missions
1 Strike
2 Kill or Capture
3 Wetwork
4 Tradecraft
5 Borderline
6 Cartel Protection
7 Close Air
8 Hardpoint
9 Recon by Fire
10 Violence and Timing
11 El Sin Nombre
12 Dark Water
13 Alone
14 Prison Break
15 Hindsight
16 Ghost Team
17 Countdown

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