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.

Cartel Protection Overview

Mission Information

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	Chuy Operator

Starting Weapon Loadout

PDSW 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	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	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	Head outside and assault the house right next to your location.
4	Alejandro will do most of the work from the first floor. Follow him up to the second floor.
5	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	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	Jump from the window and escape through the mountains.
8	Hold up and kill all the pursuers to proceed. Use the rocks and trees as cover to avoid getting shot at.
9	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	Continue heading down and take cover once an RPG hits an area close by. Shoot down all the enemies to proceed.
11	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	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	Follow Alejandro and Ghost again and jump down on the edge.
14	Dive to the water once you reach the dead end.
15	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	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	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
Use the Weapon Mount Feature to Peek Corners Safely Take Advantage of Bullet Penetration Swap Out the PDSW 528 for a RAPP H Skip Fighting the Mexican Soldiers at the House Take a Firing Position Near the Downed Soldier Hide From RPGs Under the Ledge Use the RAPP H to Suppress the Enemy Wave 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

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

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

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

Weapons Found in Cartel Protection

All Weapons in the Level

All Weapons
.50 GS	Bryson 800	Bryson 890	Expedite 12
Kastov 762	Kastov-74u	Lachmann-762	M16
M4	MX9	RAPP H	RPG-7
VEL 46	X13 Auto

Modern Warfare 2 (MW2) Related Guides

Campaign Story Walkthrough

All Campaign Missions