Evaluating the economic impact of mexicos drug trafficking. Mexican border became the main transport route for cocaine, marijuana and other drugs into the united states. The juarez cartel endured a multiyear turf war with the sinaloa cartel, which, at. Next to the bodies, members of cartel jalisco new generation cjng left a poster board taking credit for the scene, labeling the victims kidnappers and rapists. Hezbollah and al shabaab in mexico and the terrorist threat to the united states 102 military tactics, according to the u. The present dissertation seeks to address this gap in the mexican literature on the war on drugs by focusing on the use of violence perpetrated by the countrys drug cartels to analyse whether they can in fact be considered terrorist groups or whether the current approach whereby they are profitdriven. The mexican drug war also known as the mexican war on drugs.
May 19, 2010 mexican drug cartels mexican drug cartels have displaced colombian groups as the dominant cocaine traffickers in the world. Hezbollah receives diplomatic, political and logistical support from syria, according to the. The article presents functioning of drug cartels in mexico in xx and xxi century, nowadays called as international criminal organizations. Vdtos, reduction of illegal drug flows, and decapitation of top trafficking kingpins. There are other operating groups within the drug cartels. Mexican gangs create narco saints to moralize crime drug cartels and gangs in mexico are altering religions and engaging in brutal crimes as forms of worship by joshua philipp. In mexico, cartels pay off judges, police, politicians, and other officials using their vast drug profits, which the u. Cartels are also increasingly involved in activities such as kidnapping and extortion finklea et al 2011.
For example, cartels have become extraordinarily powerful in several mexican states, including michoacan, sinaloa, and tamaulipas where a severe lack of governance exists. Even more reason for america to be concerned along with the lack of motivation by the mexican authorities is the connection that is emerging between the cartels and radical islamic. Drug trade in mexico oxford research encyclopedia of. However, the mexican government will have to be careful what it wishes for.
While government officials have never been immune to mexico s drug violence, the incidents demonstrate that mexican drug trafficking organizations consider highranking officials to be legitimate targets. A bloody firefight in march in guatemalas zacapa province involving several mexican drug traffickers was the first sign that mexican cartels were stepping up their battles for control of turf outside mexico. As their influence and sophistication grows and the connection between them and terrorist organizations increases, the cartels become a larger threat to our national security. The intense domestic conflict surrounding the drug cartels in mexico has boiled over the border and into the united states. Moneylaundering methods of drug cartels thomson reuters. Pdf on nov 1, 2011, mark esposito and others published the drug cartel cluster in mexico find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. Mexico, a major drug producin g and transit country, is the main foreign supplier of marijuana and a major supplier of methamphetamine to the united states.
More than 61,000 people have gone missing in mexico as a result of the increasingly violent drug war with powerful cartels. In a specific way it focuses on influences of mexican. Cartel members bought cars with drug profits and sent them back to mexico for resale, another way to launder the cartels wealth. They hide in safe houses or amid communities, suddenly striking with an assassination or a. As the number one drug consuming nation in the world and as an immediate neighbor to mexico, the u. The report examines trends in violence and organized crime in mexico through 2017. Mexican gangs create narco saints to moralize crime. In fact, the cocaine leaf is grown in the andean region of south america and mexican cartels are only responsible transiting the drug.
As the number one drug consuming nation in the world and as an immediate neighbor to mexico. After filtering through various intermediates, these sales amount to a massive annual income for the mexican drug cartels. Areas of poppy cultivation are hotly contested among mexican drug trafficking groups, with their infighting. Hezbollah and al shabaab in mexico and the terrorist threat. This relationship, however, is generally misunderstood.
Opinion drug cartel control is not peace the new york times. Acting drug enforcement administrator uttam dhillon and the men and women of the drug enforcement administration dea, thank you for holding this hearing on mexican cartels and border security and for allowing the drug enforcement administration dea to share its views on this very important topic. Biggest drug cartels in the world mexican cartel leaders. The term was applied when the largest trafficking organizations reached an agreement to coordinate the production and distribution of cocaine.
Furthermore, over the last decade, mexican cartels are branching. The mexican drug cartels have grown even bolder and stronger in recent years. Although mexico accounts for only a small share of worldwide heroin production, it supplies a large share of heroin consumed in the united states. Drug enforcement administrations deas national drug threat assessment. The drug war in mexico council on foreign relations.
Mexican drug cartels mexican drug cartels have displaced colombian groups as the dominant cocaine traffickers in the world. These attacks are puzzling because criminal organizations tend to prefer the secrecy of bribery over the publicity of political murder. The mexican government was forced to take action against the powerful, dangerous drug trafficking organizations it had inadvertently helped to create. Following his inauguration on december 1, 2006, mexican president felipe calderon pursued a fivepart strategy for combating mexican drugtrafficking organizations and the threat they posed to national security by ousing the. This article will explore the history of mexico s drug cartels and the close relationship between drugs and mexico. The present dissertation seeks to address this gap in the mexican literature on the war on drugs by focusing on the use of violence perpetrated by the countrys drug cartels to analyse whether they can. Mexicos drug cartels introduction according to the mexican government there are seven drug cartels1 operating in mexico. Mexican drug cartel influence in government, society, and culture. War on the mexican drug cartels institute of politics harvard. A drug cartel is any criminal organization with the intention of supplying drug trafficking operations. Fully 10 percent of americas gun dealers line the mexican border, and the. A short history of mexican drug cartels a gun decorated with gold belonging to mexican drug lord of the gulf cartel, osiel cardenas guillen, is displayed in the drugs museum at the headquarters of.
This paper is the first attempt to understand the fight against drug trafficking in mexico. Powerful drug cartels have left an indelible mark in mexican history, and they continue to operate with relative impunity today. Mexico s cjng is currently making a series of territorial incursions around the country to take control of key fuel theft, drug trafficking, and human smuggling regions. Illicit drugs flow from mexico to chicago via a loosely associated network of profitdriven intermediaries, with chicago street gangs serving as the primary distributors at the street level. It is tempting to separate mexico s drug cartels into six hierarchical groups, each competing for trafficking turf. This sprawling novel narrates the bloody advance of the narcotics trade in mexico and the. The cartel download free epub, pdf from the internationally bestselling author of the acclaimed novel the power of the dog comes the cartel, a gripping, rippedfromtheheadlines story of power, corruption, revenge, and justice. Yes, the narcos defeated mexican government forces in an allout battle.
Mexican drug cartels virt ually rule large parts of mexico, with violence and murder spilling across the u. Border patrol agents have warned that drug cartels are exploiting the u. Drug enforcement administration s deas national drug threat assessment. President donald trump said its time to wage war on drug cartels after 9 americans were killed in an ambush, but the u. This paper is the first attempt to understand the fight against drug trafficking in mexico with a formal costbenefit analysis. In mexico s big cities, drug cartel gunmen normally act like phantoms. The threat along our southern border mexican cartels along our southern border pose a serious threat to our national safety and public health. Mexican drug cartel investigations may 12, 2018 columbus, ohio.
In 2011, mexican drug cartels operated in 39 states across the country. While primarily concerned with drug trafficking, the organization also runs profitable sex trafficking and gun running rackets. Graphic mexican cartel gunmen castrate, murder rivals. Adl, hezbollah, 2012 another country hezbollah relies heavily on for different types of support is syria. Past operations to decapitate cartels such as the guadalajara cartel, the gulf cartel.
Mexican cartels exacerbate already demanding law enforcement challenges along the southern u. Mexican cocaine profits only come from transshipment services, not from growing or processing. The highest position in any drug cartel, responsible for supervising the entire drug industry, appointing territorial leaders, making alliances, and planning highprofile murders. Much of the violence stems from struggles over territory. Not just criminals but terrorists 32 paso, texas beittel 2011. Criminal violence in mexico global conflict tracker. Mexican drug trafficking organizations dtos pose the greatest crime threat to the united states and have the greatest drug trafficking influence, according to the annual u. This problem can no longer be viewed as a border issue. This fascination stems, according to hollywood and the general public, from admiration for. The mexican government reports that the major cartels gulf, sinaloa, and juarez are present in much of mexico. Mexico s drug cartels, as well as widespread violence, money laundering and corruption, are elements which are as closely linked to mexico s image as its ancient civilizations.
The cjng became a pioneer in fentanyl smuggling through mexico into the united states, but the sinaloa cartel rapidly developed its own fentanyl supply chain. The mexican army has severely curtailed the ability of the mexican drug cartels to move cocaine inside the u. Mexican drug cartel influence in government, society, and. Pdf the drug cartel cluster in mexico researchgate. In addition to trading narcotics, mexican cartels are now involved in trafficking illegal immigrants into the us, and smuggling drug profits and weapons out of the us into mexico. Another way that the countrys drug violence has escalated involves an expansion of the cartels arsenals. Congressional research service summary mexican drug trafficking organizations dtos pose the greatest crime threat to the united states and have the greatest drug trafficking influence, according to the annual u. Jan 29, 2016 the fascination that hollywood, and thus a large part of the western world, has for the mexican drug cartels and the drug war they are engaging in is anything but recent. With the growing power of cartels, mexico has emerged as a major drug producing and transit country cook 2007, 2. They range from loosely managed agreements among various drug traffickers to formalized commercial enterprises.
Drug cartels using drones to smuggle drugs at border fox. Congressional research service, 7 january, 2011, organization155587. Cartel is a tabletop rpg in which players portray bold narcos, naive spouses, and dirty cops caught up in mexico s eternal drug war. Over the past two decades, criminal violence in mexico has become highly intense. Drug cartels and business by timothy klein requirements for. Mexican drug cartels, which currently threaten the national security of our mexican neighbors, pose an organized crime threat to the united states, and are responsible for the scourge of illicit drugs and accompanying violence in both countries. Apr 02, 2009 the increased efforts and reallocation of personnel recently announced by the department of justice builds on the foundation of expertise and experience gained from ongoing efforts to combat mexican drug cartels in the united states and to help mexican law enforcement battle cartels in its own country. The cartels focused on in this thesis are referred to as drug cartels. A mexican narcofiction tabletop roleplaying game on kickstarter. Just last week, in the sinaloa state, drug cartel forces defeated the mexican military forces and police in street battles in the capital city. According to the department of justice, drug cartels are large, highly sophisticated organizations composed of multiple. Mexicos outofcontrol criminal market brookings institution. The second most important mexican drug product in quantity is the most important in terms of profits. The majority of the drugs distributed and consumed in the u.
After careful study the after careful study the inescapable c onclusion is th at religion is a growing ba ttleground in this fight. Efforts by authorities to curtail their influence have failed, largely because of their inability to learn from lessons of the past. Overview of drug cartels mexican cartels are extremely powerful and large institutions. Furthermore, over the last decade, mexican cartels are branching out into other businesses within mexico and on the us mexico borderdeveloping. Wikipedia has a page dedicated to movies made about mexican drug cartels. Although the drug is deadly, the sinaloa cartel s means of distribution remain non violent in the united states.
Mexico, drug trafficking organizations, realism, and human. Digging for closure, mexican mothers search for the disappeared. On one side, the partnership is portrayed as a literal merger of ms and zetasan obvious exaggeration of the situation. Oct 21, 2019 but the decision sends a message that cartels will be allowed to use violence to get their way. Dec 11, 2008 the most noteworthy shift, however, has been the presence of mexican drug traffickers in central america.
Aug 17, 2017 mexican gangs create narco saints to moralize crime drug cartels and gangs in mexico are altering religions and engaging in brutal crimes as forms of worship by joshua philipp. This just goes to show that the terrorist threat really is in americas backyard. However, due to pressure from rival cartels, mexican law. This article explains a surprising wave of lethal attacks by drug cartels against hundreds of local elected officials and party candidates in mexico, 20072012. Areas of influence of major mexican transnational criminal. How the sinaloa cartel just beat the mexican army time. For example, europe is a popular place for mexican and colombian drug traffickers to conduct business now because there is a lack of coordination and communication between countries. A short history of mexican drug cartels the san diego. In 2009, the death toll reached a high of more than 9,000. In a massacre that shocked people around the world, three american women and six children were slaughtered by drug cartel sicarios in northern mexico on. Source and scope of the violence congressional research service summary violence is an inherent feature of the trade in illicit drugs, but the violence generated by mexico s drug trafficking organizations dtos in recent. A central element to this strategy could potentially be the commitment to.
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