Drugs have influenced daily life and society since the day of their discovery centuries ago. Their impact ranges from medical to industrial, to recreational to political, and to criminal. Drugs can not only influence the individual, but even cities or countries as whole. A prime example of the power of drugs is the establishment and occupation of the drug cartels in Mexico. Not only have the effects of these cartels infamously changed Mexico, but they have traveled to the United States (US), and change continues to be exchanged between the two. The following report attempts to answer the question, what are the Mexican drug cartels, and how are the United States and Mexico effected by them? A brief history and introduction of Mexican drug cartels …show more content…
They each control various cities in Mexico and along the US-Mexican border. For the sake of this report, the Gulf cartel will be discussed. The Gulf cartel is one of the major organized crime organizations in Mexico whose prime interest is drug trafficking, with their main operations in Nuevo Laredo, Miguel Alemán, Reynosa, and Matamoros (Brophy, 2008). Although the Gulf cartel is powerful enough with their large numbers of followers, places of operation, and weapons, they also work together with another group called the Zetas. The Zetas can be classified as mafia style group that specializes in one type of commodity, and in this case, the commodity is protection (Brophy, 2008). They defend the Gulf cartel and their territory, as well as act as their hitmen and assassins, and engage in kidnapping, trafficking arms, money-laundering, drug dealing, and collecting payments (Brophy, 2008). With both of these powerful groups controlling many parts of Mexico, the drug trafficking community is intense, violent, and the cities often suffer dire consequences when in conflict with the groups. The illegality of the drug trade has largely to do with the extreme amount of violence when it comes to feuding drug cartels and law enforcement (Brophy, 2008). The Gulf cartel and the Zetas are not only powerful due to their weapons and violence, but they have a great mount of influence as well, especially though politics, and this will be discussed further in the report. With the Gulf cartel being but one of many threats in Mexico, the country is also affected in many others ways not only by the cartels, but by the United States as
Recent arrests and the diminished opportunity to forward cocaine to U.S had left them with the necessity to embark in kidnappings, auto thefts, extortion, murders for hire, human smuggling, and other felonies not to mention that local demand for narcotics had increased recently. The Tijuana Cartel operations extents from the U.S Mexico border across Central America through the Pacific Route and receives support of one of most violent criminal organizations: Los
Google Books, https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=bDEDBQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA196&dq=mexican+drug+cartels&ots=8goVXKwGf_&sig=UkmUGWh_lIrl9krS6hWNRCtzjoQ#v=onepage&q=mexican%20drug%20cartels&f=false "Drug Trade and Trafficking." Teen Health and Wellness, Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. June 2015. Accessed March 21, 2018. http://teenhealthandwellness.com/article/134/drug-trade-and-trafficking.
A drug cartel is a combination of drug manufacturing and drug transportation organizations under one person’s leadership. While there is numerous drug cartels around the world the Mexican cartels have arguably more power than most in regards to territory and membership. This power has allowed them to have main control in not only Mexico but in the United States as well making them a key player in the drug trade. In 2006, the Mexican government challenged multiple drug cartels such as the Sinaloa cartel, The Los Zetas, and the Gulf cartel, beginning the Mexican Drug War. This war has gone on for the past ten years and is still continuing today, causing the death of 10,000 people a year on average. The Mexican Drug War is having a negative impact
What has happened to the Los Zetas cartel is a good example of how the Mexican drug war is not only between the cartels and the Mexican government. The war on drugs is also between rival cartels and even between members of the same cartel. The fall of the previously mentioned Gulf cartel is not because of the actions by the Mexican government, but it is because of the actions of the Los Zetas cartel, a group inside the Gulf cartel that they had trusted. Today, the Los Zetas cartel has not grown weak because of the hard work of the Mexican government. Instead, it is because of the internal split and the lust for power by the two leaders of the cartel.
In 1999, 31 Mexican military special ops members trained by US Navy Seals and Israeli special forces members deserted their ranks within the Mexican Army to join the Gulf Cartel as the security force for high ranking cartel operatives and as escorts for special shipments of drug trafficking. This was new for the Mexican military as thru the 80s and 90s the Mexican government had a generally laissez faire approach to cartels. Basically if the cartel wasn’t attacking the government and being blatantly obvious about their operations, then the government would not do much about it. As the Institutional Revolutionary Party’s (PRI) power dwindled in the late 90s, the high ranking members of the Gulf Cartel saw that this period of hands off policy towards organized crime was ending and made a move convincing these 31 men to join as a security force known then as the Zetas (Borderland).
Mexico is a country rich in tradition, history and culture. Unfortunately, Mexico has not been talked about for any of those descriptions I mentioned above lately. Mexico has become a country full of death and violence. The Mexican government has been fighting a war with drug traffickers since December 2006. At the same time, drug cartels have fought each other for control of territory. More than 60,000 people have been killed (CNN). Despite the “war” launched at these multi-billion dollar organized crime groups, Mexico has not been able to stop its slide as a failed state. Almost every day there seems to be either dead bodies lying on the ground, a school closed due to vandalism, disappeared people, or bullet-riddled houses and cars. Sadly, there is not much the citizens of Mexico can do to ask for justice and change to the mess they are living in right now. So who is to blame for all of this? The Mexican drug cartels have completely taken over Mexico. They have become powerful through corruption and violence. The cartels use their power to intimidate and even murder anyone who tries to get in their way. They do not have a problem with decapitating heads in order to make a statement. The drug cartels also use their money to gain power. Given the amount of money they have, the cartels have millions of dollars invested in keeping authorities off their business. They can be very effective in bribing government officials at all levels, from border patrol just patrolling the border to state and high ranking federal officials. Given the resources they have, they can reach out and kill government officials at all levels. Since government officials are faced with bribes and or certain death, even the most unbreakable are caut...
The influence of Mexican drug cartels is widespread throughout Mexico. This influence is evident on a continuing basis. Many top officials within Mexican agencies are periodically headlining global news stories when they are exposed for being under the guidance of a drug trafficking operation/cartel. Stephen D. Morris, professor at Middle Tennessee State University, authored an article titled “Corruption, Drug Trafficking, and Violence in Mexico” which illustrates the severity of...
The war over drug routes and power between rival cartels has left Mexico in a bloody war. The violence occurring throughout the country only seems to escalate. In part, the United States has a role in this war because of the exploitation of weapons. Unfortunately, a lot of people are being killed every day because of the drug war. Action from Mexico must be taken swiftly to avoid any further casualties by collaborating with the United States on how to stop the smuggling of guns, building trust between the community and the police, and deciding on a plan to the help the economy for their citizens.
Over the last several decades, violence has consumed and transformed Mexico. Since the rise of dozens of Mexican cartels, the Mexican government has constantly been fighting an ongoing war with these criminal organizations. The cartel organizations have a primary purpose of managing and controlling illegal drug trafficking operations in Central America and South America to the United States. Violence on a massive and brutal scale has emerged due to the nature of the illegal drug trade. Because the drug trade is vastly widespread, cartels are often fighting one another and competing in business. Mexican authorities count at least 12 major cartels, but also talk of an untold numbers of smaller splinter groups. (Taipei Times). Five cartels from Mexico have risen to become the extremely powerful amongst all the drug organizations operating in Mexico. The Guadalajara Cartel, the Sinaloa Cartel, the Tijuana Cartel, the Juarez Cartel, and the Gulf Cartel. These organizations, along with other distinguished Mexican cartels, have plagued Mexico with violence, terror, and fear due to the essence and nature of illegal drug trafficking.
Drug trafficking has been a massive concern between the borders of Mexico and the U.S. “since mid 1970s” (Wyler, 1). Drug trafficking is “knowingly being in possession, manufacturing, selling, purchasing, or delivering an illegal, controlled substance” (LaMance, 1). A dynamic relationship exists amongst Columbia, Mexico, and the U.S. the informal drug trafficking economy. This growing informal drug economy leads to many individuals creating a substantial living through this undercover market. These individual drug cartels monopolizing the trafficking market are a growing problem for the U.S economy and need to be located and controlled. If this trafficking continues, the U.S. informal economy will crush the growth of legal industries. The trafficking and abuse of drugs in the U.S. affects nearly all aspects of consumer life. Drug trafficking remains a growing issue and concern to the U.S. government. The U.S. border control must find a way to work with Mexico to overpower the individuals who contribute to the drug trafficking business. This market must be seized and these individuals must be stopped.
Other than drug trafficking, the Gulf Cartel conducts other criminal operations such as, protection rackets, assassinations, extortions, kidnappings, and other minor criminal activities. The Gulf Cartel relay’s on intimidation techniques to control the local population.
Mexico’s drugs wars as well as bloody drug cartels are echoed in a controversial folk music genre commonly known as narco corridos or simply as drug ballads. They tell the stories allied to shootouts, drug lords, betrayals including daring criminal operations. Narco corridos are not a new style in Mexican music, in fact, they have been around for years, and they are popular among the old and the young. This genre has evolved to be modern fugitive music that fuses the emotional responses of antique ballads with the tense gravel of mobster rap. From global idols to rural artists documenting their neighborhood current events in the regions subjugated by guerilla war, narco corridos provides the songwriters in their homes with unique but artistic superiority, investigating the heartland of the infamous Mexican drug trafficking as well as publicizing municipal midpoints such as Los Angeles, in addition to Mexico City.
Beith, Malcolm. (2013, September 24). The current state of Mexico's many drug cartels. CTC Sentinal
A. Attention Getter: A man 's face was found stitched on to a soccer ball, his body was found cut into 7 separate pieces in different locations with a single note that read "Happy new year because this will be your last". Headlines liked these are becoming much more common in Mexico, but who 's responsible for gruesome deaths like these? A drug war heavily lead by the Sinaloa Cartel.
Many people know of cartels and drug trafficking, however, they do not realize how serious of a problem it is becoming. Every day there are hundreds of drugs transported into the United States from Latin America, mostly coming from Mexico and Columbia. These cartels are becoming smarter and more creative with their ways of smuggling drugs. They have become ruthless and will do whatever it takes to get their supplies into the country. To better understand how cartels work, you must understand their ways of transporting drugs and how creative they have become with it. Cartels will go as far as using tunnels, boats, planes, vehicles, donkeys and mules to transport all of their drugs.