Article Review : Reducing Drug Cartel Violence

Mexican drug cartels have been expanding its portfolios to include doing business in sex trafficking. The Zetas are the most feared drug cartel in Mexico’s drug, sex trafficking trade, and etc.; the Zetas are a criminal army made up of defectors from the Mexican military. Anybody who crosses them will more than likely get their heads chopped off or won’t live to see another day.

The changes in key government leadership positions have had significant implications on Mexico 's drug trade business (Lupsha 1995). Take the example of one of Mexico 's leading drug traffickers, Juan Garcia Abrego who is widely known as the inventor of Mexican drug trafficking. Abrego 's drug smuggling operations flourished under former President Salina 's administration. When former President Zedillo entered office in December of 1994, Abrego lost the high-level protection provided under the former President Salina. Without this level of protection, Abregos influence in the drug trade industry decreased dramatically to the point of bankruptcy, in a traditional business sense. During this transformation, other well-connected cartels gained uncontested access to large drug trafficking corridors once controlled by Abrego. Despite Abregos deteriorating drug influence in Mexico, President Zedillo put a large bounty on him, making Abrego the most wanted drug smuggler in Mexico. Nevertheless, Abrego 's eventual capture was highly celebrated by the United States as a sign of Mexico 's increasing efforts and dedication to the elimination of illicit drug smuggling operations. In my opinion the example of Abrego 's lost influence and highly celebrated capture directly relates to the politic rhetoric and corruption that is associated with

Mexico’s violence on drugs is constantly ongoing. Its imposes a security threat to the United States and threatens the stability of the Mexican state. Drug trafficking is not the only issue of mutual interest between the United States and Mexico but Mexico is the third most largest and important source of oil which has been dropping since 2005 (New York Times, Hanson, 2008). Violence is a major problem when it comes to its drug cartels. They have tried to double their police force to make sure military forces from involving themselves in the drug movement. Consumers have become very upset at the quality of the drugs they are receiving so that increases the violence. Due to the drug violence increasing so much that kids cannot play in their neighborhood due to fear and intimidation. It’s not a safe environment for their citizens

At first, Mexican drug cartels were structured just like family owned businesses. There would be a family member who was the main drug lord and cousins and uncles of the family would be the body guards and drug dealers. After the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) lost their power within the Mexican government the structure of drug cartels became much more complex. A hierarchical diffusion is seen within the drug cartel system because the drugs spread from one important drug lord to another, and we generally see this happening in the urban part of Mexico, more than in the rural areas. A corporate structure began forming as hierarchies began developing under drug lords and more people got involved. Professor Guillermo Trejo of Notre Dame 's Kellogg Institute claims that once the PRI lost their power there was a rapid increase in violence. This is because of Mexico’s former President, Felipe Calderón, who politically associates with the National Action Party (PAN). In 2006 President Calderón declared war on the drug cartels. This milestone triggered a huge change within Mexico’s international relations, government, and culture.

Everyone is aware of the ongoing drug war between American border patrol agents who wish to fulfil their duty which is to defend the border and Mexican cartels who seek only to expand their narcotic empire at the United States and Mexican border. The Mexican cartels are often times defined as ruthless outlaws who infiltrate and distribute narcotics into the United States in order to maintain high prices and eliminate competition. Their methods are immoral and executed with ease because of their access to heavy artillery. As a result, “Since 2006 more than 40,000 lives have been taken via mass graves, beheadings, and kidnappings” (Newsmax 2). Fear is at the core of the Mexican government leading to corruption installed by the cartels. The corruption is to a degree to which there is no help for the victims or the families that have been victimized unless America steps in to help end the cartel’s reign. Drug culture created by the cartels is increasingly polluting American citizens, especially those vulnerable to the influence in border cities. The cartels are expanding their power to a degree where it can be alarming to the national security of the U.S. Therefore, the U.S. will be able to decrease crime at the border by increasing its security, and by helping the Mexican government regain stability in the country which will ultimately minimize cartel expansion.

The United States Department of State classifies 58 different organizations as foreign terrorist organizations (US DOS). Of those 58 FTOs only one is located in South America, and none are located in Mexico. Despite the lack of official FTOs in Mexico, non-state violence is at an all-time high and the country is more dangerous than ever. This is because of the presence and prevalence of drug cartels throughout the country. These drug cartels employ violent tactics as part of their drug trafficking network. But these cartels are more than just criminal organizations. The scope of the violence, the fear they instill in the population, and the influence they have on policy shows that these organizations should be considered as more than petty criminals trying to make money. While economic gain remains one of the main goals of these groups, there is much that falls under the umbrella of terrorism.

The article “From Darkness, Dawn” demonstrates how Mexico is no longer the way it used to be in terms as in economy, population growth, poverty, and drug war. The author of the article “From Darkness, Dawn” Tom Wainwright states, “Mexico outpaced Brazilin their economy, Net emigration is down to zero, fertility rate will soon be lower, Yes there is poverty, but alleviated by services such as universal free health care, and the failure of rich countries’ anti-drugs policies means that organized crime will not go away. But Mexico’s murder rate is now falling, albeit slowly, for the first time in five years”. Wainwright

Strategies mean nothing in the war on Mexican cartels if the U.S. Government does not get to the root of the issue. As long as there is a demand for drugs in the United States, the cartels will find a way around any security measure. Border protection agents are seeing a steep decline in the trafficking of marijuana since the U.S. legalized the drug. Many think that ending prohibition of illicit drugs is the answer. Right now, America is not winning the war on drugs. The cost involved with prohibition is exuberant; over $50 billion spent in the war on drugs, which is a massive economic blunder (United States Department of Homeland Security, 2017). The focus should be a combination of prevention through education and cessation programs. To eliminate the demand, make the supply readily available on a legally-regulated market. This would curtail to the cartel market because the U.S. would allow production on U.S. soil. In the simplest terms, criminalizing drugs puts money back into the hands of the cartels while

In 2006, Mexico began to crack down on drug trafficking operations in union with the United States. Why all of the sudden? In regard to that question, my paper will include a history of events leading up to this sudden crack down on drug trafficking, from its start in the 1960’s until today. After the history of the drug war, I will discuss the main states involved like the United States and Mexico itself. Along with their main goal of eliminating drug trafficking all together, although it is a very high expectation. Mexico has sent out 50,000 soldiers that are being paid less than a burrito vendor, in attempt to lessen the

This was a very interesting article about how the Drug Cartel in Mexico is on the verge of turning one of the United States bordering countries into a "failed state." But from what I read that should have been expected when the cartel and the government were working together in the early years before President Felipe Calderon declared war on the cartels in 2006. The relationship between the two before allowed cartels to knock off their competition in a quiet discreet manner. Now Mexico is in a full out war with the cartel, even going as far as activating 45,000 troops to aid in the

There is a saying in Mexico that states “Mejor vivir como un rey por cinco años que vivir como laborador por cincuenta” which translates to “better to live as a king for five years than as an Ox for fifty.” This is particularly a famous saying between the poor youth because their opportunities are so limited they believe it is better to be part of the “narcos” and be a “narco king” for a short period than to live a long time as a laborer, worker, or slave. Consequently, throughout the years, drug cartels (the most famous being Sinaloa) have developed across Mexico with the intent of making money by selling drugs; this has caused many encounters with the law, corruption, and death. In addition, Fund for Peace

Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas are separated only by a small river, and yet in 2015, there were over three thousand murders in Juarez. There were only five murders in El Paso, in the same time period (Matthew Heineman). Kidnapping, extortion, prostitution, along with a myriad of other crimes, have increased dramatically, all fueled by a lawless society where the government is fighting a war that it has neither the resources nor the resolve needed in order to win. The problem is not convincing the authorities that they have caused the violence. The problem is convincing them to change their policy. Thomas Jefferson once said, speaking of slavery, “We have the wolf by the ears and we can neither safely hold it, nor let it go” (Anna Berkes). The Mexican government is in the same situation that our government was once in, concerning slavery. When the U.S. government attempted to abruptly put an end to slavery, it resulted in the civil war. The definition of a Civil War is, “A war between groups of people in the same country”, this is exactly what is happening in Mexico. It may be the Police fighting one Cartel or it may be two different Cartels fighting each other, however the result is the same: a senseless loss of life. The Mexican Government, in trying to abruptly end drug trade, has done the same thing on a smaller scale. Had the government attempted to slow the flow of drugs

During the mid-2000’s former President of Mexico Felipe Calderon announced his war on the cartels and led to a crackdown against these organizations, along with assistance with

The government has made some gains, but at a heavy price. A total of 34,612 people have died in drug-related killings in Mexico in the first four years (Siddique). Most of these killing are between cartel rivals fighting for the control of territories. There are five cartels operating in Mexico: the Sinaloa, the Gulf, Juarez, Tijuana, the Zetas. The major cartels are the Gulf, Sinaloa and Juarez (Cook 21). Many of these cartels have joined together forming powerful alliances known as the “Federation” (Cook 17). The cartels work together, but they remain independent organizations.

Over the past years, Mexico has experienced extreme changes due to the violent drug wars. Violence has presented itself in every neighborhood, every street corner, and even in the schools. Chalk outlines are seen drawn on various streets of homicide scenes. Thousands of people have lost their lives in the hands of drug traffickers. Life itself in Mexico, has taken a change for the worse. One may ask what the reasons are for this wave of violence. The most logical answer, of course, is to blame the criminals. It is the drug lords who are smuggling, transporting, and selling these drugs. They should be the ones held responsible, right? The answer to this question is deeply rooted in the history of corruption in the Mexican Government. The