The Mexican Cartel, The Sinaloa Cartel

B. Restate thesis/ There has been a large increase in the smuggling of contraband, such as drugs, and firearms, into the U.S, and violence spilling onto our border cities due to the drug wars between the drug cartels in Mexico.

The drug war has caused many problem problem in many countries especially in mexico where the heat of the problem has come to be from raging war between the government of mexico and drug cartels, from many cities not being safe because of the constant violence throughout the country to economic disruption and more. More than 164,000 people had died between 2007 and 2014 because of the drug war in mexico, more than the iraq and afghanistan war zones combine.

The Mexican cartels have impacted the society by violating many rights that human have and that are protected. The Cartels are causing too much trouble to the world especially in Mexico and its neighboring countries. They have trafficking tons and tons of drugs to world and spread its violence to nation that live in peace. The cartels have been operating for while and keep growing becoming more powerful each day and nothing has stopped them yet. The Mexican cartels have constructed their empires through the violation of human rights in the business of drug trafficking, especially through torture and deaths, resulting in worldwide corruption.

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 Mexican cartels are so powerful mostly because they are being supplied with weapons from the U.S. “A recent weapon seizure in Nuevo Leon, just across the border from Texas, illustrates that drug traffickers may 11, after an armed confrontation, the Mexican army seized 124 assault rifles, 15 handguns three rockets, more than 5,000 rounds of ammunition and 1,375 ammo magazines.”(Ignatius 2). Most of these weapons come from the U.S. In Arizona the Mexican government held 31.946 handguns and 41,093 assault rifles of these weapons 80% percent came from the United States all this according to the Mexican ambassador starting December 2006 and the percent is getting larger (Ignatius1).

Mexican Drug Cartels have been a problem for many years. The cartels are an organized crime organization and they don’t just deal drugs; they commit murders too. The Cartels origins are traced back to the Columbian Cali and Medellin mega-cartels who were responsible for the majority of drug trafficking into the United States. Crime has existed for many years but it surfaced more when Pablo Escobar was popular. Pablo Escobar was one the main transporters for cocaine throughout Mexico and the United States coming straight out of Columbia. Law enforcement tried to stop the drug trade but Escobar formed a relationship with Mexico-based traffickers who smuggled drugs into the United States. Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo also known as “The Godfather” of the cartels. Seeing how he established the Guadalajara Cartel, which is recognized as the first Mexican Cartel, and were the first to link up with Escobar and started the transportation of cocaine

Thousands upon thousands of lives have been taken due to the huge demand for drugs crossing from Mexico into the United States. The murder rate is extremely high, and has caused so much chaos between both countries because of this. Drug dealers in the United States contact drug dealers in Mexico, and vice versa, to cross the drugs between borders illegally. A high percentage of the time, either of the drug dealers from both sides will have a scape goat swim the border while carrying high amounts of drugs with them, or will attempt to cross it over smuggled in a vehicle. In Mexico, it is extremely corrupt and even the law enforcement is involved in the crossing of drugs illegally. This being done causes so much conflict

Due to drugs-related gang violence since 2006, when Mexican President Felipe Calderón entered office, more than 100,000 people have been killed (CNN Library, 2017). Among the major Mexican cartels - Los Zetas Cartel, Gulf Cartel, La and La Familia Michoacana, the Sinaloa Cartel is the most dominant drug trafficking organization in Mexico with an increasing presence in the United States. Roughly 80% of illegal substances like heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana are supplied by the Sinaloa Cartel (Woody, 2016). There have been several attempts of increased pressure from both the U.S. and Mexican governments to disrupt drug trafficking organizations and this has led to significant instability and violence escalating into a national security crisis.

The Mexican Mafia, or “La Eme”, as they refer to themselves, is one of the most powerful and influential organized crime gangs in the United States. The organization has risen through the decades of mass gang wars and violence to become the power it is today. Their control is limitless and they have ventured far beyond the expectations of what was thought that gangs were capable of. They have infiltrated governments and manipulated politics. They have taken over neighborhoods and attempted to ethnically cleanse them. Innocent people have become caught up in the affairs of La Eme throughout its history and many have faced violence and death at their hands. This paper is a continual of the case analysis of the Mexican Mafia and will attempt to provide explanations for some of the crimes committed by this organization. Researching gangs and organized crime is important because of their large influence and control over many aspects of daily life. The significance of attempting to provide causations of their crimes can better provide the criminal justice system a clearer understanding of problems that lead to gang members committing crimes on behalf of the organization. A clearer understanding of problems can help the system to provide solutions to combat situations that inhibit crimes.

According the US Drug Enforcement Administration, Sinaloa Cartel is the largest and most powerful drug trafficking syndicates in the world, is an alliance of some of Mexico’s top capos based in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Mexico. The state has long been recognized as major which involved in illegal drug industry as home to marijuana and poppy crops. (www.insightcrime.org) By the early 21st century the cartel had operations in more than 50 countries but was particularly dominant in the United States. (Tikkanen, 2016) The Sinaloa Cartel was responsible for the majority of illegal drugs notably marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines were smuggled from Mexico then the cartel remains the main controlling the most U.S states. In the mid 1990s,

In February 2011 the United States began sending unarmed drones to collect information on drug traffickers. Later in August, the United States started in cross border raids, sending CIA operatives and older military personnel to aid the Mexican military. In addition to assisting Mexico, the United States increased security on our side and spends approximately $3 billion on securing the border. Decriminalization is a highly disputed policy option, in November of 2012 two states in the United States passed laws for the legalization of recreational use of marijuana. However, it is still a United States federal law that marijuana is illegal. Although decriminalization would lead to less incarcerations, it would put more drugs in the hands of users and increase drug exporting from Mexico. A prime strategy that both the United States and Mexico have been using is to take out the “high value” individuals or “foot soldiers”. This takes out the mass exporters but still leaves the middle and lower class drug traffickers. Which then the middle class moves up and takes over for whatever “high value” cartel that was just taken out. Almost immediately after, Mexico’s new president, Enrique Peña Nieto took office in December of 2012. Of those who reported missing or those who just “disappeared” the Peña Nieto government claims they will seek to verify all the missing ones. After coming into office, the administration of Peña Nieto changes the security policies. In

Recognized as one of the most fearless and violent cartels in all of Mexico, Los Zetas was brought forth by a need for personal security in the Gulf Cartel. This former hit man/security style operation, active since 1997, has since grown into its own ruthless and violent organization becoming the second most powerful cartel and easily the most feared in all of Mexico. Heavily trained and armed, members of Los Zetas are set apart from other cartels because of the level of brutality they are willing to administer to those who cross them, though they had initially hoped that by being more intimidating they would have to fight less. It is their command of the drug market, their lack of fear in using violent tactics, and the

Every day the U.S. border patrol has to constantly keep an eye out for the smuggling of drugs by Mexican Cartels. There has been much violence due to this drug problem that has left many people near the border killed and is allowing more criminals to obtain these weapons. A lot of this attention goes to the U.S. because many of the weapons utilized in the “drug war” are U.S. made and is interfering with trading relations amongst both the U.S. and Mexico. With this current violent situation in Mexico this has transformed the flow of weapons to an even larger scale.

The Sinaloa Cartel has access to a wide variety of weapons and vehicles. Some of their vehicles are equipped with armor as well as large caliber machine guns. They also have access to air assets such as small planes and helicop-ters. It is very likely that the Sinaloa Cartel will conduct counter-surveillance operations on U.S. forces, as well as being apprised of military operations through corrupt government and military officials. They have a wide variety of communication assets, and will use operational security. The cartels have hitmen called Sicarios, they guard the shipments and the money, protect the cartel's turf from rivals, and kill to order. “Some in Mexico talk of a “narco-insurgency," a well-armed challenge to the state. In Sinaloa,

This is a huge issue not only for the people of Mexican but for people is general. It is impossible to get your most basic living necessities, such as food and clothing, if one does not have any money or if the wages provided by the government are not reasonable. More importantly, it is almost impossible to take care of ones family if employment options aren’t available. The people of Mexico are not only fighting to survive without the help of the government, but they are also fighting against the government for this very reason. This, in my opinion, is the biggest link to the drug violence that has unfortunately presented itself over the years. The lack of employment and the unjust government has been an issue in Mexico for many years and the people of Mexico have had enough. With the easy access to drugs in Mexico and poor employment opportunity, some have opted into the drug cartel. They’ve decided to not only look for illegal and quick ways to make money to support themselves, they’re reacting in a way that has gotten the attention of the government. Many may feel that if the government wont help, they have no choice but to take matters into their own hands. Like most retaliations on governments, they ultimate goal is political and social change.