Mexico Drug Trafficking

After reading Mexico’s Illicit Drug Networks and the State Reaction, I have concluded that this short read is highly informative and intriguing. I personally was drawn in by the horrific stories of violence, kidnapping, and mass murders of deadly encounters, and fascinated by learning how the state planned and responded. Author Nathan Jones, is able to illustrate why Mexican drug cartels have been able to prolong existence while under attack by Mexico and the United States. He is able to do so by examining and comparing two types of illicit drug networks and how they provoke different state reactions based on their business strategy. Jones relates his discoveries to the Arellano Felix Organization because “it was one of the first Mexican cartel to be targeted by the state and split along trafficking-oriented and territorial lines [where] one survived and one did not” (p. 12). This read is significant because it allows for the government to better distinguish between drug networks that will withstand the test of time, and those that will crumble under pressure. Jones utilizes his findings and applied it to the novel, and the current drug prohibition program.

A piece from a report based on Mexico’s Drug Trafficking Organizations: Source and Scope of the Rising Violence is presented. The spike in violence due to inter- and intra-cartel conflict over lucrative drug smuggling routes has been accompanied by an increase in kidnapping for ransom and other crimes.

By 1960 in Mexico, drugs such as Marijuana and Heroin were being produced and used throughout the country (Insight Crime). Moreover, these drugs were used and produced in Sinaloa state mostly along the western coast (Insight Crime). These drugs were then smuggled into the United States ending up in the Southwest regions. In the 1980’s, Mexico was under the leadership of Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo. During this time when Mexico was under his leadership, the drug cartel flourished (Insight Crime). Many years later it seems there were slight tensions between the United States and Mexico. The United States pressured Mexico to become more responsive to criminal activity. After the political pressure the US was putting on Mexico, some of the drug traffickers left and fled the country. Over the following years several Mexican leaders were arrested, and detained in different states inside of Mexico. In 1989, Mexican authorities caught Miguel,who was the leader of the Guadalajara cartel (Insight Crime). During the late 1980’s, there were three groups of drug cartels. The three groups were the Tijuana based clan, the Juarez clan, and the Sinolea based clan (Insight Crime). Since the year of 2002 the mexican government has been trying to prevent these crimes the best they can. The government has arrested and killed hundreds of drug traffickers and there has also been several anti-criminal

The Mexican drug cartel is a major actor on the world scene. Even though it is not seen this way by the general public, those who pay attention know how far their reach is. The Mexican cartel has expanded. There seems to be no sign of them slowing. They have the perfect storm of money, military backing, political connections and Public intimidation. Their empire is growing by the minute. Unfortunately most people have not given these ruthless criminals the attention they deserve. They have direct impact on people around the world. This paper will explain various aspects the groups and explain why more light needs to be shed on them

Mexican drug Cartels have different ways of gaining money other then just distributing drugs, such as kidnapping which has recently become very popular. In early 2008, a wave of kidnappings spread across the state targeting the children of prominent businessmen (Kellner & Pipitone, 2010). For example in May 2008, Nicolás Martínez Reyes, the son of a wine supplier, was kidnapped from El Pescador del Pargo, a busy seafood restaurant in downtown Aguascalientes where he was dining with a group of friends. Martínez Reyes was held captive for 35 days. His kidnappers tortured him and cut off one of his fingers before his father agreed to pay the ransom (Kellner & Pipitone, 2010). The drug cartels have no boundaries to where they will go for money, these organizations seem to have no compassion. The police and public have tried to stand up to the cartels but have had no success (Kellner & Pipitone, 2010). For example a man named Gerardo Medrano Ibarra, who ran a family owned trucking business. When Medrano’s Business boomed after the North American Free Trade Agreement came into force, his trucks moved quickly in and out of United States because they were

Secure places to visit. In 2006 Mexico was a safe place to visit, but everything changed after Felipe Calderon took over as new president. After few months of his new position, President Felipe Calderon decided to send 45,000 soldiers and 5,000 federal police to the state of Michoacán to eradicate the drug trafficking. He also fired hundreds of dishonest police officers. The drug trafficking movement is not a new movement. It has been existed for many decades, but now it is expanding further due to the born of new drug trafficking organizations or cartels. The cartels fight against each other to win control or to open new trafficking routes into the United States, on their fights many innocent people die or disappear every day. Residents from some states tired of all the crimes committed by the cartels and sometimes the authorities; had decided to protect themselves by forming self- defense groups Also, other movement has emerge, since the drug trafficking became more notorious and dangerous the Narcocultura movement. Mexico in conjunction with United States had been fighting to end with the drug trafficking war. The lack of education, the poverty, the corruption and the unrestricted demand for drug in the United States, have made Mexico the center of one of the world’s most sophisticated drug system Mexican nation is in crisis because the continuance of violence, due to the drug trafficking movement.

Mexico is known for many things ranging from there beautiful coastlines to there ancient ruins and museums to the brutal war of drug trafficking. The drug war in Mexico is one of the biggest events in narcotics history. Drug trafficking was best known in Michoacan, Guanajuato and Guerrero but it has recently spread across all of Mexico. Michoacan was the first place where it erupted due to an organization of cartels known as La Familia. Mexico was once a place that didn’t have as much violence or drugs but its economic crisis lead to the outbreak of violence, the rise of the world’s biggest cartel Joaquin Guzman Loera, and deals Guzman made with people in Mexico and the United States.

Approximately 1.2 million people were victims of human trafficking within Mexico in 2010 (Gurney, 2014). An estimated 50,000 women and children are trafficked into the United States (O'Niel Richard, 1999). The majority of the trafficking victims in the United States are either from or pass through Mexico (O'Niell, 2010). These smuggling rings tend to be small gangs, larger criminal groups and corrupt individuals that victimize people from their own country, that work together to traffic individuals (O'Niel Richard, 1999). In addition to these groups, there is evidence that state officials, such as police officers, that are involved in trafficking, either directly or by compliance to the gangs (House, 2010). Human trafficking is a fast-growing

The ultimate goal of the drug cartels is to make money and protect their power. Their power comes from the physical control of certain regions within Mexico and the US. They do not seek political power, but instead rely on government corruption to protect them from prosecution of narcotics trafficking and money laundering. Annual contributions to the Mexican economy is estimated at $25 billion; this is one of the greatest strengths of the DTO’s. In addition, weapons, corrupt officials, paramilitary enforcers, and community goodwill contribute to the strengths of the DTO’s.

trafficking is one of the most severe cross-border crimes affecting the world today. Drug trafficking involves both the narcotic and the non-narcotic substances like marijuana. The criminalization of drugs has made the elements gain significant values in the global market. The United States of America (U.S.A) is one of the largest markets of global narcotic drugs and related substances. Mexico has proved to be the most significant distribution channel and a significant source of drugs and associated materials. Mexico is the home of the most dangerous cartels or drug trafficking organizations specialized in the trade. The consequences of drug trafficking are the reasons for the increased global campaign against the products. The effects of drugs

The Mexican and U.S. government, think tanks, the academia, journalists, etc have studied the recent outburst of criminal violence in Mexico. The two main reasons they found of why this trend has occurred in the last couple of years is the rise of illegal drug groups and the 'war on drug trafficking' declared by the government of Felipe Calderón and the corruption within the Mexican government and its subsidiary public institutions and enforcement forces. In fact, “during the neoliberal era, narcotrafficking has flourished to become one of the country's biggest sources of revenue, as well as its most violent, with over 12,000 drug-related executions in 2011 alone.” Corruption within the public institutions, in the same way, has increased dramatically

They fail to recognize that Mexico’s drug trade has been integration into the nation’s bureaucracy since the Mexican Revolution. In fact, according to scholar Benjamin Smith, the drug trade was an important element in maintaining Mexico’s political stability following the revolution, allowing the government to appease both leftist and rightist sectors of society (Smith). Mexico’s uneasy, but functional, relationship with the drug trade lasted until controversy over the Institutional Revolutionary Party’s (PRI) corrupt practices resulted in Mexico’s democratization. As Mexico cracked down on internal corruption, drug cartels developed outside the traditional realm of the state. They formed into the violent, paramilitary organizations that we know today. Transnational factors, however, also contributed to the violence of the drug cartels, as United States intervention in the “War on Drugs” escalated the conflicted. In this paper, I argue that, contrary to the popular belief that Mexico’s corruption caused the increased violence of the Mexican drug trade; Mexico’s democratization and foreign intervention have caused extreme violence of

Drug lords pays well to his helpers, for some because of the wealth they could have they change form a teacher to a trafficker. And drug traffickers has their own benefits in the ‘society’ they are the law in Mexico. The age of recruitment has been getting younger as teenagers are an easier bait for glamorous living dressed with cars and girls. The drug trade provides incomes for many but bring the city to a legitimate economic down pour. For decades Mexico was controlled by the Partido Revolucino Institucional or PRI, the relationship between the drug traders and PRI begins and solidified after the World War II. The PRI ‘government’ viewed that the illegal drug trade as a source of profits and power. Hence it moulded a durable political, police and military infrastructure to allow drug lords

According to Antonio Pereyra, a professor at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, in Mexico, there is a co-existence of two forms of power: sovereignty and governmentality. In other words, the author seeks to differentiate the contrary-dichotomous logic of the high levels of power of drug traffickers and, at the same time, the strong militarized fight that the government is waging against these traffickers and their drug organizations. The drug market, the constant wars between cartels and the combat against drug trafficking assumed by Calderón’s government show that the "war against drug trafficking” is a complex web of mimetic lack of differentiation between groups. But why is it hard to differentiate between these “opposing” groups?

In regard to Latin America, this area is a crucial geographical zone for drug trafficking and production. Due to the location, the drug trade has found its perfect home, vast mountains and forests enable huge farms to produce and ship drugs to any region they want. Whether it is Colombia, Peru or one of the many countries found to be in this vast collection of drug trafficking, it is apparent that they all share similar geographies that allow the trade to continue. As a result of this, countries in this region have been subjugated to many imperialistic like efforts to eradicate this growing issue, regardless of involvement. Through the use of diplomacy and past military intervention, the U.S. and other countries have tried to keep a grip on the ever growing drug ring surrounding this area. Unfortunately, it has become evident that the effort given by the U.S. is not enough to combat this ever growing and secure market.