Drug Trafficking in Mexico Essay

The Rise of Mexican Cartels

The southern boundary of the United States of America is where Mexico is located. The United States and other nations rely on it as the primary producer and supplier of illegal narcotics like heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) make it easy for drugs to travel around the nation, facilitating the illegal trade in drugs. The DTOs, also known as cartels, are made up of criminal elements who are well-armed to compete with other cartels for new territories and with officials. The rise of the Mexican cartels is thought to have begun in the late 1990s when the United States intensified narcotic fight against traffickers from Colombia (Kandel, 2011). The Colombians therefore subcontracted the Mexican cartels to smuggle the drugs through the porous southern United States border. As the Colombian cartels waned the Mexican gained prominence and finally replaced the Colombians. The cartels pose a serious threat to the United States fuelling the drug menace in the country.

Drug-related Violence

The prevalence of drugs is closely associated with violence and crime. It is important to note that the processing, possession, manufacture or sale of illegal drugs is in itself a crime. Individuals involved dealing in the illegal drugs must be prepared to forcefully defend their business which leads to the spread of violence (Beittel, 2009). In Mexico for example there exists cartels which comprises of criminals in groups that to facilitate the sale of drugs. They forcefully defend their business from the police as well as fellow cartels. Cartels also expedite violence on innocent civilians to spread fear preventing the public from sharing information with the authorities.

A Threat to Neighbouring Nations

A country with a high prevalence of drug related violence poses a threat to its neighbours. Violence has the potential of destabilising a country if not checked well. It can also spill over to neighbouring countries as the cartels fight for new turfs as well as against authorities. It therefore poses a serious threat to the peace and stability of neighbouring nations (U.S. DoJ, 2008). Violence and lawlessness benefits cartels as it provide viable ground for their business. These groups are therefore ready to undergo any expense to maintain violence which will sustain their illegal trade in drugs.

Border Security

The United States share the 2000 miles southern border with Mexico. The long border provides the essential entry point for the Mexican cartels they seek to smuggle drugs into the United States. There insufficient security along major parts of the border that facilitate the illegal entry into the United States (Finklea, et.al. 2010). Both countries only have effective control of only about 200 miles where illegal entry is controlled. The porous border facilitate the smuggling of illegal drugs entry into the country as well as the spill over violence as the cartels fight against each other. Security agencies are always concerned by the activities of the cartel across the border in Mexico this is due to the ability of the violence to spill over into the United States.

References

Finklea, K. M., Lake, J. E., Franco, C., Haddal, C. C., Krouse, W. J., & Randol, M. A. (2010, August). Southwest Border Violence: Issues in Identifying and Measuring Spillover Violence. Library Of Congress Washington Dc Congressional Research Service.

Beittel, J. S. (2009, May). Mexico’s drug-related violence. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.

Kandel, W. A. (2011). US Foreign Born Population: Trends and Selected Characteristics. DIANE Publishing.

U.S. Department of Justice. Strategy to Combat International Organized Crime. April 2008.