International Drug Trafficking in Mexico

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.

Mexico’s drug cartels are among the most powerful in the world. These cartels are constantly impacting both Mexico and the United States with violence and drugs. Although it might be difficult to consider a Mexican drug cartel a monster, in reality it is because it fit’s the characteristics common to many fictional monsters. A cartel, a consortium of independent organizations formed to limit competition by controlling the production and distribution of a product or service, like a monster, always has a motive. According to Martinez and others, the drug cartels main motivation is greed.

However, before Fox’s presidency, corrupt PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) officials had created a “Pax Mafioso”, or a period of peace and stability with the mafia, by allowing criminal organizations to engage in illicit drug trafficking, in exchange for large bribes. They required that criminal groups not to fight each other, to abstain from violent behavior, and from selling drugs within the Mexican borders. Nobody knows when and what caused the drug war to escalate, but many believe the war became worse when Felipe Calderon was in office. Others speculate that there has always been a war, but Calderon just shined a light on it, exposing it to the world. After just a few days after his inauguration, Felipe Calderon publically announced war on drugs in all of Mexico.

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. 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 U.S.

O'Neil, Shannon. "The Real War in Mexico: How Democracy Can Defeat the Drug Cartels." Foreign Affairs 88.4 (2009): 63-77. Web. 04 May 2014.

With criminal activity escalading, President Nixon then created the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 1973 to declare an, “all-out global war on the drug menace” (Martin 226). Although, drug production and smuggling was an essential way of life for many Hispanics throughout Mexico, the United States continued to provide financial and military aid throughout decades of uncertainty. Additionally, these actions resulted ... ... middle of paper ... ...s." Latin Trade (English) 17.2 (2009): 22. MasterFILE Premier. Web.

A recent report from the Global Commission on Drugs claims that the US led war on drugs is a... ... middle of paper ... ...s the border illegally, the drop can also be attributed to the economic recession. Since the attacks on September 11th, the United States has done a formidable job in preventing another attack. Still, there is much violence that is engulfing its southern neighbors. The United States must allocate resources to help Mexico fight the war against the cartels. Mexico must be cooperative and not be too sensitive about its sovereignty when working with The United States.

The Mexican drug war began in the 1960s, with America’s love for illegal drugs fueling the fire. Narco-violence has claimed the lives of thousands of citizens in recent years. Drug cartels have become comparable to Mafia figures, and have resorted to Mafia-style violence to prove to the Mexican government that they remain in control. The violence caused by drug cartels is rumored to lead Mexico to become a failed state. George W. Grayson, regular lecturer at the United States Department of State, has made more than one-hundred and twenty-five research trips to Mexico, and is considered an expert on U.S.-Mexican relations.

The rising death toll serves as the proof of what certain people have been saying for years: both the Mexican and American governments need to change their strategy in order to minimize the presence of drug cartels and to curtail drug violence. In order to fight the drug traffickers and any associated bloodshed, one must first understand why the cartels exist and how they operate. Visualize America and Mexico. America is wealthy, has a strong governmental and social structure, and is the world's largest consumer of almost everything, including drugs. Mexico, on the other hand, is poor and has a weak government, but is conveniently located between America and the drug-producing countries in Central/South America.

Drug trafficking causes complications for many countries. Drug trafficking has proven to be a never ending battle, not only in America, but it’s an international battle. According to United Nations on Drugs and Crime, 322 billion dollars’ worth of drugs is being trafficked every year, and numbers continuously keep growing till this day. Heroin, cocaine, and cannabis are among some of the most popular drugs being made, and imported into the United States. Drug trafficking produces a series of issues; violence, government corruption, and money laundering have led citizens to flee their homeland for a better source of security.