Cartel Violence: A new level of violence or a sign desperation?

Drug trafficking organizations over the years have instilled fear upon Mexican citizens through their gruesome attacks, which have escalated since President Calderon’s term in office began in 2006. The level of violence has increased to an unprecedented level, as of President Calderon’s term, 28, 000 lives have been lost due to the war against the cartels according to the New York Times. Is it a new level of violence or an act of desperation? Some may say it’s one or the other, while others may say that it is a combination of both. However, it is a combination of a new level of violence that was not resorted to in the past, at least in the frequency that it is being practiced now, and also a result of desperation in behalf of the cartels. The primary cause of the violence can be traced to the most important aspect of any organization who strides to be successful. The aspect of controlling drug routes into the U.S. happens to be what the cartels fight over. The cartel that has access to the entry points into the U.S., can control the amount of drugs that go through, but it can only be maintained by using “mafia-style” tactics (O’Grady, 2010). As competition increases for control of access routes, the violence is more likely to increase, for drug cartels are always striving to be in control. In contrast to the number of cartels in Mexico, U.S. government officials have identified 230 cities where drug cartels have set up shop to distribute and store their drugs (Archibald, 2009). Just as cartels have various distribution locals, various cities in the U.S. have legalized opening of marijuana dispensaries.

  Furthermore, California’s Proposition 19, was under the cartels radar, for if passed it would deliver a significant blow on their income, which is estimated to make up more than half of the cartels income (O’Grady, 2010). If proposition 19 had passed it would have changed the drug business tremendously,  the demand for marijuana would have dropped dramatically. Moreover, the monopolistic fashion in which Mexican drug cartels have been operating is reminiscent of Colombian cartels of the 1980s and 90s (O’Grady, 2010). The fight for control has lead cartels to fight one another, which has increased the number of causalities, thus demanding action from government administrators. The pressure that has been applied on drug cartels has caused them to lash out against government and the citizens of the cities, towns, and states that they reside in. Furthermore, cartels not only attack Mexican citizens and government members, they have also executed U.S. citizens who work in Mexican territory according to the video. For example, the Southern Arizona Law Enforcement Training Facility have began training for “active shooter” scenarios, which is similar to the real life scenarios that Mexican police and soldiers engage on a regular basis (Archibald, 2009). The training scenarios have been attributed to a recent increase in house invasions and kidnappings that have been occurring in the Tucson, Arizona. Incidents that have occurred on the U.S. border, not only have involved Mexican citizens, but also American citizens. A recent attack on an American couple on Falcon Lake, near the Texas and Mexico border, left  Mr. Hartley dead (McKinley, 2010). Fallowing the incident, the Mexican investigator in charge of the Falcon Lake investigation was found beheaded after he released the identity of two suspects related to Mr. Hartley’s death. Cartels have been violent since they formed, but it has never reached the level that it is currently today. Whether, it is a new level of violence that they have reached or a result of the pressure that the Calderon administration has applied, it is evident that the violence has gradually travelled across the border and it is spilling onto American soil.    

References
O'Grady, M. (2010). The Economics of Drug Violence. Wall Street Journal - Eastern Edition, 256(86), A17-A-1.
Archibald, R. (2009, March 23). Mexican Drug Cartel Violence Spill Over, Alarming U.S. New York Times. Page A1.
McKinley, J (2010, October 14). Mexican investigator of American Killing is Behheaded. New York Times. Page A29.

Combined Efforts

                                                                                       

Drug Smugglers

When an epidemic breaks out in another country, measures are taken by countries such as the United States in order to prevent epidemics from spreading onto the American soil, as was the case with the Swine Flu. Being that the border is the gate way from Mexico into the U.S., it is essential that it be monitored in order to keep drugs from being transported onto American soil. Not only is preventing drugs from entering American soil critical, but essential in order to prevent drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) from thriving. By disrupting drug trafficking routes and apprehending smugglers and their leaders, DTOs will begin to malfunction; thus resulting in a decrease in drug smuggling.  

 Supply and demand of drugs are responsible for DTOs existence and success. Demand for illegal drugs will attract organizations that are willing to risk their lives, money, and freedom in order to be in the drug business. The amount of drugs being transported in to the U.S. by DTOs  primarily enters the U.S. through the nearly 2,000 mile Southwest Border (SWB) (Placido and Perkins, 2010). In addition, Placido and Perkins state that the length of the border creates  remoteness and makes detection of smugglers more difficult. The methods that DTOs use to smuggle include: aircraft, backpackers, couriers, horses and mules, maritime vessels, rail, tunnels, and vehicles (Placido and Perkins, 2010). DTOs methods of transporting drugs onto U.S. soil and willingness to risk their freedom and lives makes detection and apprehension difficult due to the remoteness of the SWB as well as its length; and allows the passage of the various drugs that DTOs profit from.

The demand for particular drugs drives   DTOs to produce what their customers demand. The drugs being smuggled onto U.S. soil include: Marijuana, Methamphetamine, Heroin, and Cocaine, which are either produced in Mexico, or are brought into Mexico from other countries, primarily Colombia and then make their way onto U.S. soil (Placido and Perkins, 2010). Furthermore, it is estimated that the drug trade business is responsible for an estimated 18-39 billion dollars annually, leaving U.S. soil, to be distributed among Mexican and Colombian DTOs (Placido and Perkins, 2010). The aforementioned types of drugs being smuggled into the U.S. are those that are in demand in the U.S., which is clearly indicated by the amount of money leaving the U.S. bound for Colombian and Mexican DTOs. As evident by the following chart, the number one drug being smuggled into American soil is Marijuana, which has increased its  potency since the 1970s (Kershaw and Cathcart, 2009). In addition, cocaine comes in second (17,085), methamphetamine (3,478), and lastly Heroin (642) according to the National Seizure System (2009). The success of DTOs is measured by the amount of drugs that are successfully smuggled into the U.S., which is why cooperation on both sides of the border is critical.          

Table 1. Drug Seizures Along the Southwest, in Kilograms, 2005-2009*

            2005    2006    2007    2008    2009

Cocaine

Southwest Border        22,653 28,284 22,656 16,755 17,085

                                                           

                                                           

Heroin

Southwest Border        228      489      404      556      642

                                                           

                                                           

Marijuana

Southwest Border        1,034,102        1,146,687        1,472,536        1,253,054        1,489,673

                                                           

                                                           

Methamphetamine

Southwest Border        2,918   2,798   1,860   2,201   3,478

In order to impact DTOs successfully cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico is critical. President Felipe Calderon has impacted the DTOs the most, when he took office three years ago, by deploying military troops to aid  state and local law enforcement in territories DTOs called their own (Placido and Perkins, 20010). A more aggressive approach against DTOs has impacted them tremendously because they are no longer able to roam as they once did. Cooperation with the U.S. has lead to the creation of programs such as Southwest Intelligence Group, El Paso Intelligence Center, and The National Border Corruption Taskforce, to name a few (Placido and Perkins, 2010). The aforementioned programs and President Calderon’s pressure on DTOs are a clear example of steps being taken  to combat a problem that exist on both sides of SWB.

The smuggling tactics and remoteness of the SWB have benefitted DTOs, which has enabled them to thrive. However, measures being taken by the Mexican government to combat DTOs in zones  they had once ruled, has pressured them to move, as well as lead to the capture of leaders and members of DTOs alike. The creation of programs along the SWB and in Mexico, have shown to be effective, for leaders and members of DTOs have been captured. Cooperation amongst both governments will aid in combating drug smuggling on both sides of the border.      

References
Source: National Seizure System.
*Data as of December 1, 2009; totals are rounded to the nearest kilogram.
KERSHAW, S., & CATHCART, R. (2010-2011). Marijuana Is Gateway Drug for Two Debates. Annual Editions, Drugs, Society, and Behavior.
Placido and Perkins. (2010). Drug Trafficking Violence in Mexico: Implications for the United States” Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, United States Senate.
*Picture courtesy of Google images.

Border Security and Trafficking

On the morning of September 11, 2001 the lives of thousands of individuals were lost in the horrific attacks of The World Trade Centers, The Pentagon, and Flight 93.. After the dust settled and families began mourning their loved ones who perished in the attacks we as a nation awoke from a deep sleep of being resistant to attacks from foreign enemies. However, on that day  national security became priority number one. Moreover, border security is not as simple as constructing a wall and or placing surveillance cameras at vulnerable locations to keep terrorists and drug cartels from carrying out their activities. Drug trafficking cartels have the money and man power to defeat current border security measures, which is visible through the amount of drug related crimes that inflate prisons throughout the United Sates.

Being that control of access points into the United States is crucial for the Cartels, many death have result as they fight to gain and control routes across the border. According to Engelhart, since 2006 approximately 26,000 people have died as a direct result of drug violence occurring in border towns from Tijuana to Ciudad Juarez. The large amount of deaths related to drug trafficking from Mexico into the United States demonstrates how vulnerable our border is. The ongoing drug battles between the various groups in Mexico demonstrate that the market for drug is thriving even during hard economic times in both Countries; the drug organizations continue to thrive. Various groups such as the Zetas and Juarez 7 are examples of drug organizations battling for access to routes in order to distribute drugs in the United States according to the Drug Enforcement Agency Video.



 

http://www.spike.com/episode/26323/st/3117604

Trafficking into the United States has been present for a number of years, but never to this level violence. According to Engelhart, Columbian cartels dominated the drug trafficking through Miami, but also used Mexican smugglers as middle men to transport drugs, paying as much as $2,000 per kilo of cocaine during the 1990s. Furthermore, Oscar Hidalgo of the New York Times reported that violence on the border has become reached extreme levels that American Consulate workers and their families have fallen victim to cartel assassins in the border town of Ciudad Juarez. Assassination of American Consulate workers is clearly a tactic being used to intimidate the United States Government, while also demonstrating the extreme measures that drug trafficker are willing to go in order to ship their product across the border.

The level of violence in Mexico is clear indication of how demanding the drug market is in the United States.  Cartels are willing to attack American Consulate workers and innocent people to simply demonstrate how ruthless and how far they are willing to go in order to get access to drug trafficking routes and control of a market that continues to thrive.. Thus, something must be done in order to prevent such massacres as those occurring across the border. One question that should be asked is, are we are taking adequate measures to protecting our border from drug cartels and terrorist alike? Perhaps that may not be an easy question to answer at the moment, but measures must be taken now before we begin seeing massacres such as those that occurred in Mexico. Something must be done to secure our border from drug cartels as well as terrorist who may be seeking routes to enter the United States.    

Engelhart, K. (2010). Coming soon to a suburb near you. Maclean's, 123(22), 28-31  

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/mexico/drug_trafficking/index.html