Drug War in Mexico

3036 words 13 pages
Show More
Mexico’s Drug War
Drug trafficking has become an increasingly growing problem in the world today. Illegal drug trade is a worldwide black market consisting of production, distribution, packaging, and sale of illegal substances. Although today’s "War on Drugs" is a modern phenomenon, drug problems have been a common problem throughout history. The market for illegal drugs is massive, when we consider the estimated global drug trade value is worth $321 billion (Vulliamy). The most drug trafficking happens on the border between Mexico and the United States. Former Mexican President Felipe Calderon said, “Our neighbor is the largest consumer of drugs in the world. And everybody wants to sell him drugs through our door and our window” …show more content…

In every country in the world there is some sort of corruption; Mexico is no exception. Corruption is the abuse of public power to gain benefits. Mexico has never had an honest, reliable, police force and this goes back to colonial times (Sordo). Citizen attitudes about police in Mexico may be part of the problem. In Mexico, corruption consists of a system of exchanges in which support for public officials is given in return for certain privileges. Mexican police are usually paid little, making them vulnerable to bribes and extortion.
The global drug trade is a $300-350 billion per year enterprise; Mexico’s share is estimated to be $25-35 billion per year of the aforementioned total (Galen). In addition to dealing drugs, cartels are expanding their power by getting into the oil business. They steal from pipe lines that are underground, taking tons of crude oil and gasoline from Pemex— Pemex is the governmental monopoly of gasoline in Mexico. This has created a huge income stream, as much as $715 million a year (Hawley). This gives the cartels the resources to bribe or to hire sicarios (hit men) to deal with those who do not want to cooperate. Cartels corrupt local public officials and top government officials to turn a blind eye to cartel activities or work directly with them.
Mexico developed the Clean House operation, which investigates all government officials that might be linked to cartels. Under this operation, Mexican investigators have arrested the

Related

  • Mexican Drug War
    4069 words | 17 pages

    The Mexican Drug War By: Blake Cohen INR2002 – Spring 2013 Jeff Hernden Word Count: 3800 Date: 4/22/13 In 2006, Mexico began to crack down on drug trafficking operations in union with the United States. Why all of the sudden? In regard to that question, my paper will include a history of events leading up to this sudden crack down on drug trafficking, from its start in the 1960’s until today. After the history of the drug war, I will discuss the main states involved like the United States….

    Show More
  • Vulliamy essay 2
    1160 words | 5 pages

    Iridian Lozano English 1302.19 Dr. Rathbun 21 October 2014 For Kudos and Other Reasons I partially agree with the author of “Killing for Kudos” because on one hand, I agree that the violence in Mexico is absurd but on the other hand I disagree that there is no reason for the violence. I have family in Mexico and I am aware of the violence that is happening right on my back yard. All the violent massacres, I believe are uncalled for, but the cartels see it as a necessity in order to get a hold of territory….

    Show More
  • Speech Outline
    881 words | 4 pages

    Danny Mendoza 3/5/13 English 14 Prof. Mareneck Informative Speech Joaquín Guzmán Loera Thesis Statement: How Joaquín Guzmán Loera became a mythical figure in Mexico, both a narco folk hero and a villain Main Points: His beginnings/ Birth Rise to Power/ Control of the Sinaloa Cartel Legend of “El Chapo” • Born on April 4, 1957, to a poor family in the rural town of La Tuna Badiraguato, his abusive father kicked him….

    Show More
  • Illegal Immigration
    1990 words | 8 pages

    Also with the illegals coming drug smugglers are also crossing our border to get there drugs sold. These drug runners can be very dangerous and willing to do anything to not get caught. They are willing to do anything because the cartels that are having them bring the drugs could be threatening them or their families to do so. A story of this posted by ABC News said that a border patrol agent was shot in the back and killed during an altercation with drug smugglers. In the article ABC News stated….

    Show More
  • Political Culture of Mexico
    1172 words | 5 pages

    Mexican Political Culture As once put by Mexican Nobel laureate Octavio Paz, Mexico is a land of “super-imposed pasts” (McCormick, p.326). It continues to be and is seen as a melding pot of its European and Native American ideas about society, law and government. Its history has had a major influence on the political culture of Mexico, seen through years of revolution, violence and corruption. Mexico is a considered a new democracy, but there is a tension still seen between democracy and authoritarianism….

    Show More
  • The Beat Generation
    874 words | 4 pages

    The "beat movement" is a literary period born out of World War II. This movement in American Literature has become an important period in the history of literature and society in America. Characterized by personal alienation and contempt for convention, the movement celebrated stylistic freedom and spontaneity. The Beat writers created a new vision of modern life and altered the nature of awareness in America. The Beat Generation was one of the first groups of writers to break down the barriers….

    Show More
  • US Makes Its Presence In The World
    3326 words | 14 pages

    American War, until the current conflict in the Middle East, the United States went from relative isolation to increased global involvement because of international idealism, and the entrance into World War 1, World War II, and Vietnam. The consequences of this increased global involvement on American society was the new idea of positions in society for African Americans, and the counter culture movement that began in the sixties and has evolved until recent times During the Spanish American war, American….

    Show More
  • Brazil and Mexico Comparative Analysis
    6087 words | 25 pages

    Table of Contents INTRODUCTION 2 BRAZIL 2 Political Analysis 3 Cultural Analysis 4 Economic Analysis 7 MEXICO 9 Political Analysis 10 Cultural Analysis 11 Economic Analysis 14 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS 17 Recommendation 18 BRAZILIAN STEEL INDUSTRY 18 IMPLEMENTATION 19 REFERENCES 21 APPENDIX 24 INTRODUCTION Brazil and Mexico are two emerging markets that are becoming increasingly prevalent and influential on the international stage. These nations share many similarities. Both are newly….

    Show More
  • Sons of Guadalupe
    2756 words | 12 pages

    EL RINCON DEL MUNDO The small town of Guadalupe has Spanish history, as does most of the southwest region of the USA. Most of Guadalupe’s jobs center around agriculture. “El Rincon del mundo” which is what the region was thought of, literally mean the edge of the world in English. The name of Guadalupe is derived from either “La virgen de Guadalupe” or “Rancho de Guadalupe”. THE SKINNY BEAR Oso Flaco or (skinny bear) is a salt water lake near Guadalupe, gets it’s name from a story….

    Show More
  • The History and Structure of the Travel and Tourism Sector
    9252 words | 38 pages

    Hnd Travel and Tourism 2012 The history and structure of the travel and tourism sector Assignment 1 Diane Quinn diane quinn THE HISTORY AND STRUCTURE OF THE TRAVEL AND TOURISM SECTOR Task one:- LO1 - Explain the key historical developments in the travel and tourism sector. You should provide a concise outline of key developments from the pilgrimages to the current day and conclude with future developments. You need to refer to the growth of the package holiday as a key development and….

    Show More

Popular Essays