Drug Cartels and the US Involvement - Research Paper Example

Drug Cartels and the US Involvement Introduction Several drug cartels operating in Mexico have been identified by the government. The major cartels which have spread extensively in Mexico include; Gulf, Sinaloa, and Juarez. The Juarez cartel is present in 21 states in the country and has its major bases in; Culiacan, Sinaloa, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, the cities of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, and Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico City; Guadalajara, Jalisco, Cuernavaca, Morelos and Cancun, and Quintana Roo. The Sinaloa cartel is also widely spread in 17 states with its significant centers being Mexico City, Tepic, Nayarit; Toluca and Cuautitlan, Mexico State and different parts of the state of Sinaloa. The Gulf cartel on the other hand has its presence in 13 states with its major operations being conducted in the following cities; Nuevo Laredo, Miguel Aleman, Reynosa, and Matamoros in the northern state of Tamaulipas. In addition, other significant activities of the Gulf cartel are present in Monterrey in Nuevo Leon and Morelia in Michoacan. Finally, there is the Tijuana cartel which is approximated to be spread in 15 states. It conducts most of its operations in Tijuana, Mexicali, Tecate, and Ensenada in Baja California and in parts of Sinaloa. In the past years alliances have been established by the major cartels. An alliance was formed between Tijuana cartel and the Gulf cartel as a result of prison negotiations made by the cartels leaders. Other cartels came together and established the federation alliance. This alliance is mainly under the leadership of the Sinaloa, Juarez, and Valencia cartels representatives. In most cases the cartels still remain independent even though they work jointly. The availability of the illegal drugs has also been on the rise in the United States. The expanding activity from drugs cartels in Mexico has contributed greatly to this condition. These cartels are the most drug trafficking threat to the United States (Stich, 123). The Mexican drug war is considered to be a continuous armed conflict among the drug cartels that are competing for regional control and the Mexican government forces that are battling to bring the drug trafficking to an end. Mexico as a country is popular for production and transit of drugs. It is considered to be the leading foreign supplier of marijuana and also top supplier of methamphetamine to the United States. Even though Mexico produces a smaller percentage of heroin in the whole world, it is the leading supplier of heroin in the United States. Most cartels in Mexico have been in existence for a longer period but their power has become significant in recent years especially after Medellin and Cali cartel’s in Columbia came to an end. The cocaine traffic was moved to Mexico after the trafficking route in Florida was closed. This resulted in tremendous increase in the trafficking of cocaine by the Mexican cartels (Friesendorf, 130-132). The Mexican cartels have also grown marijuana in the United States, and are located in the federal land in California. Currently they are increasing their drug production to northwest in the pacific area and a small portion in the eastern side of the United States. All those involved in these different areas have joined together to form strong ties. According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, the American illicit drug market has been dominated mostly by the drug cartels from Mexico. The center also reveals that the cartels have a transport network which is well established. This helps them in the transportation of cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, and heroin to the various destinations. There has been continuous balanced power in the different cartels as others are introduced and the older ones are weakened. In most cases their system is disrupted when the key leaders are arrested or even killed. The top rival’s takes an advantage and tries to occupy the power vacuum and this in most cases results in bloodshed. Leadership vacuum in some cases is as a result of successful law enforcement against a specific cartel. Rival may opt to use law enforcement on each other through different ways. It can be through the Mexican officials being bribed so as to take appropriate action against the rival group or by revealing the operations of the rival group to the government in Mexico or the established US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). There are several factors which have led to the increased violence, and according to the security analysts based in Mexico City all these is attributed to the ancient implicit arrangement which existed between the Mexican government under the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the narcotics traffickers. The Mexican cartels have established various relationships in the United States. Most of them have joined together with different gangs both in prisons and in the streets. Through these relationships they are able to facilitate their activities in the United States. These activities mostly include drug trafficking and the distribution of drugs both in retail and in wholesale. In most cases they specialize in the wholesale supply while the street gangs take over the retail sales of the illegal drugs. Moreover, the Mexican cartels have also been involved in the trafficking of arms and human beings, auto theft and even kidnapping. They smuggle large amount of money into Mexico using cars and trucks. They prefer this means as opposed to the electronic transfer mainly due the US ability to monitor transfers done electronically.The cartels have taken hold of most territories in the Mexico including several municipalities. They are greatly involved and influential in the electoral politics of the country. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the current drug cartels in Mexico who are conducting their operations in the borders are more dangerous and sophisticated as compared to different criminal groups based in the US. The group has increased their operations mainly through corruption and intimidation of the officers who enforces the law in the country. According to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), Mexico faces a great problem of corruption. This takes place regardless of the efforts put in place to end this in the past years. Currently, in the battle against corruption professionalism has been promoted in various agencies of law enforcement and the lessons concerning the rule of law has been included in the training of officers. President Calderon prioritized on the fight against the drug cartels and the drug violence when he came to power in 2006. In most cases, he has perceived the increased drug violence in Mexico as a great threat to the Mexican state. In the fight against the drugs violence, the government established counter cartel police and the military operations, which was later expanded to involve institutional and operational reforms. The government also insisted that its success depended greatly on the cooperation they would receive from the united state in the fight against the trafficking of different arms and money laundering which mainly originated from the United States and found its way into Mexico. The United States provides great counternarcotics assistance to Mexico. This support is provided through the International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement (INCLE) account. The INCLE assist Mexico through; aviation support, provision of operational support for the interdiction and eradication programs on drugs and through professionalization and provision of trainings to the personnel who enforces the Mexican law. The present U.S. counternarcotics policy toward Mexico is greatly involved in the interdiction and eradication of drug shipments mainly through security efforts which include screening in the U.S-Mexico border. Individuals who are supporting the U.S. counternarcotics policy insists that through this efforts the drug shipment has been greatly reduced and that the rates of drug use among the youths in the united states has decreased tremendously. However, the critics of the current policy in place maintain that the efforts of the U.S. counternarcotics should be extended beyond the conventional law enforcement actions. The law enforcement efforts which include both domestic and international put in place in the fight against the drug trafficking are not only meant to disrupt the supply of drugs, they are also of great help in fighting against the impact of drug trade in the society and the government which is considered corrosive. The U.S assistance has been of great help to many nations. By countering the drug trafficking organizations influence, security has been boosted, economic development has been expanded and the law in countries has also been improved. The enforcement efforts in the fight against the drug cartels remain the major element in the protection of United States national security. Recently, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), revealed that the Mexico’s capacity in the battle against drug trafficking had been boosted greatly by the US assistance. GAO also maintained that in the recent year’s significant improvement had been witnessed in the two countries and that this could advance to a higher level. It also suggested that there is need for the US law enforcement to be allowed to board the Mexican vessels so that they can continue with the required operations at high seas on vessels which might be transporting drugs. GAO further added that surveillance cooperation ought to be increased further and the two countries to coordinate the American strategy on narcotics. Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) is a non-governmental organization that has also contributed to the fight against the illicit drugs trade in an active manner. It insists that there should be a combination of the American domestic programs and the introduced foreign aid targeted to assist Mexico in the fight against the drug trafficking. WOLA further adds that the present cartel’s revenue should be reduced through the following ways; reduction of the illegal drugs demand in America by ensuring education regarding drug prevention is available to all the targeted individuals. In addition, they suggest that treatment for all the addicted drug users should be accessible. The organization highlights that an adequate percentage has been allocated to the prevention and treatment programs from the total federal counterdrug spending set aside by the US government. WOLA also reveals that majority of the schools in United States have not included drug prevention in their current curricula. The organization insists that inclusion of drug prevention in the curricula is effective hence schools should be provided with sufficient funds. WOLA also suggests that the arms trafficking from the US into Mexico should be controlled through appropriate checks for all the guns purchased and also placing a limit on the total number of weapons sold. This would ensure that the weapons purchased in the United States legally are not sold to the Mexican cartels. Regarding the nation of Mexico, WOLA suggest that the country’s public order should be put in place and judicial be given adequate support. The organization also adds that the current capacity of the Mexican authorities is inadequate; hence it cannot properly solve the drug violence within the nation. The proposition of the organization is that the United States should be given the opportunity to deal with the major criminals in Mexico since they have the power to prosecute the drug trafficker’s leaders. The counternarcotics efforts of the United States have also received criticism from the Mexican government. According to the Mexican government, America’s counternarcotics efforts will be in vain if the required support is not provided by the US. The support required mainly concerns the arms trafficking into Mexico being reduced, the US stopping the earnings from drugs from being trafficked into Mexico, and cutting on the demand of the illicit drugs in the United States. Requesting for the America’s help has remained to be a sensitive issue in Mexico, the country has always been wary of the US getting involved since the ancient times. The United States criticism on Mexico’s drug trafficking and crime has been viewed as being unfair. This is because a great percentage of the drugs trafficked in the Mexican territory are consumed in the United States. The recent criticism of President Calderon together with other Mexican officials focused to address all these issues and to put the problem of drug trafficking as an issue where both the United States and Mexico will have equal shared responsibilities. In seeking to partner with United States the officials from Mexico have insisted that the solution to this great problem should be between the two countries since they both share the illicit drug trade. The Mexican government further adds that the American drug consumers are the major source of finance for most of the drugs traffickers. The United States have also had other counternarcotics efforts. It mainly involves the Andean Counterdrug Initiative where funds are provided for other development programs. This way, farmers who have specialized in drug crops are encouraged to produce crops which are licit. The United States is not involved in funding other alternative development programs. Mexico does not also provide funds for other development programs in the growing areas of marijuana and opium poppy in the nation. The officials insist that the connection between the country’s poverty and the cultivation of the drug crop in Mexico is weaker as compared to other nations in the same region. According to an assessment conducted in by the US military on January 2009, it clearly indicates that the extension of war in Mexico could result in the government collapsing because of the strength of the organised crime. They also suggested that the existence of conflict could spread further to the neighboring states. Currently, there are several drug cartels that are widely spread in the top cities in the US. Majority of the researchers have proposed that reduction of the problem greatly depend on the prevention, the treatment and introduction of appropriate education programs. This will help in the reduction of demand among the drug users rather than all the focus being on the support of continued fight against the drugs supply. Several studies have indicated that the failure of the military interdiction effort results from the main cause of the problem being ignored. The US demand for the illegal drugs has largely been pointed to be the major cause of the problem. Treatment has been considered as the most effective way which is cheaper in the reduction of the drug use among individuals. According to the Mexican government its ability to deal with the existing drug trafficking has been limited by the failure of the United States to control the demand of the drug users in their country. In 2007, both president Calderon and President George W. Bush made an agreement on how to handle the issue through cooperation on counternarcotics efforts. The meeting of the two presidents resulted in what is best known as the Merida Initiative, and was estimated to last for a period of three years. The total amount of the whole plan was estimated to be $1.5 billion. This would help in the battle against drug trafficking in Mexico and Central America. However, this initiative has not successful addressed the demand for drugs in the US. In 2008 $400 was allocated for acquisition of different equipment which include helicopters for the expansion of telecommunications infrastructure in Mexico and also to help monitor the airspace, the resources were also used to professionalize Mexico's police by strengthening programs which were already in place and to also provide improved technologies to the Mexican agencies of law enforcement. Earlier, before the Merida initiative was passed Mexico had been allocated $40 million a year to boost the country’s effort in the fight against the drugs. A large percentage of this amount was allocated to the Mexican law enforcement information sharing and training. According to the United States, the Mexican government was able to put in place favorable efforts in the fight against the issue of drugs cartels and violence. The perception of the International Narcotics Control Strategy Report was that president Calderon Administration’s had attained success which was beyond their expectations. Many experts however are not satisfied with the support provided by the US. The expectations are that America should adequately handle the great problem concerning the narcotics domestic demand and to provide training to the agencies of the Mexican law enforcement. The U.S.-Mexico counterdrug initiatives however remained disintegrated in the federal, state and the local levels at the end of 2008. According to most analysts increased effort should be put in place by the United States in order to stop arms which are being trafficked from its nations into Mexico. In the neighboring states the gun laws are inadequate hence; individuals can easily buy weapons without proper background check. The weapons trade in the border is considered to be very lucrative. Conclusion The Mexican government has identified several drug cartels which are operating in the country. The major cartels which have spread extensively in Mexico include; Gulf, Sinaloa, and Juarez. The Mexican drug war armed conflict has continued to persist among the different cartels that are competing for control regionally and the Mexican government forces that are battling to bring the drug trafficking to an end. Mexico as a country is among the leading nations who are popular in the production and the transit of drugs. It is considered to be the leading foreign supplier of marijuana and also top supplier of methamphetamine to the United States. Even though Mexico produces a smaller percentage of heroin in the whole world, it is the leading supplier of heroin in the United States. According to Payan, (38-40) most cartels in Mexico have been in existence for a longer period but their power has become significant in recent years especially after Medellin and Cali cartel’s in Columbia came to an end. The cocaine traffic was moved to Mexico after the trafficking route in Florida was closed. This caused tremendous increase in the Mexican cartels role in trafficking of cocaine. President Calderon prioritized on the fight against the drug cartels and the drug violence since he came into power in 2006. In most cases he has perceived the increased drug violence in Mexico as a great threat to the Mexican state. In the fight against the drugs violence, the government established counter cartel police and the military operations, which was later expanded to involve institutional and operational reforms. The Mexican government success relies greatly on its cooperation with the United States. . In 2007, both president Calderon and President George W. Bush made an agreement on how to handle the issue through cooperation on counternarcotics efforts. The meeting of the two presidents resulted in what is best known as the Merida Initiative (Staley, 78). It was estimated to last for a period of three years. The Mexican government insists that the problem should remain a shared responsibility between the two countries. In seeking to partner with United States the officials from Mexico have insisted that the solution to this great problem should be shared since the two countries share the illicit drug trade. The Mexican government further adds that the American drug consumers are the major source of finance for most of the drugs traffickers. Thus in order to be successful in dealing with the drugs violence the United States should remain focused and committed to fight the illicit drugs in cooperation with Mexico. It should handle the major problem and cause which has been attributed to the consumers of the drug in the United States. Therefore great responsibility lies in both Mexico and the United States. Sources Friesendorf, C. US foreign policy and the war on drugs: displacing the cocaine and heroin industry.USA, Taylor & Francis, 2007. Payan, T. The three U.S.-Mexico border wars: drugs, immigration, and Homeland Security. USA,Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. Staley, S. Drug policy and the decline of American cities. USA, Transaction Publishers, 1992. Stich, R. Drugging America: A Trojan Horse. USA, Silverpeak Enterprises, 2007. Read More