Though much has been said regarding the devastation and havoc wrought by the Mexican drug cartels, most Americans know very little about the well-organized criminal enterprises, or the extent of their operations inside the United States.
That may be about to change though, thanks in large part to a report released recently by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration titled the 2015 National Drug Threat Assessment Summary.
The lengthy report details the immense power and structure of the groups that are responsible for the overwhelming majority of heroin, meth, cocaine and marijuana that is trafficked into the country on a seemingly never-ending basis.
“Narcotics are the biggest black market earner of all,” wrote Ioan Grillo, a researcher and author with an abundance of knowledge regarding Central American drug cartels.
“Estimated to be worth more than $300 billion a year, the global industry has pumped huge resources into criminal empires decade after decade.”
The most powerful and wealthiest of these organizations that profit off America’s insatiable appetite for illicit drugs is the Sinaloa cartel, whose main base of operations is in the Sinaloa state along Mexico’s Pacific coast.
This cartel, formerly run by the infamous Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, is believed to be responsible for more than 80 percent of the various drugs that are trafficked through the Chicago area.
The Sinaloas dominate much of the continental United States, with only New Mexico and Texas falling under the control of rival outfits.
The next most powerful Mexican drug cartel is that of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, a former part of the Sinaloa cartel that splintered off to become what is widely regarded as the fastest growing cartel in Mexico.
The JNGC is controlled by a man known as “El Mencho,” who is now believed to have taken the top spot as Public Enemy No. 1 following the recent downfall and capture of Guzman.
One of the oldest cartels in Mexico is that of the Gulf Cartel, which, as the name implies, operates along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, as well as much of southern and eastern Texas.
The Gulf Cartel was one of the first organizations to essentially militarize themselves, bringing the violent drug war to an entirely new level.
The Los Zetas Cartel was once a part of the Gulf Cartel, serving as elite enforcers until eventually breaking away and forming their own group.
Originally composed of Mexican military defectors, the tactically trained group is regarded by the DEA as “the most technologically advanced, sophisticated and violent of these paramilitary enforcement groups.”
Though the Zetas concentrate less on drug trafficking and more on other types of crime, they nevertheless pose a threat as they have partnered with various American gangs and other Central American drug traffickers.
Another group that has appeared in various locations inside the U.S. is that of the Knights Templar, a small cartel largely located in the Michoachana state in central Mexico.
Though the violent group does raise concerns, it has been wracked by internal struggles and faces stiff opposition in Mexico from rival cartels and a local populace that has risen up and armed themselves as vigilante groups to take back their towns and villages from the criminal organizations.
Then there is the Juarez Cartel, which is based in the north-central Mexican state of Chihuahua and exerts control over much of New Mexico and eastern Texas, especially around El Paso.
Though the Juarez Cartel has succumbed to pressure from the Sinaloa Cartel and given up much of its drug trade, it is still considered one of the more dominant organizations in the region, and is suspected of cooperating with international terrorist organizations like the Islamic State group.
Finally, there is the Beltran-Leyva Organization, formerly enforcers for the Sinaloas that broke off to form their own unit around 2008.
With most of the top leaders of the organization captured or killed, the BLO is much less of a threat than it was at its peak, but still presents a problem because it is active in several U.S. cities and havs partnered with Colombian drug traffickers.
These Mexican drug cartels are ruthless organizations that often rival the Islamic State group with their horrific and barbaric brutality.
The fact that these murderous criminal organizations are taking advantage of the lax border security and sanctuary cities that have flourished under President Barack Obama’s administration is not lost on conservatives, and at least partially serves as an example of why billionaire businessman Donald Trump is proving so popular in the presidential race.
H/T Business Insider
-- Delivered by Feed43 service
Post a Comment