Lately Mexican drug cartels make international headline’s again.
Not really surprising, that only when non Mexican citizens are subject to violent crimes committed by these huge criminal enterprises, the outrage in mainstream media goes through the roof.
Shamelessly and hippocratically, we’re again and again taught, that Mexican lives aren’t as important as US lifes. As sickening it is, that’s at least what we can assume, given the absolutely ridiculously high numbers of Mexican victims from such atrocities, that aren’t in the daily international and US mainstream news.
Due too the immense profits that are made by drug cartels, the power that comes with such wealth surely extends into local and nationwide political influence.
Almost card blanche for those at the helm of these cartel’s, that have mastered money laundering, to accumulate legal businesses, to then make legit money on top of their drug selling, human traffing, gambling and extortion businesses.
In Mexican pop culture they're even celebrated as people "getting stuff done" and living their "Narco" lifestyle with hot cars and women, private jets, big houses and yachts.
Of course their path is drenched in blood but let’s not forget, that they only got into this position, because of the always high market demands, for products that offer such massive roi, that - morals and ethics aside - are return wise, every capitalists wet dream.
The Mexican drug cartels are estimated to have a collective annual revenue of $19 to $29 billion. This makes them some of the most powerful organizations in the world.
The illegal drug trade is one of the main sources of income for the cartels and their power has only grown over the past few decades.
The cartels use their financial resources to purchase weapons, hire hitmen and corrupt government officials, and pay off rival cartels.
The cartels have become so powerful that they are now able to control entire regions of Mexico, and even influence politics in other countries.
The cartels also have a large impact on the Mexican economy. They are estimated to employ hundreds of thousands of people and spend billions of dollars each year.
The cartels are also deeply involved in money laundering and other criminal activities, such as human trafficking and kidnapping.
The cartels are responsible for the majority of drug-related violence in Mexico, with over 50,000 people killed in the past decade.
The cartels have been able to maintain their power and wealth due to their ability to adapt to changing conditions, such as the introduction of new technologies and the emergence of new drug markets.
The cartels have also been able to remain powerful due to the support of powerful allies, such as politicians and other criminal organizations.
Despite the efforts of law enforcement, the cartels continue to be a major economic and political force in Mexico and other countries.
Such monstrous illegal enterprises come and go in every era and are known in many cultures, societies, but the staggering profits in the Mexican drug cartel business, has lifted some of these organizations to unkown heights wealth and power.
At the end of the day we also have to acknowledge their contributions to the gross national products on both sides of the border. Many families are supported and mouths are fed.
That surely happens foremost on the backs of the drug users and addicts, but this also harms our societies due to the parasitic effects of these illegal structures, with constantly rising expenses for law enforcement, health care and legal businesses being harmed by the illigimite actors, with resources comparable to those of smaller countries and last but not least the loss of human life. As gruesome all this is, we seem to turn a blind eye on all this and the war on drugs seems to have been lost decades ago already.
Those who propose to treat these organization alike terrorists may have a point, but what this would mean, for a already ramped up conflict, is hard to tell. Surely it would come at high cost, economical and by loss of human lifes, with unknown secondary effects to the countries engaging in such a conflict.
So, what is your stance in this? Let me know in the comments!