Mexico's Cartel Problem

Mexico’s outgoing president, Lopez Obrador, pledged to fight the cartels with “hugs, not bullets.” However, at the end of his presidency, cartel violence in Mexico shows no signs of slowing. This was a large and impactful issue in Mexico’s elections this year, but as voters streamed to the polls on June 2, they voted for a member of the same party as Obrador, Claudia Sheinbaum. Her approach to crime is different from that of her predecessor. Being the mayor of Mexico City prior to her presidential run, Sheinbaum brought homicide rates in the Mexican capital down by 50%, utilized greater funding in order to modernize police departments, and implemented community policing strategies seen in American cities like Oakland. An initiative like this is costly though, and questions have been raised as to whether these strategies would apply in other Mexican towns and cities, where organized crime is more embedded in communities and local governments. In terms of her goal to replicate this system nationwide, Sheinbaum wishes to expand, discipline and strengthen Mexico’s police forces in order to better reach those in the community. The previous president, however, took a different approach, slashing funding to state and federal law enforcement agencies and instead bestowing those duties on the military and the newly created National Guard. The new president’s novel approach may encounter obstacles in its implementation, as there will be pushback and friction between institutions who formerly received greater funding and those who now stand to be granted it. Another solution to the problem of the cartels that has been floated in Mexican society is the legalization of drugs. While controversial, the idea is that if the black market for selling and trafficking drugs is taken away, then the price of drugs and the influence of cartels will decrease. Critics of the idea, however, point out that drug prices are not tied to Mexico, but the United States, therefore both countries would have to legalize for there to be a noticeable effect. Also, experts warn that a lack of profit in the drug trade might force crime organizations to emphasize other sectors like kidnapping and extortion in order to keep up profits, causing further damage to national security and wellbeing. 

The spread of Mexico’s cartels not only has an adverse effect on those within the nation’s borders, but outside them as well. While already spreading dangerous drugs like fentanyl directly into the United States, these cartels have been gaining power among South American countries as well. The two most powerful cartels in Mexico, the Sinaloa and the Jalisco New Generation cartel, have been exerting their influence further south, most notably in countries like Ecuador. Fighting between local drug trafficking affiliates of the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels has turned the once peaceful country into a nation mired in escalating violence. The violence in Ecuador has seeped into elections as well, with influential presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio being assassinated there last year. This problem is no longer unique to Ecuador, as this year’s elections in Mexico have seen escalated violence as well. Since just last June, at least 36 people seeking office in Mexico have been assassinated. Speaking strictly within Mexico, experts are warning that the increasing violence may eventually propel the nation into the status of a “failed state”, or a nation that lacks the ability to effectively govern its people. Those in the U.S. also warn that Mexico might miss out on an opportunity to increase manufacturing, as the United States looks to shift its business away from China. Overall, the virus of these cartels is a complex and dynamic issue, and there is no one way to completely stop their activity. It also doesn’t help that with every new leader in Mexico, there emerges a new and novel way to get rid of the cartels, and a new initiative that funds and develops a certain sector of the government before taking it away once the next leader is in power. While much of the blame can be placed on the governments of Mexico and other countries of Latin America for the continued reign of ruthless cartels, one would be naive if they did not look to the United States, and to an extent Europe, as well. A business does not flourish without high demand, and the demand in the West for illegal and addictive drugs like cocaine is immense. Through their consumerism, Westerners have inadvertently flung many of their southern neighbors into violence and insecurity, with criminals possessing the funds and means to wreak havoc on their local communities. Without proper action, this problem stands to worsen as the climate crisis intensifies, with farmers being forced out of their typical crops due to heat and having to resort to growing things like cocaine. According to Scientific American, cocaine will survive the climate crisis, but many farmers in areas such as Colombia and the mountains of Central America are finding it harder and harder to grow things like coffee. Once they can no longer grow what they have traditionally, is it only a matter of time before their hands are forced to begin growing illegal drugs, strengthening the cartels and further destabilizing the region.