Efforts Vs Drug Trafficking in Mexico

Drug trafficking is an illicit activity with a vast relation to other crimes: human trafficking, arms trafficking, money laundering and corruption, among others. This means that a country with numerous drug dealing activities will be weak in protecting its citizens and institutions.

Drug trafficking started to develop in ancient times, even England transported opium to China in the XIX century, affecting its economy and causing social problems, even causing the Opium Wars. However, it wasn’t until the development of communication and technological progress when it started growing as an activity that offers great profits for drug dealers. This is because in the great cities there is a growing consume, making this one of the most profitable illegal businesses.

The problems emerging from drug trafficking are very serious, on the one hand, the social damage it produces on its citizens and ends in death, the destruction of families, as well as the countries’ economy, although for those who produce drugs it translates into great business, the truth is that money doesn’t pay taxes, it promotes the corruption of institutions like the police forces and even the army.

In the case of the infrastructure woven around this activity, there are routes for reaching distribution sites and its final destination. In the decades of the 80’s and 90’s, the unfortunate leadership of Columbia became evident in the production of cocaine, which the farmers attended and processed. This went through Mexico by different sites, like Cancun, Guerrero and the Caribbean.

The changes originated by the North American influence on Colombian operations also modified the influence sectors. In Mexico, the equipment and organization started to be developed for sowing and transforming cocaine paste into powder. The territory was handed out and the country became a major producer, as well as a potential consumer.

There is an important phenomenon on the borders of Mexico: drug traffickers enter through the south, the production of amphetamines or synthetic drugs created in labs can’t be covered by a single group. Chemical agents like ephedrine are needed; an active substance producing better effects in the laboratory pills and are very popular. These substances enter through the south and the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico as imports of pharmaceutical products.

Corruption is such that drug traffickers organize bands of assailants robbing the substance from trucks, identifying routes and schedules that make the pharmaceutical industry vulnerable, which is sometimes a victim and other times an accomplice, handled by the same organization. Our country even allowed the import of this substance, but it was discovered that many drug traffickers had agreements with the pharmaceutical laboratories to make it seem like they purchase the substance for manufacturing medications. They were then working as intermediaries, easing the access of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine into drug trafficking for the manufacture of amphetamines. In response, federal authorities modified the General Health Law and prohibited the commercialization of medications using active principles or processes with this substance.

In a different aspect, borders are the obligated passage way of substances, just as cocaine paste from Colombia, or pills manufactured in places like El Salvador, and transiting through Mexico for being sold in the territory or reaching the United States. Another problem is the one stemming from use in the United States, which is the number one drug market in the world.

Thus, the border between Mexico and United States is the main gate of entry for Colombian and Mexican production. In customs, ports and airports, the drug is transported in multiple ways: people, cars, trucks, pretending to be shipping legal merchandise like fruits, foods and other products where it can be hidden. In the south of Mexico, vigilance is much less strict because customs and immigration agents are in alliance with drug traffickers, being less severe in the examination of merchandise and people.

According to this, drug trafficking is a phenomenon that has become an economic, political and social problem for countries with producers and consumers, because among other consequences it causes families to disintegrate, mental and physical destruction of individuals. It participates in corruption networks and has the main advantage of economic power that moves countries, authorities and common citizens.

In 2008, there is a great effort from the government of President Felipe Calderón to attack the conflict from various sides: social programs guided towards prevention in schools and vigilance in the spaces of populations at risk, like children and youth, as well as a frontal battle for the identification of operation forms, relations woven between drug traffickers, municipal and state authorities. This has lead to extremely important confiscations like the one in Puerto de Manzanillo, in the State of Colima, of 23 tons of cocaine, as well as arresting the leaders of the country’s main cartels and expediting extradition processes of other criminals to the United States.

Relevant Article:

Main Drug Cartels and Groups in Mexico

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