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Can Mexico Beat the Cartels?

By Alex Ruiz – Global concerns can be very complex and confusing. Sometimes

actions taken by one country to resolve a problem make progress, but sometimes

actions actually make the issue worse. One such example is the drug war in Mexico.

This has become an immensely complicated issue that has no simple solution. This short

description of the main issue, will discuss the actions taken by Felipe Calderon, President

of Mexico, to resolve the issue and its symptoms. It will also describe the apparent

results of those government actions. The analysis provided in this paper will point to the

fact that the war on drugs has put Mexico in a worse position short term than before

Calderon took office. It is yet to be determined if there will be long term success since

the only results that have been realized this far are increased violence and more illicit

US/Mexico border activities. It appears that as one gang falls, the next one gains

strength from these new found unattended opportunities.

First, producing and selling illegal drugs has many negative effects. The most

glaring issue is the violence this creates. During the four years Calderon has been in

office, 34,612 Mexican citizens have been killed in drug-related deaths. (BBC News). This

number includes suspected drug members, law-enforcement and innocent bystanders.

Another example is the growing and selling of illegal drugs in Mexico and how it affects

other countries. The US imports 90% of its cocaine supply though the US/Mexico

border. Other countries suffer from the effects of this illicit importation. Yet another

impact example is the cost to fight drugs and deal with the shortage of funds for other

programs. Tax dollars to pay for anti-drug activity (Just Say No programs, detox

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facilities, welfare, etc) is very expensive. According to the National Drug Intelligence

Center, the US spent $180.9 billion in 2006 (National Drug Intelligence Center) on

activities such as these. These dollars could have been spent on improving schools,

infrastructure projects like street repair or water line upgrades, green energy

improvements or any other example of positive programs.

All of this cost, in life and money, began with Felipe Calderon declaring war on

the cartels in December of 2006. He proposed that the country redirect their law

enforcement to directly target these gangs, their leaders, and those that support them.

He decided that utilizing the police forces as well as the military would be necessary to

stop the drug trade flowing through their country. They are doing this in a joint effort

with the United States using over one billion dollars through the Meridia Initiative.

(Gootenberg) The Meridia Initiative was set up by the United States government to aid

in drug imports suppression. The money declared for this was used for fighting drug

trafficking in Central America and several Caribbean nations. This offensive was met

with a resistance nobody expected. The rate of deaths due to this war has increased

every year. To put this amount of death into perspective, of the 34,612 deaths

mentioned 89% (BBC News) of the people killed were executed. This includes law

enforcement and community opposition members. Mayors of towns, councilmen, and

even normal citizens are being wiped out in order for the Cartels to maintain control.

The fear of the gang members not only keeps citizens from reporting suspicious activity,

but it also aids in the recruitment of more members. The recruitment of kids in close

proximity is successful due to the limited choices available in the community they are in.

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It also happens due to intimidation. Either join and be protected or face the

consequences.

In retaliation, Calderon’s administration began capturing high profile drug

traffickers as another tactic to weaken the cartels. This was seen as a way to weaken the

criminal organizations and hopefully lead to the disintegration of the gang. Several

arrests were completed without incident while some of the attempts resulted in the

deaths of several leaders. Both of these end results were considered victories by the

government. In one case, two brothers were leading a central Mexican gang. Two weeks

after Arturo Beltran Leyva was killed in a shootout with military troops, his brother

Carlos was captured in Sinaloa (QNA). The capture and death of the brothers would

seem to weaken their gang, but the group they had separated from was now retaking

control of lucrative drug routes and was strengthened by these developments. They

were able to control this due to a lack of resistance on a now leaderless gang. In many

cases there are members inside each organization ready to take the helm. But in

situations where a hierarchy was not established, the confusion and lack of organization

leaves the gang open to attack or assimilation.

The country of Colombia once employed the tactics being used by Mexico. The

drug trade was out of control in the 1980’s and through joint efforts with United States,

it was found use of extreme force is a initial step towards stopping the drug trade, but

not the only solution. Other solutions included finding strategies to offer job

opportunities, education and boosting infrastructure to the country. This was coupled

with a reintegration program for former gang members and guerillas. Colombia is

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proving that there are more ways to accomplish the goals than what is being utilized

right now.

The war on drugs in Mexico appears to be failing. However, this could be true for

the short term only. If the country’s leaders are to follow some of the examples of

Colombia with progressive social welfare programs, the long term results could be quite

positive. Force is being used now, but it does not need to be the only answer. The idea

that urban planning can change the path of a country gone astray is being proven in

Medellin, Colombia which was once considered one of the most dangerous cities in the

world. Mexico hopes these four years of Calderon are the beginning of a plan that has

taken over 20 years for Colombia to begin to see the positive results of the war on drugs

efforts. For the sake of a country that has seen centuries of suffering I personally hope

that Mexico can thrive and become a success story for other countries in despair to

“spur economic development” (Llana).

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Works Cited

Author Unidentified. “Q&A: Mexico’s drug-related violence”. BBC News. January 21, 2011.

Accessed 1/30/2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-10681249

Author Unidentified. “The Impact Of Drugs on Society”. National Drug Intelligence Center.

January 2006. Accessed 2/9/11. www.justice.gov/indic/pubs11/18862/impact.htm

Gootenberg, Paul. “Blowback: The Mexican Drug Crisis”. NACLA Report on the Americas.

November/December 2010. Accessed on 1/30/2011.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_go1653/is_201011/ai_n56828586/

Llana, Sara Miller. “Colombia offers clues for solution to Mexico drug war”. Christian Science

Monitor. 8/4/2010. Accessed 1/30/2011.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2010/0804/Colombia-offers-clues-for-solution-to-

Mexico-drug-war

QNA. “Mexican Drug Lord Captured”. Arabia 2000. 1/3/2010. Accessed on 1/30/2011.