Mexican Drug Cartel Violence Spills Over Border
Within the last year, there has been a sharp increase in drug-related violence across the US as the war against the Mexican drug cartels reaches catastrophic levels of violence across the border.


May 20, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Mexican Drug Cartel Violence Spills Over Border

Article provided by Beresky & Fish, P.C., please visit us at http://www.bereskyandfish.com/

Within the last year, there has been a sharp increase in drug-related violence across the US as the war against the Mexican drug cartels reaches catastrophic levels of violence across the border. Some border towns on the Mexican side have turned into literal war zones, with the Mexican police fighting for control with drug lords and their cohorts armed with military-grade weaponry.

While the violence in the US has not reached the level of violence in Mexico, cities across the country are experiencing more drug-related kidnappings, extortion and murders in the wake of the de facto Mexican war. While Arizona has been a hotspot for Mexican drug cartel activity and related violence, it is not the only state suffering. According to the US Justice Department's National Drug Intelligence Center, 230 US cities have been listed as places the Mexican drug cartels have set up shop to distribute their drugs and conduct their criminal activities.

Mexico: Ground Zero
When Mexican President Felipe Calderon took office, he promised to combat the illegal drug trade at home and work with the US to stem the flow of illegal drugs across the US/Mexican border. As Mexico increased its policing efforts, the cartels went on the offensive: In 2008, over 7000 Mexicans were killed as a result of drug-related violence.

The drug cartels are using fear, cohesion and torture to try to intimidate Mexican citizens, police and the government into backing down. Kidnappings, beheadings, assassinations and mass killings have become common tools in the war. In Ciuidad Juarez, a town less than a quarter of a mile from El Paso, Texas, there were more than 1700 drug-related murders last year.

The Mexican drug cartels have profited from the decrease in power of the Columbian cartels. Previously, marijuana was the main cash crop for the Mexican cartels (and it still makes up the majority of the cartels' drug trade). But with US and Columbian authorities cracking down on the Columbian cocaine trade and disrupting their trade routes into Florida, the Columbian cartel has turned to the Mexican cartels to help move the profitable drug into the US. Additionally, methamphetamine "super labs" have sprung up across Mexico. Now the cartels are dealing not only in marijuana, but also supplying American drug users with cocaine and meth.

On the US side, there have been increased calls by states and towns on the 2,000 mile border with Mexico for deployment of the National Guard to protect them from the escalating violence in Mexico. So far, the Obama administration has been reluctant to send in armed troops, but it has sent more federal agents to the border with enhanced equipment to check for drugs and guns moving into the US.

Arizona: A Hub for the Cartels
The crackdown in Mexico and the increased border enforcement have impacted the Mexican drug cartel's business in the US. The cartels are having a more difficult time getting their drugs into the country and smuggling arms and their profits back into Mexico. This, in turn, has led to higher drug prices and increased violence by the cartels as they use more severe methods to punish those who do not pay their drug debts, drug runners who fail to turn over profits and competing cartel members who steal their drugs.

Arizona shares a 370-mile border with Mexico. More than 60% of the illegal drugs in the United States enter the country through Arizona. The state has seen a sharp increase in the past 12 months in drug-related violence. Cities like Phoenix and Tucson have had to create special police task-forces to deal with kidnappings and home invasions -- signature drug crimes. Last year, there were more than 700 reported kidnappings related to the Mexican drug cartels in Phoenix, while Tucson authorities reported more than 200 kidnappings.

Phoenix is one of the main hubs for the Mexican cartels, which use the city as a distribution center. Thanks to the web of highways and interstates bisecting Phoenix, cartels have set up drop houses for marijuana, cocaine and meth in the city to be distributed across the country to dealers. In 2008, there were 169 murders in Phoenix, with local law enforcement attributing at least half of them to drug violence.

It is estimated that 95% of the Mexican drug cartels' weapons come from the United States. There are more than 6600 licensed gun dealers on the US-side of the border with Mexico. The weapons are purchased, legally or illegally, within the United States. The guns then make their way into the drug cartels' hands, either in the US or across the border into Mexico, where the cartels use the weapons against each other, the police and innocent Mexican citizens.

Further Related Resources:


Press Release Contact Information:

PR Dept
Website: Visit Our Website