With a land area of 1,958,201 square kilometers and a total population of 109,610,036 inhabitants, Mexico is in the midst of a war between different gangs led by drug traffickers. The clashes are more intense in regions close to the US border (main destination of smuggled drugs), where rival groups fight for the occupation and expansion of areas of influence. Drug trafficking in this area is very disputed, as the financial profits are very high due to the large amount of drugs that are smuggled in the border region.
The main drug cartels operating in Mexico are Beltrán Leyva, Golfo, Sinaloa, Loz Zetas, Juarez, La Familia and Tijuana. Rival groups are in constant conflict for territorial occupation, a fact that has led to a series of murders in the country, including people who are not involved with the cartels. To get an idea of the scale of Mexican violence, the nation has already surpassed Colombia in kidnappings and murders carried out by drug traffickers.
Mexican President Felipe Calderón, in an attempt to combat the action of the cartels, sent the national army and federal police to fight drug trafficking. However, several police officers and soldiers started to work for criminal groups, which pay much higher “salaries”. Since Calderón assumed the presidency, the violence has intensified, and the number of murders has already reached the mark of 28,000. Drug traffickers terrorize cities, attacking bars, restaurants, nightclubs, etc. Many inhabitants are migrating to other places and some cities are almost uninhabited.
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In some regions it is common to find decapitated bodies in the streets, dead people with signs of torture, corpses tied to catwalks, among other frightening methods. Gangs extort money from merchants and even the population. Another very common practice is the carrying out of kidnappings, both to obtain ransom and to transport drugs.
On August 25, 2010, 72 illegal immigrants trying to cross the border from Mexico to the United States were kidnapped by the Los Zetas drug cartel, which required the victims to carry out some "work" for the group. The proposal was rejected and drug traffickers executed 70 people, four of whom were Brazilians.
By Wagner de Cerqueira and Francisco
Graduated in Geography
Brazil School Team
Mexico - countries - geography - Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
FRANCISCO, Wagner de Cerqueira and. "Drug trafficking in Mexico"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/o-narcotrafico-no-mexico.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.
