Drug Cartel as a Non-State Actor Threats Research Paper (Essay Sample)

Drug cartel as a non-State actor threats
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INTRODUCTION
This essay will critically analyze the influence and widespread effects associated with drug-related crimes and trafficking in Mexico and its associated effects in the United States of America, for a while the country of Mexico has been facing a serious negative implications associated with drug cartels and their criminal activities which as adversely affected the economic, social and political systems in the country. However, this essay will base its arguments specifically on the effects associated with narco-terrorism in the United States of America. The problem currently affecting the Mexican people traces its roots back to the Columbian drug wars which led to sprout of new, more organized and well-structured drug cartels in Mexico which has eventually extended their criminal activities beyond their territorial boundaries to the United States of America. The extensive and thorough crackdown that was earlier carried out in Columbia led to death and imprisonment of the kingpins who headed the notorious drug gangs in Columbia. As the Columbian people celebrated the end of a period dominated by the criminal drug cartels, in Mexico it was different as small drug groups were reorganizing and structuring themselves to fill the gap that was left behind by the Columbian drug lords who were either killed or serving life imprisonment. Surprisingly, the revolutionary growth of drug cartels in Mexico suppressed the large influence that the Columbian narco cartels had on the drugs business. United States of America close proximity to Mexico is the main issue that leads to more serious implication through the drug cartels activities since the USA provides the largest market for illegal drugs supplied by the cartels. This essay will critically examine the overall threat assessment of drug cartels activities on the United States soil, historical perspective of the non-factor threats, leadership, membership and structural organization of the drug cartels. It will also look at the group's motivation, goals, financial and technical capability, their source finances and funding, the size, and magnitude of the respective drug cartels. It will also analyze the possible mitigation factors to counter these threats associated with the cartel's activities to the American citizens.[Campos, Isaac. "Degeneration and the Origins of Mexico's War on Drugs." Mexican Studies/Estudios Mexicanos 26, no. 2 (2010): 379-408.]
OVERALL THREAT ASSESSMENT
It is evident that the negative implications associated with drug cartels activities in the United States are large and life-threatening. Persistent violent and bloody activities carried out by drug cartels in addition to political hostility developing in these regions is spilling over to the United State region and should be considered as an important matter of concern which requires serious intervention and involvement of the united states of America government. Following the diplomatic agreements and relationship between Mexico and USA, soon the problems experienced on daily basis such as murders, kidnappings, violence and fear of the cartels will eventually become United States problems too. Recently, united states drug enforcement administration which are part of the country's security agencies mandated with combating illegal drug trafficking and consumption of these drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and crystal meth identified some notorious drug trafficking cartels operating within United States of America boundaries, they are; Gulf cartel, Sinaloa cartel, Los Zetas, Las Moicas, Juarez cartel and Knights Templar cartel. The increased emergence and network growth of these cartels within USA territorial boundaries foster a great risk and violence to the American people. These organizations are run by "ruthless, cold-blooded murderers" who seek to "perpetuate violence" while also shipping massive amounts of heroin, crystal meth, and cocaine into the U.S.[Kellner, T., & Pipitone, F. (2010). Inside Mexico’s drug war. World Policy Journal,27(1), 29-37. doi:10.1162/wopj.2010.27.1.29]
According to statistics recently released by the federal bureau of investigations (FBI), the deaths related to activities of Mexico Transnational Organizations between the year 2006 and 2010 exceed the deaths which occurred during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars during the same period. The document also illustrates that deaths totaling to forty-seven thousand and fifty-five Americans were as a result of drug overdoses and drug-related complications in which most of the affected population is that of teenagers and young people. Consequently, even with the increased funding and actions against these notorious groups, there is still a high risk of American people health, financial stability, safety and security which undermines the freedom and economic welfare of United States citizens. However, the ever growing and booming demand of illegal and harmful drugs such heroin and cocaine is what is fueling the increased violence and continuous growth of drug cartels in terms of financial capacity and structural organization of the cartels.
HISTORY OF THE DRUG CARTELS
As stated earlier the growth and emergence of Mexico transnational criminal organizations trace their origin back to the wiping out of drug kingpins in Columbia. Columbian government and other stake holders such as the United States of America through the department of Drug Enforcement Agency had embarked on a crucial tactical campaign to bring to an end the organized drug cartels who were dominant in Columbia and had completely depreciated the country's economic, social and political stability. However, as drug cartels in Columbia were either being arrested or killed, new and more equipped and perfectly organized cartels were mushrooming in Mexico to take care of the market gap of drugs business left vacuum by the Columbian cartels. These cartels later came to have a greater influence than what their Columbian counterparts had in drugs business. Mexico transitional criminal organizations did not deal with trafficking and making of cocaine only as the Columbians cartels did but they incorporated other new drugs such as heroin, crystal meth and marijuana in their drugs business. The ever increasing demand in the USA really boosted their activities and strengthened their organizations with time as they made more and more money from the American drug's users. Sinaloa cartel is the most dominant and powerful drug cartel in Mexico and supplies a wide market of drugs in the United States. It is famous of smuggling and trafficking of drugs from its dominant regions in Mexico to the United States of America. It is followed by the New Generation Jalisco Cartel (CJNG) it terms of power and dominance in the drugs trafficking and smuggling to the USA. The threat posed by drug cartels to the United States are as a result of a growing exciting drug business is mainly concerned with transportation of the drugs from the narcotic dominated regions of Mexico to the USA. The USA laws prohibiting the use and business dealing with illegal drugs was implemented earlier than in Mexico, this meant that the Mexicans were able to prepare and sell drugs such as cocaine and marijuana legally, as a result, American tended to rely on drugs which were smuggled illegally from Mexico to united states at higher cost and this become a norm as it advanced to more and more smuggling and trafficking to the United States of America.[Finnegan, W. (2012, July 2). The kingpins. New Yorker, 88(19), 40-53.]
MEMBERSHIP AND LEADERSHIP OF THE DRUG CARTELS
Effective and central organization of the Mexican transnational criminal organizations makes them powerful, relentless and more organized to carry out their smuggling and drug trafficking activities. This has ensured their continuous existence in the drug industry for a long period of time regardless of the actions carried out by the Mexico government and the United States of America Drug Enforcement Administration. Threats caused by drug cartels as non-factor actors are generally as a result of Mexico transnational criminal organization which is comprised of rival criminal drug cartels such as Sinaloa cartel and the Gulf cartel. The Sinaloa cartel is controlled and headed by the notorious and ruthless man called Joaquin Guzman and popularly known as "El Chapo". According to a recent publication by Forbes magazine the Sinaloa leader El Chapo is estimated to be worth more than $1 billion dollars whose wealth is attributed to his activities in the drug smuggling to the United States of America. Sinaloa cartel is properly organized in a systematic manner whereby individuals are selected, who are known as "chapos" to control various different regions and are required to report directly to the main kingpin El Chapo. The sub-leaders at these regions control the distribution of drugs, source for new customers for the drugs and prevent entry of new competition from other drug cartels. The rest of the other groups of cartels are lightly organized which limits their power and influence as compared to the Sinaloa cartel. Los Zetas is one of the most powerful upcoming group of cartels which is comprised mainly of Special Forces personnel who had earlier deserted the Mexican military to join the cartels, most of them had received their training in the United States which makes them have a centrally organized crime and drug cartel. Los Zetas success and growth of its power and capacity is attributed to their brutality and persistent violence. This cartel is always motivated by the need to create fear to people by engaging in inhuman activities such as the murder of top government officials, kidnappings, and beheadings. Los zetas are said to be respons...