Powerful, Mexican drug lords govern the black market

For many of us, drug lords are stereotypically ruthless people who thrive on kidnap, murder and extortion; which leads us to believe that they possess no real sense of decorum. However, this is an image that we have perceived to be fictional – something that only exists in the world of film. So it is surreal to think that this life truly exists right now and centred in the heart of the USA is an area ideal for running this illegal drug trade. With the Gulf of Mexico being at the foot of North America, it is in a prime position for trading across the two American continents as well as the rest of the world. In 2007, Mexico controlled 90% of the cocaine entering the United States. Sadly, this figure continues to rise year on year with the industries current worth estimated $13bn for this year.

The biggest cartel is known as ‘Los Zetas’. It first originated when 31 ex-soldiers became an army loyal to drug trafficking instead of America and this has rapidly expanded over the years to what seems like an uncontrollable network of hundreds of people. It is currently difficult to know the exact number of people in the cartel, but we do know that there are 1.4 million gang members in the Unites States alone. This highlights the fact that anyone could be part of a drug cartel – even those who have fought for their country. This in itself makes many feel uneasy and the fact that these gangs grow everyday, makes us rethink whether the world today really is a better place than it was centuries ago. On 1^st September 2012, in the coastal Mexican city of Acapulco, teachers went out on strike - not over wages, working conditions or pensions, but because of drug cartels fighting for power. This proves that the national drug war is such a prominent issue, that it has affected even the most regular of people just trying to make an honest living or get a good education.

Why is the situation not improving?

Some Mexican communities call drug traffickers ‘los valientes’ (spanish for the brave). This positive depiction of violent drug lords depicts the work of the cartels as admirable – something that acts as a driving force for the growth of the drug trade. Not only this, but advances in technology make it much easier to regulate the global drug industry and the fact that the Zetas have their own encrypted radio network adds to the issue further. The black market is also on an unimaginably large scale and is deeply rooted in Mexican Society. Ismael 'el Mayo' Zambada one of the most wanted traffickers has also supported this, saying, “millions of people are wrapped up in the narco problem. How can they be dominated? For all the bosses jailed, dead, or extradited, their replacements are already there”. Worryingly enough, there is truth to his words and this poses yet another problem that is not being managed efficiently.

Clearly, crime in Mexico (primarily the drug trade) is a key issue and we can only hope that authorities there will take charge and stop the drug war that has already produced 60,000 to 100,000 deaths.