The Mexican cartels have launched a recruiting drive at U.S. prisons to expand their ranks as reported by Seth Ferranti for the Daily Beast:
Mexican cartels are identifying and recruiting talent in American prisons, seeking “free agents” to connect on their release with their south-of-the-border counterparts in the ever-expanding drug job market. Think of it as a jailhouse draft, where the year’s crop of coming releases can showcase their skills to multinational drug conglomerates in need of bodies and criminal talent.
The Mexican cartels move $50 billion in bulk product and bundled cash across the border each year, and have established supply lines, distribution networks and operational cells in hundreds of communties throughout the United States.
The U.S. government clearly lacks the ability to act against the Mexican cartels.
Although the Obama Administration insists that there is no spillover violence from rival drug cartels for control over smuggling routes the dead bodies on the north side of the border — including rancher Rob Krentz and border patrol agent Brian Terry — stubbornly belie the President’s absurd claim. Earlier this month border patrol agents discovered five bodies which were buried in the Arizona desert along a smuggling corridor.
Meanwhile, on the south side of the border, the cartels control vast regions including the western state of Michoacan according to one exacerbated official as reported by Tracy Wilkinson for the Los Angeles Times: “There is no government here. There is no state. There is no law.” The collapse of government in Michoacan has resulted in citizens arming themselves for protection against the cartels, and some fear an outbreak of civil war.
Further reading that may be of interest:
President Obama Cedes Border To Drug Cartels
Mexican Citizens Arm Against Drug Cartels
Filed under: Mexican Drug Cartels, Organized Crime Tagged: Drug Trafficking
