Mexican and Colombian drug cartels

Mexican and Colombian drug cartels

drug cartel, an illicit consortium of independent organizations formed to limit competition and control the production and distribution of illegal drugs. Drug cartels are extremely well-organized, well-financed, efficient, and ruthless. Since the 1980s, they have dominated the international narcotics trade.

The U.S. war on drugs began under the administration of Pres. Richard Nixon. Following his victory in the 1968 presidential election, Nixon declared that drug abuse was “public enemy number one.” Efforts to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the United States—which was the primary destination for most narcotics—became increasingly focused on curtailing foreign production of marijuana and heroin. It was during the 1970s, however, that a growing U.S. demand for cocaine led to the creation of the earliest drug cartels.
Colombian drug cartels

The Medellín cartel, the first major drug cartel in Colombia, began in the mid-1970s when Colombian marijuana traffickers began smuggling small quantities of cocaine into the United States. As the trade grew, a diverse group of entrepreneurs became involved, ranging from well-respected individuals with backgrounds in ranching and horsing to petty criminals. The growing demand for cocaine soon prompted the expansion of the trade beyond small amounts tucked into suitcases. The cartel purchased private planes to carry its shipments, constructed more sophisticated drug laboratories, and even purchased a small island in the Caribbean for refueling its aircraft.

Violence, lapses in organization, and competition from the emergent Cali cartel (centered in Cali, Colombia) fractured the Medellín cartel in the late 1980s and early ’90s. Pablo Escobar, leader of the Medellín cartel, became one of the most wanted men in the world and was forced into hiding. In 1993 he was killed during a shoot-out with a special Colombian police task force, leading to the primacy of the Cali cartel.

The Cali cartel had a more subtle style and sophisticated approach than the Medellín cartel. The members of the Cali cartel quickly reinvested their drug profits into legitimate businesses. They deliberately undermined the Medellín cartel as it became increasingly unpopular and violent. The Cali cartel went so far as to help Colombian police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) track down Escobar. Many leaders of the Cali cartel were arrested in the 1990s, and by the next decade the organization had largely disbanded. While other cartels in Colombia filled the void, their power failed to match that of their predecessors.
Mexican drug cartels

In the 1960s and early ’70s, Mexico was known primarily as a supplier of marijuana. However, as U.S. efforts in Colombia slowed the flow of drugs from South America, Mexico emerged as a source of cocaine. The Tijuana cartel—created by members of the Arellano Félix family, especially the brothers Ramon and Benjamin—was founded in the late 1980s and became one of the most powerful cartels in Mexico, responsible for shipping hundreds of millions of dollars worth of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine into the United States.