A recent poll by the Mexico City Reforma newspaper and The Dallas Morning News found that 59 per cent of 1,000 people said they are against the legalization of marijuana. “Historically, ‘marijuano’ or ‘marijuanito’ was a slur used by Mexican people of a higher social class and supposedly better morality to put down the poor and juvenile delinquents, and later American hippies,” said Campbell, author of Drug War Zone. Mexican bootleggers supplied alcohol to the United States gangsters throughout the duration of the Prohibition in the United States, and the onset of the illegal drug trade with the U.S. began when the prohibition came to an end in 1933. ... "Crime and violence are serious problems in Mexico … However, the largest percentage increases in homicide cases were found in Nayarit (554% increase) and Baja California Sur (192% increase). The analysis in the Drug Violence in Mexico report suggests that a significant portion of Mexico’s increases in violence from 2015 through 2017 were related to inter- and intra-organizational conflicts among rival drug traffickers in the wake of Guzmán’s re-arrest in 2016. Today, as COVID-19 spreads in the city, leaving at least four dead as of Wednesday, the Kentucky bar and other establishments are locked down. To order We are not afraid of drug crimes in Mexico, nor are … Mexico's location on the southern border of the US means that for decades it has been home to powerful criminal groups smuggling cocaine, heroine, marijuana and methamphetamines … The timing of the pandemic couldn’t be worse for Mexico, especially in this downtrodden city, which has long been marred by drug violence carried out by warring criminal organizations. Drug Crimes in Mexico Mexico has been in a ware for a long time. As such, the annual average number of homicides under the Peña Nieto administration is now about 20% higher than during the Calderón administration, whose first two years saw much lower levels of homicide. He said those factors aren’t very different to what the U.S. faced with alcohol during Prohibition, and marijuana until now, he added. He quietly mused: “Think they’re just going to disappear? And people are increasingly worried over the president’s slow, dismissive response to COVID-19, leaving Mexico’s health and economic future vulnerable. As the new millennium approached, suddenly Mexican drug cartels started fighting for territory, leading to the death of 63,000 people between 2006 and 2012 ( Secretaría Nacional de Seguridad Pública [SNSP], 2011; Molzahn et al., 2013).In parallel to this unprecedented wave of drug-related homicides, crime in Mexico also rose, affecting directly about 14% of households. In 2008, Mexico’s former top anti-drug official, Noe Ramirez, was charged with receiving $450,000 per month in bribes to report drug investigation information directly to the cartels. Cannabis and opiate use is 6-7 times greater in the US than in Mexico.Source: NationMaster.com – Comparative Country Crime Statistics “If marijuana was legalized to reduce drug trafficking, reduce organized crime, there are still other drugs that are being trafficked in large quantities.”. Lopez Obrador downplayed the threats and was even seen shaking hands with the mother of drug lord Joaquin “Chapo” Guzman, sending mixed messages and generating anger among drug war victims. “They normalized marijuana use and then changed the laws as future generations were less negative about pot.”. For his thesis, he has been looking into the addiction of illegal drugs, including marijuana. Remittances reached an estimated $35 billion in 2019, or about 2.7 per cent of total GDP, and now are expected to decline by at least 10 per cent. Crime, especially drugs, is the only thriving business in Mexico now. Increasing violence is leading to mounting frustration over Lopez Obrador’s nonconfrontation abrazos, no balazos — hugs not bullets — strategy against criminals. Justice in Mexico’s Memoria dataset includes 152 mayors, candidates, and former mayors killed from 2005 through 2017, with 14 victims in 2015, six in 2016, and 21 in 2017. Since Mexico`s Drug War started in in 2006, more than quarter of a million people have been killed and more than eighty thousand people have vanished. The timing of the pandemic couldn’t be worse for Mexico, especially in this … The study compiles the latest available data and analysis of trends to help separate the signals from the noise to help better understand the facets, implications, and possible remedies to the ongoing crisis of violence, corruption, and human rights violations associated with the war on drugs. We, the city’s residents, will pay the price.”. He said those factors mask whatever economic benefits legalization might have on the country of 130 million people. Edgar Arpeo, 40, who specializes in burritos, looked down the street and pointed to a few shady characters sitting around, cellphones in hand. There has been increased drug arrests and now more drug smuggling into the United States. The coronavirus pandemic hit Mexico with a triple whammy: remittances, tourism and oil are all on the downslide, or have come to a screeching halt. Mario Ramirez Treviño, alias X20, was the head of the Gulf Cartel, an organization that has trafficked contraband and illegal drugs across the northeast of Mexico for close to 40… Alejandro ‘Omar’ Treviño Morales, alias ‘Z42’ Billions of dollars are at stake as the economy winds down: Some tourist destinations, including Los Cabos, closed temporarily because of coronavirus restrictions. Map of Mexico Source: Congressional Research Service (CRS). In fact, there were an average of 23,293 homicides per year during the first five years of Peña Nieto’s term, nearly 4,000 more per year than during Calderón’s first five years in office. But when asked if they would be in favour of the drug’s legalization if it helped reduce violence, 22 per cent of those who initially were against it changed their stance. “Usually, the people who begin to consume marijuana later experiment with stronger illegal drugs,” Lopez Ortiz said. "Mexico aggressively combats drug trafficking, and U.S.-Mexico cooperation in this area is robust. Yet advocates of drug reform are urging patience, warning that nothing about ending Mexico’s drug war will be easy. In 2017, the state with the largest annual increase in total homicides was Baja California, with most of that increase concentrated in the city of Tijuana, as discussed below. Illegal drug use in the US is 14% more than in Mexico. Meanwhile, armed criminal groups have been delivering food, even toilet paper, to desperate residents in high-crime states like Michoacan and Tamaulipas, across the border from Texas. “Regulating cannabis becomes more relevant now — especially after the post- COVID-19 crisis — as we will need to find ways to generate more jobs and we think more jobs in the formal market could be created through the legal regulation of cannabis,” Snapp said. It opened its doors in 1920, feet away from the U.S.-Mexico international crossing, just in time to coincide with U.S. prohibition. Unemployment puts our personal security at greater risk.”. For instance, he said, people who go to prison for small time sales or for possessing small quantities of marijuana usually come out of prisoners as workers for criminal organizations. Mexican nationals are more likely to encounter drug related crime; more than 28,000 people were killed in 2018 as a result of the drug trade and other illegal activities. Federico Delgado is one of the managers at the Kentucky Club & Grill, a legendary bar that claims to be the birthplace of the margarita. He described them as street-level drug dealers who usually spend their time inside bars, or on the street hustling. Contreras, president of the Citizens’ Council for Public Security, said Juarez is already seeing a rise in robberies and soon, “we expect to see a return to extortions, kidnappings, carjackings. 2018 Drug Violence in Mexico Report Posted on April 10, 2018April 11, 2018 by dshirk 04/11/18- Justice in Mexico, a research and public policy program based at the University of San Diego, released its 2018 special report on Drug Violence in Mexico, co-authored by Laura Calderón, Octavio Rodríguez Ferreira, and David A. Shirk. Delgado said the avenue was once packed with U.S. patrons, especially during the nighttime. This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. The type of crimes that have been on the decline will rise up again. 04/11/18- Justice in Mexico, a research and public policy program based at the University of San Diego, released its 2018 special report on Drug Violence in Mexico, co-authored by Laura Calderón, Octavio Rodríguez Ferreira, and David A. Shirk. According to a recent Justice in Mexico study by Laura Calderón using data from 2016, Mexican journalists were at least three times more likely to be killed (.7 per 1,000) than the general population (.21 per 1,000), and mayors are at least twelve times more likely (2.46 murders per 1,000). In early 2017, the notorious kingpin leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán was extradited to New York to face charges of organized crime, murder, and drug trafficking, among others. No, they’ll soon be preying on us. The analysis in the Drug Violence in Mexico report suggests that a significant portion of Mexico’s increases in violence from 2015 through 2017 were related to inter- and intra-organizational conflicts among rival drug traffickers in the wake of Guzmán’s re-arrest in 2016. Mexico’s homicide rate raced to a record in March. Experts also estimate that thousands of Central American migrants go missing annually, as they trek across Mexico, trying to reach the US Border and cross. Other countries in the region saw a sudden fall in crime as the virus spread. The border city of Juarez has been racked by violent drug-related crime, making it one of the most dangerous cities in Mexico's war on drugs. Drug trafficking and organized crime have also been a major source of … “As millions of Mexicans lose their incomes, as kids potentially lose their parents, the social fabric will further fray,” said Shannon O’Neil, a senior fellow for Latin America Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, a non-partisan foreign-policy think tank and author of Two Nations Indivisible. Statistics underscore the worrisome economic impact of the coronavirus: Nearly 3,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported and at least 145 people have died amid criticism of not enough testing. In total, nine sitting mayors were killed in 2017. rights reserved. Contreras and others say Mexico has to look at new alternatives to tackle the danger, including the legalization of marijuana. All Some say legalization, starting with marijuana, is the answer. The combination may increase lawlessness in a country already teetering.”. Peña Nieto has received record low approval ratings during his first five years in office, in part due to perceptions of his handling of issues of crime, violence, and corruption, particularly after the disappearance and murder of dozens of students from Ayotzinapa, Guerrero in 2014. The top five states with the largest number of intentional homicide cases in 2017 were Guerrero (2,318), Baja California (2,092), Mexico State (2,041), Veracruz (1,641), and Chihuahua (1,369). Crime is among the most urgent concerns facing Mexico, as Mexican drug trafficking rings play a major role in the flow of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana transiting between Latin America and the United States. Crime, Drug Trafficking, Drugs, Global Poverty, Mexico 10 Facts About Mexican Drug Cartels Continual and sensational news coverage of Mexican drug cartels may have desensitized people to the realities and sources of the violence. To order copies of Stay home, like were being asked to do? All-important remittances — money sent from hard-working migrants in the U.S. back to their often struggling families in Mexico — are being affected. “It was a busy avenue with many bars, dance halls, restaurants, cabarets,” Delgado said in Spanish. There were so, so many neon lights.”. The report examines trends in violence and organized crime in Mexico through 2017. They re fighting a crime on drugs and drug related crimes. Mexico will hold elections in July 2018 and the next president will take office in December 2018. At the state level, the largest numerical and percentage decrease in homicides was found in the state of Campeche, which saw 67 homicide cases in 2017, down 17 cases (20% less) compared to the previous year. Juarez has long boasted of low unemployment, drawing on plentiful jobs from hundreds of assembly plants in this bustling city of 1.4 million people across El Paso. Last weekend, a shootout between rival drug gangs left 19 people dead in Ciudad Madero, about five hours’ drive from Juarez but also in the state of Chihuahua. Mexico's brutal drug war claims thousands of lives every year, as powerful trafficking groups battle it out for territory and influence. Journalists and mayors are several times more likely to be killed than ordinary citizens. The riot left 19 inmates dead. Already, more than 50,000 people are expected to lose their jobs in Juarez this week. The bilateral Merida Initiative is a major component of these efforts; since 2008 approximately $1.2 billion in training, equipment, and technical assistance has been delivered to help transform Mexico’s judicial and security institutions. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. ©2014 Justice in Mexico Project. Newspapers Limited, One Yonge Street, 4th floor, Toronto, ON, M5E 1E6. No, they re not fighting another nation but their own people. People constantly crossed the border from El Paso to Juarez in order to freely enjoy what they couldn’t in the U.S., including prostitution. presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. In particular, Guzmán’s downfall has given rise to a new organized crime syndicate called the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, CJNG). Republication or distribution of this content is Drug Crime in Mexico Updated Dec. 17, 2010 2:39 pm ET Mexico's drug war has claimed more than 65,000 lives since 2006. expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Last March, Mexico registered its highest number of monthly homicides, with more than 2,500, and the country is poised to break last year’s record of more than 35,000 murders. In the U.S., on the other hand, about 2 people die every day from drug-related violent deaths. Every 85 minutes, someone loses his or her life due to drug crime in Mexico; every day sees 17 drug-crime related violent deaths. The debate over legalization in Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies and Senate is on hold because of COVID-19, said Zara Snapp, who helps lead RIA Institute, a Mexico City-based organization promoting legalization with a social justice focus. Violence is an intrinsic feature of the trade in illicit drugs. The city is a hotbed for organized crime. Class divisions, religion, and weak rule-of-law are obstacles, say experts like Howard Campbell, an anthropologist and drug expert at the University of Texas at El Paso. All rights reserved, Why Mexico’s Historic Elections May Bring About Big Change. “The same goes for police forces and the national guard, if members fall ill. Mexico: Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking Organizations Congressional Research Service 2 Figure 1. These cartels control vast areas of … The militarized crackdown was a centerpiece of Calderon’s tenure. Tallies produced over the past decade by government, media, academic, NGO, and consulting organizations suggest that roughly a third to half of all homicides in Mexico bear signs of organized crime-style violence, including the use of high-caliber automatic weapons, torture, dismemberment, and explicit messages involving organized-crime groups. Over that period, no other country in the Western Hemisphere had seen such a large increase either in its homicide rate or in the absolute number of homicides. Your email address will not be published. He’s worked at a rehabilitation centre in Juarez with more than 80 patients. This crisis is directly related to the strengthening of organized crime in Mexico associated with drug trafficking, the divisions within the leading drug trafficking cartels, and their diversification. Track the increasing violence in an interactive map. Police officers carry sacks … Mexico is currently undergoing one of the worst crises in its history in terms of violence and insecurity. Thus, the surge of violence following Guzmán’s arrest is one of the negative effects of targeted leadership disruption by law enforcement, often known as the “kingpin strategy.”. to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about A Nomad's Guide to Exploring Copper Canyon, Mexico Mexico's Copper Canyon is actually a series of six spectacular canyons, and … It’s frustrating, maddening for us, but that is what we will have to deal with again. The administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has called for social distancing because of the virus, but violence rages on. Much of the violence in Mexico is connected with the drug trade across the border to meet the demand in the US. “It was incredibly bright. The country’s recent violence could be a concern in Mexico’s 2018 presidential election. Due to its location, Mexico has long been used as a staging and transhipment point for narcotics and contraband between Latin America and U.S. markets. The convergence of timber and drug trafficking has added another layer to the fighting. Drug trafficking has led to corruption, which has had a deleterious effect on Mexico's Federal Representative Republic. Other countries in the region saw a sudden fall in crime as the virus spread. This new law became effective came just a few days after a prison riot occurred in northern Mexico at a prison housing federal inmates convicted of drug and organized crime charges. Introduction. Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a34e646367e533d7a27042d71a2b0a67" );document.getElementById("a0f332a1c3").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); You may use these HTML tags and attributes:

. Find out where the drug-related crime hotspots are in Mexico, learn about the drug laws, and what you need to know about traveling with medications. Mexico’s recent violence is largely attributable to drug trafficking and organized crime. “The immediate war we face is COVID-19, but the forever war looming larger is insecurity,” said Jorge Contreras Fornelli, president of the Citizens’ Council for Public Security, known as FICOSS, in Juarez, which has long monitored organized crime and worked on solutions to keep young people away from the reach of warring cartels. Crime, especially drugs, is the only thriving business in Mexico now. Today, nearly 3% of people in the state of Baja California, or about 100,000 people, say they have used the drug, more than any state in Mexico, according to a study by the federal government. Between August and December 2008, prison riots … Based on INEGI’s projected tally of 116,468 homicides from 2013 to 2017, at least 29.7% and perhaps as many as 46.9% of these homicides (34,663 according to newspaper Reforma and as many as 54,631 according to Lantia consulting service) appeared to involve organized crime. The viral outbreak has led to a renewed sense of urgency over the long simmering debate about how Mexicans save Catholic Mexico from organized crime. The municipalities most affected by illegal logging in Chihuahua are in the state’s south and west: Maguarichi, Guerrero, Uruachi, Ocampo and Madera, as well as Guadalupe y Calvo and Bocoyna, according to the Criminal Investigation Agency. In its prime, Ciudad Juarez thrived and profited off the legalization of substances like alcohol. If you participate in the drug trade, the risk to your safety increases considerably. All told, throughout the Calderón administration, INEGI reported 121,669 homicides, an average of over 20,000 people per year, more than 55 people per day, or just over two people every hour. With unemployment rising as the maquiladoras are mostly sidelined due to health measures to slow down the spread of coronavirus, some social and economic experts fear dark days ahead. Playa Bagdad, referred to as 'Playa Baghdad' by the Drug Enforcement Agency, is known for crime, not migrants. Drug-related violence in Mexico has increased massively in recent years with murders now commonplace. With U.S. assistance, the Mexican military captured or killed twenty-five of the top thirty-seven drug kingpins in Mexico. Angel Lopez Ortiz, 25, a psychologist in Juarez, is about to finish his masters’ degree. The number of intentional homicides documented by Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics, Geography, and Information (INEGI) declined significantly under both presidents Ernesto Zedillo (1994-2000) and Vicente Fox (2000-2006), but rose dramatically after 2007, the first year in office for President Felipe Calderón (2006-2012). The worsening of security conditions over the past three years has been a major setback for President Enrique Peña Nieto (2012-2018), who pledged to reduce violence dramatically during his administration. Some experts lament the likelihood that many of the unemployed will head in even greater numbers to the informal market for survival, including by joining the ranks of criminal groups. Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com, The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star CIUDAD JUAREZ, MEXICO—On Juarez Avenue, leading into the international bridge connecting to El Paso, businesses recently closed their doors, leaving streets largely empty. “We’re very concerned of what’s to come.”. permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com. Mexico experienced dramatic increases in crime and violence over the last decade. Juarez alone recorded 160 homicides, just in March, according to a tally compiled by Molly Molloy, a librarian at New Mexico State University, from local media like El Diario de Juarez. “A similar sentiment also prevailed in the U.S. and only changed because middle class Baby Boomers smoked marijuana in the ‘60s and onward,” Campbell said. Juarez knows the lessons of shifting attitudes all too well. As Arpeo prepared one of his last orders of chile verde burritos, he ominously lamented, “I dread at the thought of what’s coming next.”, Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. Mexico's official murder rate last year was nearly 30,000 people. Mexican drug cartels are believed to have operations in over 1,200 US cities in 2010, which is 5x more than the estimated operations that were happening in 2008. Since there is widespread concern about Mexico’s elevated levels of crime and violence, candidates for public office will feel pressure to take a stand on these issues and may even be targeted for violence for violence. In 2017, state-level increases in intentional homicide cases were found in all but 6 states. Meanwhile, they worry that coronavirus will only add to the likelihood that more and more of the nation will slip into lawlessness. 1. The disappearance of 43 students in Mexico is symptomatic of much larger problems in the country: widespread corruption and drug-related violence. Mexico’s homicide rate raced to a new record in March. Yet, over 116,000 people have been murdered under Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto (2012-2018), despite his campaign pledge that violence would decline dramatically within the first year of his administration.

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