Cartel violence had been limited under the dictatorial PRI party; they had to fly under the radar to avoid being targeted by the government. But by the late 1980’s, the call for democratic reform and the election of officials other than PRI members led to a fracturing of the PRI’s power. Without a strong central authority, the cartel violence and drug traffic grew to unprecedented proportions. “More than 200,000 people have been killed or have disappeared since Mexico's government declared war on organised crime in December 2006.” Another reason for the increase in organized crime was the stagnation of the economy caused by NAFTA.…
When Miguel was captured in 1989 everything changed. El cartel de Guadalajara was split up. The Arellano family, which they also worked for Miguel, moved to Tijuana and started their own cartel called El Cartel de Tijuana. El Chapo moved back to Sinaloa and started the popular cartel in mexico called El Cartel de…
Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is known to be the most wanted drug lord in the United States, as well in Mexico. He is the head of the Sinaloa Cartel, which is a criminal organization named after the Mexican coast state of Sinaloa where it was initiated. Guzman was previously taken to jail but escaped in the month of July. This was due to an underground tunnel that was located under his cell, where he was being imprisoned, at the Altiplano Federal Prison. Since his escape, he has been in the run from authorities.…
To experience a local aspect of Hispanic culture I visited the Tienda Mexicana La Guadalupana, a grocery store in Chapel Hill. Once inside, the term that came to mind when looking around was bodega. The store was small, but made clear use of its space, with items on the walls, shelves, and even the ceiling. This is in contrast to most “American”, or english speaking, grocery stores I have been to, as they are often wide and spacious, with plenty or room to showcase products. They commonly have bright lights; light, colorful walls; ads and signs everywhere with directions and promotional deals; and music playing over loudspeakers.…
The drug war in Mexico has been an everlasting crisis that has not been resolved just yet. In the documentary, “Cartel Land”, it goes deeper than what you hear on the surface. Many people do not even have an idea close to what is happening in Mexico. Directed by Matthew Heineman, he gathered the idea from the Arizona Border Recon in a Rolling Stone article. He also received an article on Jose Manuel Mireles and the Autodefensas in Michoacán.…
They have long controlled the flow of drugs, weapons, and illegal aliens coming in though the porous border we share with Mexico. Over decades they have grown from a small gang designed to protect Salvadoran immigrants being exploited by other established gangs in Los Angeles to a criminal organization comprised of 30,000 to 50,000 members spread all across the United States with thousands in other countries as well. After, and…
Most people believe “El Chupacabra” is a myth while others don't. Although many have claimed that they have seen it, they don’t have proof. It may just be some stray dog, or canine-type creature. One of the pieces of evidence goes something like this "It can change colors at will, has a hairy, reptilian body with spines all along its back and an obsession with blood. El Chupacabra translated into English means "the goat-sucker," because that's exactly what it does.…
Narco Corridos also known as Narco Ballards has evolved year by year, it is known that Narco Coprridos in the past century had nothing to do with what it is today, corridos was a style of music that glorified the 1910 revolution and battles of popular heroes such as Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. According to musician and writer Elijah Wald, the author of the book Narcocorrido: A Journey into The Music of Drugs, Guns and Guerillas, Corrido was kind of a "musical newspaper" produced after each single battle with the intention to tell the story of the locals heroes and their victories. Then corridos led to talking about illegal immigrants moving to the U.S. The first known group to have started the Narco Corrido as in talking about drugs…
La Eme, also known as “The Mexican Mafia” is a Hispanic organized crime group which was once at the top of the hierarchy amongst all the other Hispanic organized crime groups. The group was formed in California, USA in 1957 by Chicano street gang members. The groups working under this mafia include both the prison and the street gangs working in California. The group increased in size and strength within no time. As the members of this gang were sent to the different prisons, it helped increase the influence of the Mafia in different prisons in turn increasing its strength.…
Mexico Mexico, a North American country that borders the United States to the north and Belize and Guatemala to the south. To the west is the Bay of California, formed from an 800-mile peninsula known as Baja California. Two other bodies of water border Mexico to the east; The Gulf of Mexico and Bay of Campeche, both formed by another large peninsula: The Yucatan. Mexico has a rather varied geography: a large plateau makes up the central region, surrounded by mountain chains to both the east and the west. The plateau opens up to the north, and low-lying coastal regions lie beyond it (Infoplease).…
Notable examples include Mexican drug cartels, the Japanese Yakuza, Italian mafia, Russian mobsters, and African counter-political insurgencies.…
Mexico and Drug Violence Imagine having rights you take for granted taken away. Think about not being able to live comfortable in your own neighborhood or even having the your right to stay alive. There are growing Mexican cartels invading manys’ lives in and surrounding the Mexico area. The cartels, as of 2006, are murdering while distributing drugs among many other countries and the issue has been growing.…
According to the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington, there are 10.3 million illegal immigrants in the United States today—57% from Mexico (CITE - http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1468560/posts). This colossal flooding of Mexicans has brought upon cultural diversity, delivered low-cost labor alternatives, and has boosted American business. However, they have also overpopulated American cities, as well as put a grave stress on our social services, and have created a growing tension not only with US citizens, but also the other Mexican immigrants. These Mexican immigrants have persisted through the system and continue to live in the United States illegally. The United States/Mexican Border stretches near 2,000 miles from California to Texas,…
The American government, under president Hoover at the time, organized massive deportation campaigns that heavily impacted the well-being of both Mexican nationalists as well as American citizens of Mexican descent, seemingly casting a cloud of fear over the United States during the early 1930s. In the early twentieth century, the immigration of Mexicans to the United States was greater than ever. Due to the industrial growth at the time, Mexicans were invited by the United States government to immigrate to the United States and work. As many crossed the border in search of the higher wages that much of Mexico’s current economy could not offer them, this pattern of immigration was put into reverse by the Great Depression with the number of…
Some of the most important allies for the cartel are the Mexican mafia, the FARC, the Nortenos and the Gangster Disciples in Chicago. Some of their biggest rivals are the Los Zetas who are the other major cartel in Mexico, and who they feud with regularly for territory. There have been rumors of a potential Sinaloa and Los Zetas alliance in order to combat the recent government forces gains in the war on drugs in Mexico. According to the House Committee on Homeland Security, another rival of the Sinaloa cartel is the “Gulf Cartel” (McCaul, 2006). These “two blocks are involved in a massive and violent turf war” in the area of “Nuevo Laredo” in Mexico.…