Drug Trafficking in Mexico

Drug Trafficking in Mexico

Drug trafficking is an illegal activity that has a huge bond among other crimes: human trafficking, weapon trafficking, money laundering, and corruption, among others. This means that a country with a high drug activity will have a great weakness in the security of its people and its institutions. The problems arising from drug trafficking are very serious, for example, the social damage that occurs to the citizens and that ends in death, destruction of families and the economy of the country. Although producing drugs means big business, the truth is that this money is not taxed, encourages corruption of institutions such as the police, army, and pharmaceutical laboratories. I believe that the importance of diminishing the demand of drugs in our country would surely make a difference in reducing illegal activities and drug trafficking in Mexico. (Griffiths, Pg.98). If this would to happen, Mexico would be a safer, yet less violent country that it is today.

How did drug trafficking begin? "The export of illegal substances to the United States became a big business during the Prohibition years (1917-1933), but the seeds for the long term growth an astounding profitability of the Mexico, -US illegal drug trade were spread much earlier." (Griffiths, pg 98). Opiates became a growing business in the United States since the American Civil War. Farmers in Mexico would grow the opium poppies that satisfied part of this demand. Later on they introduced the smoking of cannabis leaves to Americans and lastly, a mass market of amphetamines. Mexico also became one of the ports of entry for cocaine, which resulted being a country in which drug trafficking became very profitable but very dangerous and risky.