Mexican Drug Traffickers Now ‘Greatest Organized Crime Threat’ to U.S.

CNSNews.com ^ | January 22, 2009 | Ryan Byrnes

[Man50D]

Mexican drug trafficking organizations are now the greatest organized crime threat to the United States, according to a recent report released by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The National Drug Threat Assessment for 2009, released last month by the Justice Department’s National Drug Intelligence Center, says Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) operate in more than 230 cities across the United States.

These drug syndicates not only smuggle drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border, they also produce drugs here in the United States. Their smuggled products include cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines and marijuana, and their domestically produced products include methamphetamines and marijuana.

The power of the Mexican DTOS in the U.S. is growing as they expand into new markets, the threat assessment said.

“Mexican DTOs represent the greatest organized crime threat to the United States,” said the threat assessment. “The influence of Mexican DTOs over domestic drug trafficking is unrivaled. In fact, intelligence estimates indicate a vast majority of the cocaine available in U.S. drug markets is smuggled by Mexican DTOs across the U.S.–Mexico border.

“Mexican DTOs control drug distribution in most U.S. cities, and they are gaining strength in markets that they do not yet control,” the threat assessment said.

“Mexican DTOs control a greater portion of drug production, transportation and distribution than any other criminal group or DTO,” the assessment said. “Their extensive drug trafficking activities in the United States generate billions of dollars in illicit proceeds annually.”

The Mexican groups often work with urban gangs and outlaw motorcycle groups (OMGs) inside the United States. “Mexican drug traffickers affiliated with the Sinaloa, Gulf, Juárez, and Tijuana Cartels maintain working relationships with at least 20 street gangs, prison gangs, and OMGs that operate in urban and suburban communities throughout the country,” said the threat assessment.

The activities of the Mexican drug syndicates, other drug-crime organizations and their customers result in a wide array of crimes.

“The violence, intimidation, theft and financial crimes carried out by DTOs, criminal groups, gangs and drug users in the United States pose a significant threat to our nation,” the threat assessment concluded.

More than 1.8 million drug-related arrests took place in the U.S. in 2007 and about 52 percent of federal prisoners were sentenced for drug-related offenses.

[johnthebaptistmoore]

Where’s the fence?

[exhaustguy]

Even better. Legalize it.

[bcsco]

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[x_plus_one]

Legalizing drugs creates mayhem and havoc. There are no societies on earth that have ever legalized drugs without social chaos and mayhem. The history of heroin, hemp and cocaine is one of social disaster where the death penalty for drug use was the inevitable outcome. To this day, the death penalty is still the preferred method for dealing quickly and effectively with drug crimes in third world countries (the middle-east). Crime rates of every variety soar when drugs are legalized.

Only fools ignorant of history advocate legalization of drugs.

[DuncanWaring]

How did this country survive its first several centuries without outlawing drugs?

[HonestConservative]

But Harry Reids new bill to pull down whatever fence there is, will fix this.

/s

[Ron Jeremy]

Legalizing drugs creates mayhem and havoc. There are no societies on earth that have ever legalized drugs without social chaos and mayhem.

??? They are basically legal in Switzerland, and social chaos and mayhem. Also, how did we manage to survive before they were made illegal in the first place?

The history of heroin, hemp and cocaine is one of social disaster where the death penalty for drug use was the inevitable outcome.

What do you mean? 200 years ago we were executing people for smoking weed?

To this day, the death penalty is still the preferred method for dealing quickly and effectively with drug crimes in third world countries (the middle-east).

Just how effective are they at preventing drug use and its mayhem?

Crime rates of every variety soar when drugs are legalized.

Do you have any data to support that claim?

[JimRed]

200 years ago we were executing people for smoking weed?

Of course not, but 200 years ago if you addled your brain to the point of becoming non-functional you stood a good chance of an early death. Outside of family there was little or no "social safety net" for druggies, alcoholics, etc.

[Ron Jeremy]

What if you just smoked an occasional join, like tens of millions of productive Americans do?

[LottieDah]

And when Clinton was President, the greatest threat was pirating movies. Meanhwhile Al Quaeda flourished and succeeded in killing a few thousand Americans on this home soil.

[Nate505]

As long as these guys have a profit motive to get their product over here you are never going to stop them. Even if you stop one thousands more will be there to take their place.

[Nate505]

We already have a legal drug abused by millions. Yet society has somehow managed to survive.

Not to mention this country was founded on hemp, among other things.

And in the Middle East, countries like Iran do execute drug dealers. Iran also has the worst heroin problem in its region, and maybe the world. Then again, one thing I value about the US is that we aren’t a third world crap hole with draconian punishments.