The Global drug trade has a value of more than 400 billion, and Mexican cartels take 30 to 40 billion. Big profits give cartels significant influence on both sides of the border. 23 million Americans use drugs on a monthly basis, and about half of all high school students have used illegal drugs.Mexican cartels are buying their products directly from cocaine producing locations. They are willing to go long distances to acquire raw material for the production of methamphetamine. Mexican cartel members have illicit drugs in Peru, Guatemala, Argentina, and Brazil. They have even been caught in Malaysia. Three Mexicans were arrested in Malaysia in 2008, after being found with 60 pounds of meth. Mexican cartels are looking for new markets to …show more content…
“In 2006, there were 34,000 drug war related deaths in mexico”(Whittemore in 1).The levels of violence is described as a terrorism or as a civil war, since there are many attacks targeting Mexican authorities, The Mexican Government has indicated that the cartels have These profound levels of violence are not best described as a civil war or as terrorism, since on the broad scale they aren't despite the fact that many attacks target Mexican authorities, that President Calderon has indicated that the cartels seek to ignore the government. Most of the killings are of drug cartel criminals by drug cartel criminals and the government. The violence represents a serious degree of lawlessness in Mexico. Increased violence represent a serious foreign policy concern for the United States. 259 U.S. citizens were murdered in Mexico within a 5 year span, also several targeted U.S. government employees. U.S. citizen deaths in Mexico are due to violence which has increased from 21% in 2003 through 2005 to 30% in 2008.” Of the 34,000 fatalities reported by the Mexican government from December 2006 to December 2010, 46% were in states bordering the U.S., and 26% were within 50 km of the U.S. border”(.Robert Johnston in