Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Propaganda in Mexico's Drug War

2013; Henley-Putnam University; Volume: 6; Issue: 3Suppl Linguagem: Inglês

10.5038/1944-0472.6.3s.15

1944-0472

America Guevara,

Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance

the National Defense Secretary (SEDENA). 3 During this federal and state joint operation a total of 4,260 soldiers arrived to the state of Michoacán with four goals in mind: to eradicate illicit crop fields (mostly of marijuana), establish vehicular traffic control in highways and secondary road systems, increase the number of raids and arrest warrants, and to identify and dismantle drug sale locations in the state. 4 This operation is distinguished for historically using the most state resources, as well as military and police personnel.This operative was the first phase launched in Mexico's war against drugs; soon after its implementation other states followed with their own joint operatives.Calderon's aggressive measures have severely wounded the seven drug trafficking cartels of the early 2000s and increased the number of drug cartels to approximately twenty.Even as late as December of 2010, the Mexican Secretary for Public Safety (SSP) announced Mexico was threatened by organized crime, primarily drug cartels, scattered around its territory: Cartel de Sinaloa, Cartel del Golfo, Los Zetas, Arellano Félix-Tijuana, Los Carrillo Fuentes-Ciudad Juarez, La Familia and Norte del Valle de Colombia. 5Cartel realignment occurred as they sought to maintain plaza (territory) dominance, weak cartels merged with stronger cartels, new alliances were formed or arguments in leadership succession occurred after leader's deaths and incarcerations.6 Cartels not only fought for control of trafficking routes but also were forced to redirect their effort to domestic retail sales as the government cracked down on them, which resulted in the intensifying of the violence.These new criminal entities not only seek to continue their lucrative drug business but have broadened their scope of criminality by engaging in extortion, kidnapping, and human trafficking.As of August 2012 the following cartels were operating in Mexico: Cartel de Sinaloa, Cartel del Golfo, Arellano Félix-Tijuana, Los Carrillo Fuentes-Ciudad Juarez, Cartel del Pacifico Sur, Los Zetas, La Familia Michoacana, Los Caballeros Templarios, Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, Cartel del Milenio, Cartel de Oaxaca, Cartel de Colima, Cartel de Guadalajara.Due to disputes, cartel enforcement cells surfaced to aid the eradication of adversary cartels and secure plaza dominance in key territorial stronghold.Los Negros, Los Artistas Asesinos, Los Mexicles, and Nueva Gente operate for Cartel de Sinaloa, La Linea and Los Aztecas are the enforcement cells for Los Carrillo Fuentes-Ciudad Juarez, and Los Rojos and Los Maestros serve Cartel del Golfo. 7Enforcement cells are not fixed and like Mexican drug cartels change sides overtime based on rational self-interest As a result of governmental pressure, cartels evolved from criminal organizations to organizations with capabilities to conduct intelligence, enforcement and propaganda operations.This new level of sophistication has unprecedented and unidentified 8