Mexican Drug Cartels Biggest U.S. Crime Threat

Providing yet another solid argument to secure the southern border, a new government report details how Mexican drug trafficking organizations have for years represented the greatest crime threat to the United States.

The sophisticated and violent Mexican cartels have established varied transportation routes, advanced communication capabilities and strong gang affiliations to control the U.S. drug market, generating tens of billions of dollars in illicit proceeds annually.

The in-depth probe, conducted by the Justice Department’s National Drug Intelligence Center, concludes unequivocally that the influence of Mexican drug trafficking organizations is unrivaled in the U.S. and that the vast majority of cocaine is smuggled into the country through the southern border.

A lengthy report (National Drug Threat Assessment) breaks down the alarming figures, gathered by federal and local law enforcement agencies across the country, on the drug crisis in the U.S. Detailed statistics are accompanied by charts and maps that help illustrate the serious drug threat, created by foreign smuggling operations, in this country.

Besides cocaine, thousands of metric tons of marijuana are annually smuggled into the U.S. through the southern border by established Mexican criminal groups that run large-scale plots. Trafficking organizations from other countries, such as Colombia, Bolivia and Peru, also smuggle lots of drugs into the U.S. but Mexico is the undisputed champ.