Public sentiment surrounds a deep skepticism towards governmental responses to drug cartels, perceived systemic corruption, and a sense of helplessness over escalating violence and societal impacts. There is frustration with the ineffectiveness of the War on Drugs and concerns about the ramifications of labeling cartels as terrorist organizations, while some comments reflect a mix of sadness, anger, and dark humor regarding the global implications of narco-terrorism, particularly concerning Afghanistan and Mexico.

Governments

Military Forces

Global Drug Consumers

You know you’ve won, when you can put your cartel’s logo on the doors.

Dan300up

[deleted]

The CJNG are all about hyper-violence, also the only Cartel that’s grown in the past 5 years or so - member, drug and territory wise.

YotRacer9

Not so fun fact: Since Mexico declared war on the cartels and lost during the goverment of Felipe Calderón in 2006, Mexican politicians have been influenced by the cartels, and any decision taken by the government basically works under the cartels influence. Basically works a bit like

President: “I will approve this necessary thing”

Cartel: “No you won’t or your mother and dad will disappear and so will you once you leave the presidency”

This applies for any politician, presidents, mayors or normal politicians that want to propose something, and also to any local business, that will usually need to pay the cartels to be “protected” (usually protected means the cartel won’t burn your shop down) basically mexico is a narco-state.

Any police officer that works to fight the cartels needs to cover his face because if not they will know who he is and kill all of his family, mexico currently has a lot of cartels but the main one and showed in this video is the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación aka CJGN.

Everyone has a different type of rifle. The complete lack of standardization makes it look like COD lobby or something.

Zorg_Employee

To do in Mexico what El Salvador did to the maras are two different entities……one is a low level street gang, with massive numbers. Easily subdued with the strong arm of the law……..the other is a multinational criminal enterprise, embedded in politics, culture, and the industrial life of its country.     Something seemingly so intrinsic is a lot harder to wage war on.

rowan2588

They say "Pura gente del Senor Mencho" which means "absolutely or 100% people of Mr. Mencho." El Mencho is the leader of the Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) cartel.

Mr Mencho is not one to be trifled with, as some have experienced firsthand. This boy, the so-called "El pirata de Culiacan" was a boy who hung out with these Kartel members, they gave him alcohol and drugs and he uploaded the videos to social media...until one day he made a serious mistake.. .drunk he said in front of the camera, "el mencho me pela la verga" which means he can give him a handjob.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7TW\_wSIziQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7TW_wSIziQ)

...Mencho's answer didn't take long to arrive and the boy was shot dead in his local bar a few days later.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTe0Qdia34w](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTe0Qdia34w)

beeeeeeeeeeeeef

Individual_Civil

junbus

raptors2o19

do soldiers like this consider this as just like, a day job, or have they been blackmailed into this position or what?

The other team when me and the lads go paintballing:

RugbyEdd

themoonmaid3n1

All of them lined up and tightly packed like that, one can not stop from wondering what the effects of a pass from an a10 warthog would be.

tegriddysmesh

Superblond

Ladies and gentlemen, That’s what you get with the entire Mexican government in your pocket. You get to run the country with cool toys (and use the satellites) 

corruption @ 1000% unlocked ✅

VFX_Reckoning

Well ni shit they are not special forces. They look like mil sim players.

I belive they are cjng cartel members. (Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación)

Did one of them have a gold AK-47 about 2 mins in ? Haha

Celly2704

Mexico is nearly beyond repair. The cartels can only be uprooted a la El Salvador if the public accepts the only path forward is a quasi civil war. That's pretty hard to do when it could mean the certain death of your sons, daughters, parents etc. Not to mention the corruption runs so deep into Mexican infrastructure that a large number of people would have to accept the end of bribes.

Good luck with all of that. I think most people would choose the status quo if it means their immediate circle is unharmed physically and financially.

doubleOhdorko

Just rent an A10, cant be that hard to line up a nice run with all those police lights.

Exotic_Inspector_111

CJNG is one of the roughest cartels in mexico. Definitely not special forces

Allxworld

"But there is nothing wrong with taking a pill or a small line of coke every once in a while"

TheManiac-

Getting large amounts of 'My Dad is into Larping' vibes with this.

Goodly88

oh shit I forgot about that book thank you OP!

Kinkshaming69

Author Oswaldo Zavala was on TrueAnon e290 "The Beast" and has appeared on a number of other podcasts.

The book isn't very long. About 150 pages plus notes and stuff. Could get through it in about the time it takes to listen to 3 pod eps. While driving, of course.

Well, the war on drugs was precipitated by a dramatic cultural shift in societal awareness, so i’m already buying in

Jazzspasm

&gt; Zavala writes an exposure of the ideological function of the “drug war” narrative in maintaining capitalist state power and justifying repression

I'm so stupid I thought it was the whole beheading journalists and public torture that was justifying repression but it was actually the ideological function of the "drug war" (quotes included)

_throawayplop_

&gt;arguing instead that narco-trafficking is deeply integrated into state structures and capitalism generally

I’ve been trying to articulate my thoughts on this issue. 

That Cartels, are specifically the purest form of Capitalism. 

That Capitalist systems will always lead to these types of organisations arising. 

They operate without moral or lawful constraint in a free market. 

And I honestly think this is why America hates them. 

The Cartels are better Capitalists than the Americans are.

TomAwaits85

I downloaded this expecting it to be an article or paper. Bold move posting an entire *book*. I mean I'm interested in the topic for sure, but...

Str0nkG0nk

Thank you, capitalism-enjoyer. I was thinking about the same thing yesterday but didn't have a reference.

I'm sympathetic to this critique. Decades ago I read Killing Pablo (Mark Boden). I thought, well that was complicated, long, expensive, destructive, a big horrible mess, and what in the end has been accomplished? War is a racket, including the war on drugs. Talking about NSA project budgets Bill Binney said "The whole vision statement for them is keep the problem going so the money keeps flowing." and that probably applies to flying drones over Mexico too. The mythology of Drug Cartels as production and logistcs operations with big private armies is surely helpful. It's the media playing their part in the budgeting process of the Pentagon and other bureaucracies sorta like PR intermediaries.

Fantastic book.  Also worth reading Dope, Inc.  Despite it being commissioned by lyndon Larouche, its still a fantastic work.

BulltacTV

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No. Terrorist isn't just a synonym for "bad person." Definitions of terrorism can be rather vague, but I'm not aware of any that would include the cartels. For one thing, the cartels are not motivated by ideology, which is usually a distinguishing factor of terrorists.

RedmondBarry1999

They’re more accurately organized crime. Terrorism implies an ideology rooted in politics or religion. Cartels are motivated by making money.

oh_three_dum_dum

So to help properly address this discussion, we are going to have to recognize how the USA and others properly label people or a group as terrorist. So there are key factors for those who work in anti-terrorism to determine if your a terrorist. There is a lot to it but I’m going to just hit on the basics, and if the cartel fits into those. 

I’m going to heavily generalize the categories of two types of terrorist, I will mention the two primaries types and see which the cartel could fall under.

First type of terrorist is called “(CF)=cause fighters”. CF terrorist is normally someone who has decided to fight with means of violence for what ever perceived cause they believe in. They tend to have experienced or seen a injustice, or what they consider one. They mostly have a unquestionable cult like belief what they are doing is right, and are more than willing to die for it. Freedom is a common one I see used, freedom is a catchy slogan and a very easy narrative to spin to any cause. 

Second type”(PPB)=permanent psychotic break”. PPB terrorist are people that have mentality snapped for what ever reason to the point of what is considered irredeemable FUBAR. They go shoot up things like schools, churches, and try and blow up gas stations. They do this because they are for a lack of better words crazy, and dangerous. They are actually the most dangerous and harder to predict out of the two categories mentioned. 

One of the biggest factors that also has to be accounted for, is if a person is actively fighting against our interests with violence. Does not matter what their reason is, if it conflicts with what we need and want it’s most likely a terrorist. If it aligns with our interest, then they are a freedom fighter.

A common phrase used in the industry is “one man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist”. 
 
As I see it, the cartel does not really fall into either terrorist categories. They also do not step against USA interests overall, if anything they would help mitigate actual terrorist from crossing the border. The cartel themselves, have much more to lose than gain not actively helping sort out dealings with actual terrorist threats to the USA. Basically we don’t screw with the cartels interests, they don’t screw with ours. We actually seem to have a reasonable working relationship with the Cartels, and the Mexican government.

Fun Fact: by the definition of terrorism U.S. Code § 2385. USA forefathers we’re traitors who used violence against England. That makes them C.F type terrorists.

BlackMoonValmar



If Mexican drug cartels are declared foreign terrorist organizations (FTO), there would be an increase in American citizens that could be prosecuted for  "providing material support or resources to designated foreign terrorist organizations". INAL but even just buying any drugs that the federal government prove was sourced from the cartel would make you guilty of supporting terrorist organizations as even a non-felony amount of drugs would be a financial contribution made to a terrorist organization. That's a lot more Americans who could be looking at serious federal prison time

I don't know what exactly declaring drug cartels as FTO is supposed to accomplish considering the current measures against drug trafficking other than possibly making it easier for the military to act against the Cartel. IMO a US military intervention against a cartel would be a very bad idea, as it would essentially boil down to the US military needing to police Mexican cities

ThreeCranes

They’re not terrorists. They’re organized crime. Designating them terrorists devalues the term terrorist which refers to use of violence and fear to impose a political ideology. 

And I just have to say that Lindsey Graham is a total gibbering assclown. I’m sorry - I tried not to but I can’t help myself.

During_theMeanwhilst

Is the US planning to start another war?

Raise your travel advisories.

Re-examine the US foreign policies and drug policies that are a big part of why things are the way they are.

Alan_Smithee_

I don't think its the right move because doing so would shake-up the status quo. A shake-up which would bring more pain than benefit to the US interests at large. 

1) It'd piss off Mexico as that would make them vulnerable to a lot of things that would curtail their sovereignty. 

2) Mexican drug cartels don't want instability in their largest market. They really only antagonize those in the drug trade or its accidental collateral damage. This thought process is also what makes many drug cartels not collaborate with actual terrorist organizations. Now making them prime target of the US changes the equation. Now Cartels have an incentive to destabilize the US and actually become a terrorist organization. 

3) This plan has no end game that the US actually wants to commit. Much of the drug cartel is born out of economic desperation. Unless the US is going to subsidize those regions of Mexico or depopulate the areas (e.g. kill as many Cartel members as possible), its going to be a waste of resources.

bactatank13

To what end?

"Designate X group as terrorist groups" I feel like is more a reflexive statement that's made at this point for popular appeal than an actual plan to do something.

In terms of ending the drug war or helping combat the cartels, it's a dubious proposition at best.

The cartels are adept at siphoning off state power and if you wanted to amp up the GWOT with a focus on South and Central American drug cartels (hint: counter-terrorism operations have been ongoing against the cartels for several decades now) it's really unclear what that would actually mean apart from funneling resources into the various state governments to help them prioritize resisting cartel control.

The problem is a lot of those resources would likely end up in the hands of the cartels themselves. 

Just straight out military operations with US personnel to wipe out cartel infrastructure sounds appealing but you're talking about potentially destabilizing a dozen plus countries using foreign soldiers. That's unlikely to be received well by the people living in these places. 

In a number of places cartels provide more security and stability than the government does, fostering a greater unwillingness to cooperate with the state's attempts to shut the cartels down. 

It's a complicated problem, to be sure, but one that's unlikely to be solved by designating cartels as terrorist organizations.

HeloRising

Foreigners in the U.S. are victims of crime all the time. There were several Chinese citizens killed in a mass shooting in California in January, should China intervene in America with its military?

These politicians act like Mexico is a subject of the United States. It's ridiculous. It's also fueling a [reaction](https://youtu.be/3dw1pcDoewY) in Mexico. Lindsey Graham needs to mind his own business.

DukeSnookums

Should Mexico and Canada designate the U.S as a terrorist group for supplying and letting guns flow freely to criminals?

BlueBlus

So would we then prosecute drug users as being supporters of terrorism.

The way to attack the cartels is to decriminalize drugs and help people get sober.

AdUpstairs7106

What is Lindsey’s end game? 

A) To increase the amount of violence between cartels and Americans in US &amp; Mexico by intensifying an already-failed drug war

B)Stoke more fear between Hispanics and non-Hispanics in the US and Mexico and increase hate crime

C)Screw up Mexico-US relations for decades to come

D) try to convince his base of a new boogeyman that only he can fight to gain more fundraising dollars

E) distract his constituents from his inability to make policies that help them obtain better quality of life

F) All of the above

SparklyHorsey

If they won't label the KKK a terrorist group they aren't going to do it to the DEAs main source of income

Tomburgerstand

Hard no. They are criminals, often violent criminals, but what you don’t like doesn’t quell terrorists, or terrorism doesn’t mean anything anymore. Like fascism, terrorism is often the label people put on “the bad guys” they don’t like, and it is a mistake.

Terrorism is using violence and intimidation to achieve political purposes. The political purposes is what matters. 

Do I think antifa are terrorists? Some of what they do would seem to lean that way, but no, in the world we live in I would not compare them to actual terrorists.

TheMikeyMac13

They are, they terrorize innocent Mexicans every day. My family is from Tijuana… always hearing bad shit. People always disappearing and non Mexican migrants found murdered all the time

Few-Present-7985

I would say no they’re not terrorist, until they started trafficking fentanyl. Now I’ve personally lost multiple people that I love.

#1 cause of death in America.

And before you say “they chose this” 
Most of these people have been addicts for YEARS, and didn’t know that they were getting fentanyl because the cartel presses it to LOOK like the drugs that they use. 

They’re selling poison. 
Do the pills have to explode in your mouth for you to get the point? 

I say they either need to learn REAL quick to stop with the fentanyl, or we fuckin take it overboard because I am PERSONALLY ready to lay my life down to end these mother fuckers.

i think they should. i’m highly doubtful whether the mexican government is fighting the cartels or if they think anyone who opposes the cartels is a western imperialist. the cartels have more power than the mexican government, like the taliban

Fishtank-Brain

No, this would be so provocative and incendiary in our relations with Mexico. They need to sit down with the Mexicans in private and come to a solution, not just spout rhetoric to the press and fuel anti US sentiment in a huge country on our border.

dropdeadfred1987

No.   Cartels are about running a business, not a political and/or religious ideology.

GB819

Best to stay out of another country's cartel problems.

Colombians who pound for pound have one of the best ground forces in the world and can't get rid of FARC. 

War on drugs isn't fairing very well. 
We need another strategy.

RoosterClaw22

Absolutely not. Personally I'd rather do away with the whole terrorist listing anyways. They're criminals. The terrorists landed just justifies using absurd force in combating the group instead of solving real problems.

soulwind42

Those Republicans that were mouthing off seemed to drop the issue pretty quickly. I’m guessing the NRA snapped the leash at them for talking shit about some of their best customers.

continuousBaBa

I’m a pretty liberal individual, but I’m also a realist. Yes, these groups should be labeled as terrorist organizations. There certainly terrorists to their own people and it’s a tell of the corruption or a people/ government that ignores the issue. For the sake of the average Mexican I would have thought this would have been a non-problem long ago.

Burden-of-Society

Should the biggest terrorist group in the world designate drug dealers as terrorists? Hmm good question

Old_Photo_7539

If we declare war and then execute said war it would be a positive thing for both the US and Mexico.

Fantastic_Sea_853

Well if they considered all Muslims terrorists at one point I don’t see how this isnt a step in the right direction

dwehabyahoo

In my opinion yes. Currently the homicide rates in Mexico are higher than both Afghanistan and Iraq COMBINED. This to me makes south of the border equivalent to a warzone, and we have a responsibility to keep our southern region safe from dangerous actors.

illegalmorality

Ah yes, because if they are double illegal that would change something.

The US already abuses the definition of terrorism to apply to regimes like Cuba, civilian protesters, and movements in the third world with even the vaguest anti-US sentiment.

We should stop defining terror so broadly, not expand it.

Kronzypantz

I mean… not legalising drugs is the biggest weapon we give them. If we really wanted to stop cartels etc. we need to nationalise the business and tax it. Otherwise they will make money and thats the problem. As long as we fight the symptoms and not the root cause nothing will change.

Spiritual_Case_2010

Just another idiotic comment from the likes of Lindsey, it would be better if he learned to keep his mouth shut. He wants to create another division with the Mexican government now. As if we do not have enough problems with Russia and China already. 

Besides, Biden has been working to control the borders in cooperation with the Mexican president. Just like they did not pay for the wall. We should also keep in mind that it is the 13th largest oil producer in the world. 

In 2021, Mexico is the No. 1 trading partner in terms of trading value, followed by Canada and China. In 2021, 15.8% of total U.S. exports to the World were exported to Mexico and 13.6% of the total U.S. Imports were imported from Mexico. Do we want to screw that up too.

PsychLegalMind

Since terrorism is the use of Violence for Political Ends. And Cartels have used Violence as a way to manipulate the population of Mexico and their Gov't. It could be argued (easily IMO) that Cartels can be labeled as Terrorists Groups.

runz_with_waves

Based on how many US lives were lost from the sale of drugs from Mexico I’d say they can go ahead.

No it's not a terrorist organization. It's a commercial insurgency. But the US needs to implement policies that allow it to provide aid to nations that are under threat of criminal insurgencies in the same way it has for terrorist organizations so we can better facilitate cooperation with Mexico and then further down to Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. Huge amounts of US dollars being funneled into these cartels and huge amounts of US dollars should be used to combat them. For everyone benefit. The establishment of Mexico as a strong alternative to Chinese manufacturing would be massively beneficial to the US economically and politically and crushing the cartels is the first step in that.

Words_Are_Hrad

No then it would give military industrial complex and domestic police full access to act however they want to a neighbor and immigrants “suspected” of being in a Mexican cartel. 

There’s a reason they are trying to repeal the terrorism act. 
Look at Turkey and any other country in the Middle East. They designate you as a terrorist group it gives them full ability to bomb their neighbors and neighboring towns on the border whenever they want. 

Diplomacy is the way to go. The war on terror and the war on drugs just created a bigger problem then anything. Help those countries in the global south and they will clean up their own act.

honorbound93

The US should start by federally legalizing marijuana, policing the financial activities, taxing cross border wire transfers, investing in rehabilitation medical needs of addicts, and dismantling precursor chemicals being imported to Mexico from China.  

The idea being: rehabilitate citizens and attack the money and supply chains of the cartel.

Livid_Thanks4196

I'm not sure if the US has a different definition but I'm pretty sure the regular definition requires some kind of political goal.  Drug dealers are just trying to sell drugs.

CaptainAwesome06

Isn't most of mexico a red or yellow zone for saftey when it comes to Americans traveling. The only green zones are cancun and other big resort areas.. just stay the fu k out of the rest of Mexico if your not from there.

deadone65

They’d have to designate the Mexican government a terrorist group as well then. Because they’re in DEEP with cartel corruption. And that’s something I doubt they’ll do.

Purblind89

They need to designate the terrorists here before they worry about someone else’s terrorists.

Danaboo_22

No. The U.S. already fucked up by essentially creating drug cartels in the first place. We shouldn’t exacerbate our currently existing issues with them by essentially declaring war…

nn_lyser

I think Lindsey if trying to MAKE it political, meaning they possibly could be defined as terrorists.

Lindsey neglected to say anything about the 3 AMERICAN women (they are of Mexican heritage) that disappeared weeks BEFORE the cosmetic surgery group.  These women crossed the border to sell clothing at a flea market and have just disappeared.  Hmm..ya think cuz their Mexican? They don't really "count" as Americans. 

Rant over. 

As I said,Lindsey is trying to put a political spin on this because his boy  is not in the WH now and he wants to use it as a dog whistle to the peeps that think Biden is soft on immigration,e tc. etc.  If the GOP has anything to do with it...the Cartel WILL  become a political  enemy and therefore receive the designation of terrorists. This would be bad and It would not affect Cartel Power at all. AT ALL, but he would be able to then use their status as terrorists to shut down ANY immigration which is really all they want.

shep2105

Nah. As George Carlin once said, "You want to stop drug traffic start crucifying the Republican bankers who launder the cartel money."

I imagine if they designate them terrorists, mexico and colombia become nations harboring terrorist groups  If  they go so far as to designate them State Sponsor of Terrorism sanctions and export prohibitions go into effect

from article

Countries determined by the Secretary of State to have repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism are designated pursuant to three laws: section1754(c) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, section 40 of the Arms Export Control Act, and section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961). Taken together, the four main categories of sanctions resulting from designation under these authorities include restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance; a ban on defense exports and sales; certain controls over exports of dual use items; and miscellaneous financial and other restrictions.  
  
Designation under the above-referenced authorities also implicates other sanctions laws that penalize persons and countries engaging in certain trade with state sponsors. Currently there are four countries designated under these authorities: Cuba, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), Iran, and Syria.

 https://www.state.gov/state-sponsors-of-terrorism/

SerendipitySue

[https://www.state.gov/foreign-terrorist-organizations/](https://www.state.gov/foreign-terrorist-organizations/)

Legal Ramifications of Designation  
It is unlawful for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to a designated FTO. (The term “material support or resources” is defined in 18 U.S.C. § 2339A(b)(1) as ” any property, tangible or intangible, or service, including currency or monetary instruments or financial securities, financial services, lodging, training, expert advice or assistance, safehouses, false documentation or identification, communications equipment, facilities, weapons, lethal substances, explosives, personnel (1 or more individuals who maybe or include oneself), and transportation, except medicine or religious materials.” 18 U.S.C. § 2339A(b)(2) provides that for these purposes “the term ‘training’ means instruction or teaching designed to impart a specific skill, as opposed to general knowledge.” 18 U.S.C. § 2339A(b)(3) further provides that for these purposes the term ‘expert advice or assistance’ means advice or assistance derived from scientific, technical or other specialized knowledge.’’  
Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances, removable from the United States (see 8 U.S.C. §§ 1182 (a)(3)(B)(i)(IV)-(V), 1227 (a)(1)(A)).  
**Any U.S. financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which a designated FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.**

Well that would imply that drug cartels in America are Domestic Terrorists and the U.S. Government doesn't want to believe we have Domestic Terrorists.

Bargdaffy158

Shouldn't we label Right Wing Christo Fascists like DeSantis as Domestic Terrorists? The are.

No. The geopolitical blowback would be very bad. And it’ll give us a reason to send American troops to another country.. which is not the goal. We want less troops in less countries.

Yeah, but only if thry are willing to actually treat them as terrorists.

Which they wont.

MajorBuckBreaker

The U.S. hasn't even designated the Proud Boys and other MAGAt groups as terrorist groups, and they literally attacked our Capitol.

What is past is prolog.  The fate of Pancho Villa might be a lesson for the cartels. Designation as terrorist organizations is a step to sending in the special forces.

kenmele

It would certainly be in line with the actual working definition of terrorism, which is a group of psychopaths the United States armed and trained but has now outlived its usefulness.

It will be just as effective as the Iraq war. In other words, not effective at all.

Southern_Original833

Tell me how that whole Taliban situation played out.

zman245

We first asked the Afghan government to hand over Bin Laden and close down the terrorist training camps.  We offered to share intelligence to help them.   We offered them money, arms, and military support to help. 

The Afghani government - predominantly the Taliban - refused. 

That led to the invasion. 



We don't have this kind of problem with our neighbors in Mexico.  They want to battle the cartels.   They have accepted money and intel.     
But, many in Congress don't like to give any form of aid to "middle income nations".  It looks bad when they are pressed on budget issues.    
Some political shenanigans also have happened where money to Mexico was tied to their restricting migrant traffic to our borders.   They complied - but that meant spending money on migration issues, not anti-cartel operations.

rewardiflost

Mexico is one of the US's biggest trade partners. There is a vested interest in staying on good terms with them.

Also, the cartels pose a lot more threat to Mexican people than Americans. It's not like they're crossing the border to go on killing sprees.

beckdawg19

Because it would be an incredibly expensive fight and an incredibly deadly fight that the USA just doesn’t think is worth the time and effort and lives.

Plus, compared to the Taliban (and Al-Qaeda, don’t forget THEY were the first reason we went into Afghanistan, the Taliban just decided to protect them.) the cartels have more or less played nice with the USA on a Geopolitical level. The cartels don’t want to destroy the USA. The cartels want to make money. The cartels know if they really piss of the USA, they won’t get to make money. So the Cartels mainly stay away from killing Americans to avoid drawing the ire of the US Government.

Hell, the even apologize and co-operate sometimes when shit happens (https://cnn.com/cnn/2023/03/09/us/mexico-matamoros-americans-kidnapped-thursday/index.html ) like when 4 Americans were kidnapped and 2 were killed in Mexico by the cartel, the cartel publicly apologized and turned over 5 men (they say) were directly responsible. Apparently calling it a case of mistaken identity.

tmahfan117

Because the US already has cooperation from the Mexican government to combat the cartels.

Ash_an_bun

US law enforcement has enough firepower that it doesnot need assistance from US military.


If you are talking about invading Mexico, Mexican government is not cartels. Issues of soverignity aside, an invasion of Mexico will be horrifically expensive and will create a humanitarian crisis on Mexico that will spill into USA. Things in USA will get much worse.

Pesec1

Too much money to be made from drugs to stop them. If we stopped them tons of people would be out of jobs.

mando3rando

While we had conducted some operations in Afghanistan before, we didn’t invade because of the Taliban. We invaded because of 9/11. Since the cartels haven’t pulled of something on that scale, they’re not the same level of priority.

Ridley_Himself

For the record, as far as I know, the US never designated the Taliban as a terrorist organization. In which case your argument kind of falls apart.

CornerSolution

For one, I think it’s highly likely some politicians are in bed with them. So much money involved.

DoobOnTheDip

Because Mexico is sovereign nation and an ally, and the cartels would wreck the US in ways you can't imagine. Advantage in territory and no hesitation to harm civilians.

aaronite

Because the Mexican cartels have better training and weapons than the US military.

TButabi6868

Investigations reveal an Indo-Canadian drug trafficking operation linked to narco-terror networks, highlighting Vancouver's role in smuggling synthetic opioids.

Drug Cartel and International Narco-Terrorism

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