Topic: DRUGS - on November 10, 2013 at 3:28:00 PM CET
Mexican Narco Armor Vehicles
Mexican Drug War report on improvised fighting vehicles, with images. Written by Robert j Bunker and Byron Ramirez -in cooperation with Borderland Beat, InSight Crime and Small Wars Journal-El Centro.
Over the past seven years Mexico has witnessed an unprecedented wave of violence. Increasing competition among drug cartels has left thousands dead and analysts wondering when the levels of violence will subside. According to several conservative estimates, the number of dead during the Felipe Calderon presidency (2006-2012) is around 70,000. Moreover, it is estimated that close to 30,000 disappeared during the same period. Ever since the Medellin and Cali drug cartels were dismantled in the 1990s, Mexico’s cartels became increasingly powerful. Over the past couple of decades Mexican cartels created effective drug distribution and transportation networks which enabled them to expand their reach and increase their pro´ts. These cartels, which now dominate the lucrative wholesale illicit drug market by controlling the great majority of the drugs that enter the United States, have branched out to many other illicit activities.
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