The Gulf Cartel vs Mexico's Army

Have you ever known what it was like to live in a community of even country where it is dangerous to walk out onto your front lawn. Well in Mexico along the border of the United States, this is what it is like. Drug cartels are illicit groups of people that pretty much traffic narcotic drugs to any areas that are accessible. The Gulf Cartel, one of the world's biggest and deadliest cartels, is located in Mexico but not limited to Mexico. They distribute narcotic drugs all throughout the whole world.

Mexican Army Tank and Poster of Gulf Cartel on Bridge in Distance

Currently, the Gulf Cartel has been posting fliers about the people that should join their ranks, especially current soldiers and/or ex soldiers. The posters and fliers say things along the lines of "join our ranks, good salary, good food, etc". Current military officers say that this is a demoralizing tactic. They say that this is a way to confuse the authorities and desertion is becoming an issue within the army. The posters also tell federal agents that they should defect, or help something become perfect, in an attempt to use them as drug informants. The authorities say that these tactics are in sense making these skirmishes a real war.

Los Zetas Weaponry

The Zetas, the "gun squad" of the Gulf Cartel, are making a stand with posters as well. They offer the same message as the Gulf Cartel does: good pay, good salary, and ex-soldiers or soldiers wanted. However, through the years, the Zetas hav become more independent group from the Gulf Cartel, and recent war between them might suggest a permanent break.

Roberto Rivero Arana

Recently, the Mexican Army captured Roberto Rivero Arana, one of Zeta's leaders in five states: Tabasco, Veracruz, Campeche, Chiapas, and Quintano Rio. He was also arrested with Daniel Arturo Perez Rosas, a director of public security in Carmen City. He was accused of taking bribes from the Zetas on protecting Roberto Rivero. Though this capture may be a victory, it is only of small stature. The Zetas and the Gulf Cartels take up much of Mexico and branch off around the world according to their costumers.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon

The Mexican government, headed by President Felipe Calderon, has been trying to crush the Gulf Cartel since December of 2006. So far...they have been unsuccessful. The Gulf Cartel's leader Osiel Cardenas was extradited to the United States. The president has also sent the army into the cartel's hot spots as well. For example, he sent them to the center of hot spots, Tamaulipas, a state on the Gulf of Mexico.

Osiel Cardenas, the Gulf Cartel's Leader

From the information above, I am sure that you can abstract from this that taking down the Gulf Cartel is way out of Mexico's sight. This is an international issue due to its severity. The United States has become involved too. The Gulf Cartel has tried to and succeeded in infiltrating the United States mainly through cities like Miami and Houston. When the police and FBI began showing up in Miami, the GC began to move to Houston. As one official put it "if the drugs are being smoked here in the United States, the Gulf Cartel either touched it, sold it, or got a cut of it". The international community, including Europe, need to assist in this issue. The Gulf Cartel's are faintly backed by the elite group of Zetas and soon these gangs will need to expand even further than they have already. The international interaction needs to be of strong military planning and strategies that will effectively eliminate small cartels at first. Then, we need to go after its center. Mexico cannot complete this feat on its own. Only with the help of it's fellow countries will it ever have that dream of being safe for the next generations to come. For now, they can only dream and act with what is given to them.