Over eighty-five thousand people were slaughtered in Mexico during 2013 according to professional author, Eline Gordts. All this violence, a result of a menacing drug trade in all of Latin America. Countries like Honduras are starting to be acknowledged for their alarming homicide rates, rising the ranks as the most deadliest countries in the world. This never ending drug war has confirmed the overlooked capability it possesses to negatively affect the growth of a community in its entirety including the gang members, fuel the corruption of a nation, and also promote the global spread of violent activity.

With the introduction of illegal drugs, society is severely impacted. The most essential component of a well developed country is the people. Primarily, these Latin American citizens are denied their right to live, due to the cartels’ insatiable greed for power and wealth. Drug possessors are becoming oblivious to their own health, along with the pandemonium they induce. James C. Howell, a Senior Research Associate with the National Youth Gang Center, stated, “ [most youths in gangs are] involved in delinquency, drug use, and violence… they are at a greater risk of arrest...confinement in juvenile detention, and, later, imprisonment…” (Howell). One of the world's biggest drug lords and the second wealthiest man in Mexico, Joaquin Guzman Loera, was involved the drug business at the age of seven. This was a negatively life changing experience that slowly did damage to him, physically, by actively inserting harmful substances into his body.. To continue, Howell further comments, “...the presence of street gangs at school also can be very disruptive to the school environment because they create fear among students...” Children who are fortunate enough to have an education in these countries, fear street gangs as they are a threat to their safety and education. To proceed, Howell repeats, “The total volume of crime is estimated to cost Mexico $655 billion each year… gangs being responsible for a substantial proportion of this” (Howell). For decades, this complication has escalated, and it will continue to in future decades if there is no response.. Soon enough, the debt these nations will face, will also be irreplaceable. However, very few would argue that this drug trade benefits major the economy. In the article,“How do the Mexican Drug Cartels Benefit Mexico’s Economy,” the author points out, “...the gangs have helped businesses selling luxury goods thrive because they use their money to buy such goods…” (Sue). Despite the argument, all the funds that these crime syndicates provide the economy are earned illegally. Thus, all the money produced by the cartels is only adding to an already immensely corrupt economy, and the situation involving the complete corruption of countries like Mexico, develops into a further complex issue to resolve. Upon further analysis, this encourages corruption globally and the decline of trade derived from the drug trade and its cartels.
Above all else, this issue is rapidly regressing Latin American nations into a recession beyond anyone’s control. Based on the article, “Why Cartels Are Killing Mexico’s Mayors” from the New York Times, “...corruption in Mexico is as old as the country itself, and traffickers have been bribing politicians during the century to smuggle drugs to Americans...” (Grillo). Mexico stereotypically has been associated with having a dishonest government for the country's entire existence. Organizations like the Sinaloa Cartel led by Joaquin Guzman Loera have forced politicians into bribes, backstabbing them for their own benefit. According to the “National Plan Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking” produced by the United Nations’ General Assembly, “In several drug production regions, criminal groups undermine state authority by fuelling corruption and harming the legitimate economy… criminal influences are having a significant impact on the livelihoods of citizens” (UN). Universally, it is known that these criminal organizations respond in a non-civil manner to government’s plea for peace. The illegal funds produced from the drug trade has a severe negative effect on the growth of the government,    and the global economy, destroying its soul purpose. A professional researcher of drug related topics, Brianna Lee, published an editorial called, “Mexico’s Drug War,” mentioning, “For decades, drug trafficking organizations have used Mexico's entrenched political system to create a network of corruption that ensured distribution rights, market access, and even official government protection for drug traffickers in exchange for bribes.” The most infamous drug cartels today have drug houses in Mexico, because all major drug eliciting organizations are aware of their inability to enforce anti-corruption laws and abolish bribery within the government.  One would debate that corruption is not a problem in its own right. It is derived from wider issues with governance. However, this point is invalid since corrupt behavior within a government, like Mexico’s, starts with these cartels. Currently, after the re-election of a new president, Mexico is undergoing a complete transition into a democratic government. When people who partake in the government start to become corrupt, it destroys a nation entirely. Corruption is very harmful to democracy because politicians are more likely to accept money from cartels for personal gain rather than investing for their voters.  Although it is not at all what nations like Mexico desire, this crooked behavior destroys the purpose of democracy, creating anarchy. In summary, cartels are fueling corruption in Mexico so greatly that citizens put no trust in their government anymore.

Lastly, and most acknowledged by people is the countless accounts of violence performed by the cartels. Likewise, as stated in the “National Plan Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking” composed by the General Assembly, “ Member States expressed grave concern at the negative effects on development, peace, security and human rights posed by transnational crime, including the smuggling of and trafficking in human beings... the General Assembly has reiterated this concern and noted the increasing vulnerability of states to such crime” (UN). The U.N, is composed of Member States, nations that are part of the U.N. Representatives of these nations believe that problems deriving from illegal criminal organizations translates to the current problematic state of the world. The increased rate of human kidnappings and the illegal shipping of narcotics point only to these law-disregarding groups. The millions of intentional murders committed on Latin American soil is only a sign      of things to come from these cartels. Furthermore, spread of this violent activity has been disregarded for years, and as nations begin to feel threatened, they realize the susceptibility violence delivers to its people. Juan Villoro, a Mexican professor who served at both Yale and Princeton University published an article titled, “Violence and Drug-Trafficking in Mexico,” within it he accounted, “ …During 2010, in Tamaulipas, 72 migrants were murdered. The workers, were intercepted by a group of hired killers, who tried to recruit them as drug-traffickers, offering them easy money and food, as well as protection… unwilling to get involved in organized crime… the migrant workers were duly gunned down…” (Villoro).   Cartel members are taught very early on to view anybody outside of the drug industry as worthless, unless willing to work and prove their worth through committing unlawful felonies. Denying a cartel’s offers of peace and hospitality is considered in their eyes as unforgivable:  a sin, and can only be undone by execution. Being a neighboring country to this controversy, violence has spread to the streets of the United States and its infamous gangs. Cartels have illegally smuggled drugs and weapons across the border into the United States, causing a spark in brutal violence. In consensus with the same article written by Juan Villoro, “Violence and Drug-Trafficking in Mexico,” “Since Mexican President Calderon began his offensive against drug cartels and organized criminals in December 2006, drug-related killings have escalated… it increasingly threatens the stability of the Mexican state and poses a security threat to the United States” (Villoro).Violence on Mexican turf goes back sooner than the election of President Felipe Calderon, where this drug war escalated to new heights. Ten years ago when Calderon rightly and correctly made the decision to announce his presence opposing the cartels, they posed him as a threat. It was in the cartels control to make the morally correct decision, instead they cowardly did not confront their hardship. In addition, cartels have and continue to stalk and kidnap children under the age of 18 on American soil. These minors are brainwashed with overdosage of drugs, sexually and physically abused, mentally tortured by these foreign strangers. To conclude, the expansion  of violence that originates from the drug trade is already possessing a threat to the safety of neighboring countries and exposing them to the troublesome situation that awaits.

Ultimately, the drug trade occurring in Central and South America desperately needs to be resolved so no harm is inflicted, and peace can be restored. Assuming that this complex dilemma remains overlooked by the global community and political powers, one will see the true carnage and havoc unleashed by the cartels. The cartels are desperate to send a message and receive recognition for all the wrong reasons. The billions of conscientious individuals in South and Central America endured anguish by showing the cartels’ their uneasiness and allowing them to exploit their weaknesses. Peacefully, display to the world the adverse consideration these cartels deserve, and make them mindful of the agony they induce upon others.