Policy Paper on Mexican Cartels

Policy Paper on Mexican Cartels Student’s Name Institution Course Code: Course Name Professor’s Name Submission Date To: U.S. Congress From: Date: August 12, 2024 Subject: Recommendation to Revamp Anti-Drug Trafficking Regulations Statement of the Problem The Sinaloa Cartel remains one of the leading drug-smuggling criminal gangs in North America. According to the United States (U.S.) Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Drug Threat Assessment report, Mexican transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) contribute to the rising drug trafficking problem in the country. DEA identifies the Sinaloa Cartel as the key culprit for the trafficking of drugs into the United States (Beittel, 2022). The U.S. government has tried to suppress the cartel’s operations in vain since 2009. These criminal entities continue to play a crucial role in fostering the shipment and business of illicit drugs in America. In this context, these entities have come to be referred to as drug cartels and drug trafficking organizations (DTOs). Moreover, these entities take part in criminal enterprises spanning the smuggling of body parts and humans, firearms, crude oil robbery, and extortion, amongst other vices. These criminal activities are attributed to the rising homicide rates in Mexico, typically emanating from territorial warfare over criminal influence and drug trafficking routes (Beittel, 2022). Congress constantly monitors the impact of Mexican TCOs on security and safety within the U.S.-Mexico border, including how such cartels play a role in the escalating opioid crises and encouraging violent crime in the region. One of Congresses’ major concerns relates to Mexican cartels’ roles in promoting the trafficking of heroin, synthetic opioids, marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamine (Beittel, 2022). There is a consensus on the need to evaluate the role of Mexican TCOs in synthetic opioid production and trafficking into the U.S. and how such activities have continued to escalate since 2018. Statistics indicate that approximately 107,622 Americans lost their lives to drug overdose-related deaths in 2021, depicting a 15% increase from the 2020 figure of 93,655 deaths (National Center for Health Statistics, 2022). This shows that the Sinaloa cartel’s drug trafficking activities are leading to many deaths in the U.S., thus warranting the need for a policy reform report tailored to address this problem and offer viable recommendations. Role of Homeland Security Investigations Drug overdoses have contributed to over a million deaths since 1999, as well as accidental opioid overdose-related deaths for individuals aged between 18 and 45 years. Highly complex criminal networks continue to smuggle vast amounts of illegal drugs into the United States. As already established, this policy reform advocacy paper is addressed to the U.S Congress to support the activities of Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) in securing the country from external threats. Congress should work towards reducing the supply of detrimental drugs within the U.S. community by supporting the HSI mandate. HSI is a leading federal law enforcement organization under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which is tasked with protecting the country from external threats and guaranteeing the security and safety of Americans. HIS demonstrates commitment to shielding Americans from such threats as enshrined in its mission statement – to protect the country from dangerous entities that bring despair and deaths. Congress is the proper organization to address the rising transnational criminal activities in the country, particularly those attributed to the Sinaloa cartel. More specifically, Congress can make policies that strengthen HIS responsibility in investigating criminal activities globally to prevent internal insecurity (Homeland Security Investigations, 2024). This implies that the HSI mandate is within the country's scope of mitigating transnational crime. In collaboration with HSI, Congress can make anti-drug trafficking policies that support healthier and safer communities for every American. HSI’s response to narcotics smuggling entails tracking, intercepting, investigating, and stopping illegal narcotics from entering the country. The Homeland Security organization safeguards Americans, keeping narcotics off the streets and away from families. The organization approaches this mission by targeting criminal networks, developing global networks, embracing financial system disruptions, and enhancing domestic collaborations. HIS helps point out, investigate, and dismantle criminal organizations that traffic drugs into the United States. The organization’s global presence ensures it collaborates with foreign stakeholders to attack criminal elements at the source. This helps amplify its impact and dismantle global narcotics smuggling routes as well as criminal networks. By leveraging technology as well as expanded access to financial and trade data, HSI disrupts the financial conduits of criminal gangs. Lastly, HSI collaborates with local, tribal, state, and federal stakeholders across the country via task forces to mitigate the operations of transnational drug trafficking entities (Homeland Security Investigations, 2024). The collaborative work framework between Congress and HSI makes the former the proper organization to advocate for an end to criminal gangs’ drug trafficking menace that is threatening to dismantle the sustainability of the American community. Demystifying the Causes and Implications of Sinaloa Cartel Money Laundering via United States Banks Money laundering constitutes a vital driver of the Sinaloa Cartel’s criminal activities in the Northern Hemisphere. More specifically, money laundering allows the cartel to legitimize as well as protect its vast profits earned via drug trafficking and other criminal activities. Financial institutions based in the United States and abroad have been blamed for facilitating the laundering of money for Mexican drug cartels. Money laundering activities in the region persist because of negligence or complicity from regulatory authorities. The Sinaloa Cartel leverages the weaknesses within the U.S. financial system to make their illegally obtained money legitimate. For example, there have been many reported cases of violating U.S. drug and money-laundering laws by associates of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel. The U. S. Department of Justice (2024) traced more than $50 million channeled between Chinese underground money exchanges and the Sinaloa Cartel associates in Los Angeles. Surprisingly, the convicted individuals were identified by both the Chinese government and the Mexican government, with authorities stating that arrested fugitives had been initially charged last year but managed to flee for their safety in the United States. The 24 defendants were charged in April 2024 with conspiracy to facilitate cocaine and methamphetamine distribution, operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business, and laundering monetary instruments (U.S. Department of Justice, 2024). The U.S. Department of Justice (2022) reports that a Sinaloa-Cartel-linked money laundering scheme collected and processed large amounts of drug-related profits in the U.S. currency. These proceeds were accessible to Sinaloa Cartel members based in Mexico and other parts of the world. The U.S Attorney Martin Estrada stated that dangerous drugs like methamphetamine and fentanyl destroy people’s lives, but the drug dealers like the Sinaloa Cartel care about profits only. The United States banking laws and regulations are not competent enough to stop the relentless greed and pursuit of money by the Sinaloa Cartel. Weak U.S. Gun Laws The U.S. gun laws governing the sale and distribution of firearms have been a point of contention in the fight against drug-related violence in Mexico. The relatively lax regulations in some states, particularly those bordering Mexico, have made it easier for drug cartels to acquire firearms through straw purchases, gun shows, and other legal loopholes. Jusionyte (2024) states that amendments to the U.S. Constitution that protect the right to bear arms have made it challenging to implement stricter gun control measures that could curb the flow of weapons into Mexico. According to reports from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), a significant proportion of the firearms recovered in Mexico can be traced back to the United States (Punishill, 2024). These include high-powered weapons such as assault rifles, which are favored by cartels for their firepower and reliability in combat situations (Punishill, 2024). Both governments have made efforts to track the movement of firearm...