How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions • Hacker News Board

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#191

Post by yskchu » Sat, Jun 16, 2012, 9:20 AM UTC

ElCabron wrote: post #161

Osiris wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The article clearly pointed out that corruption is the biggest contributor to the continued survival of the cartels. If, somehow, we were able to make everyone in law enforcement and the government honest, then the cartels would find it significantly harder, if not practically impossible, to do smuggle their goods. It does seem like the war on drugs could be fought more by addressing those that are supposed to be fig…

The smuggling can be stopped in less than a year. A country so powerful and resourceful that sent a man on the moon, waged wars with countless countries, played nuclear chess with the soviets, influences and spies everyone with satellites & drones, can't get to the roots of this drug octopus ? Bullsh*t. They don't want to. They went in Iraq for a bunch of imaginary weapons and in Afghanistan for a terrorist that kill…

That is just hilarious; you think the drug cartel can be stopped by invading Mexico?? Did you see what happened in iraq; what happens in Mexico will be many times worse, a full on insurgency, funded by drug money, paid by US citizens...

Our best example of a good way to go about reducing the drug trade is to go the way of Portugal.

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#192

Post by antihero » Sat, Jun 16, 2012, 9:27 AM UTC

guelo wrote: post #31

The only way to stop these large criminal enterprises is to legalize the stuff. Just like alcohol prohibition created some of the most notorious American criminals, South American drug prohibitions produce powerful criminals down there. There isn't any large crime related to South American cocoa or coffee imports. Legalize it and then spend money and make laws regulating consumption, it would greatly reduce the miser…

Do you really think these people are just going to go away?

Ironically, I'd imagine the cartels would be for keeping it illegal - it's their market!

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#193

Post by malbertife » Sat, Jun 16, 2012, 9:33 AM UTC

dudurocha wrote: post #183

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem isn't gangs; it's gang violence. Making their crimes less stringently punished (reducing the paranoia within their ranks) as well as doing more to restrict the flow of arms from the United States (a better use of funds than incarcerating college potheads) seems a more sensible experiment to try before full legalisation. Consider the negative externalities of cocaine use (much higher than marijuana's); the…

In the tv show The Wire, third season, a Police Captain tried to 'legalise' drugs sale. He put all the dealers, the little soldiers, and said "If you deal in the streets, we will arrest you. If you deal in the free zone, you are free to go". At first, the dealers were very distrustful, but after some days, all the dealers were in the same place. And the addicteds learned that they could only buy drugs in that zone. T…

The Wire is excellent fiction, not a simulation.

Something similar ("Needle Park") was attempted in Zurich in the eighties: a place where drug sale and use was officially tolerated. It was closed after a few years. Opinions are mixed.

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#194

Post by vlisivka » Sat, Jun 16, 2012, 9:33 AM UTC

angli wrote: post #175

vlisivka wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why you are worrying about revenues of cartels? If you think that selling drugs is legal, then their business is equally legal to business of Apple or Microsoft. Why you are not worrying about revenues of Microsoft or Apple?

Because Apple and Microsoft aren't using their revenues to kill thousands of people. If cutting off their revenues diminishes their ability to do that, it'd be irresponsible of us not to worry about it, or at least consider it

So why worry about revenues when we need to worry about human lives? Legalization of drugs will kills millions but will save thousands. Nice deal?

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#195

Post by kitsune_ » Sat, Jun 16, 2012, 9:41 AM UTC

xelipe wrote: post #152

guelo wrote: post #31

The only way to stop these large criminal enterprises is to legalize the stuff. Just like alcohol prohibition created some of the most notorious American criminals, South American drug prohibitions produce powerful criminals down there. There isn't any large crime related to South American cocoa or coffee imports. Legalize it and then spend money and make laws regulating consumption, it would greatly reduce the miser…

Legalizing drugs by itself does not imply that the price of drugs will fall and that the violence will end. Lest not forget that, in Latin American, revolutions have been fought because of the impact of the exploitation of the people and land for the cultivation of commodity products such as bananas (see Banana Wars in Wikipedia) and for which gangs like La Mara are a consequence. Drugs for personal use are legal in…

Is coca that different from tomatoes? I mean, is it, all things considered, harder to produce cocaine than ketchup? If fully legalized, shouldn't the price of cocaine be similar to ketchup?

The reason that cocaine is as expensive as it is, stems from its illegality.

And subsequently, the only reason that the cartels were able to grow to such monstrous proportions is the amount of money that can be made with the production and distribution of illegal drugs. Remove the money and you'll remove their power.

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#196

Post by TheGateKeeper » Sat, Jun 16, 2012, 10:21 AM UTC

guelo wrote: post #31

The only way to stop these large criminal enterprises is to legalize the stuff. Just like alcohol prohibition created some of the most notorious American criminals, South American drug prohibitions produce powerful criminals down there. There isn't any large crime related to South American cocoa or coffee imports. Legalize it and then spend money and make laws regulating consumption, it would greatly reduce the miser…

Or the less popular option is to forcibly remove them from the planet.

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#197

Post by koide » Sat, Jun 16, 2012, 10:42 AM UTC

adventureful wrote: post #189

Zakharov wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's plenty of organized crime arranged around things that should be illegal, for example slavery.

There's no organized slavery without complicit governments.

Bah, there is plenty of slavery without complicit governments.

Typical example: Criminals lure naive poor country girls with prospects of lots of money and a job elsewhere. As soon as they arrive to the destination country, they are held captive (they steal everything they own, and use violence) and then used as prostitutes. I fail to see government help in this scheme.

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#198

Post by DasIch » Sat, Jun 16, 2012, 12:11 PM UTC

abruzzi wrote: post #3

Also impressed that the cartel smuggles cocaine on 747s that they own. That's a large operation.

Indeed. Where do they take off and land those planes? I don't think a flat stretch of grass will do.

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#199

Post by analog » Sat, Jun 16, 2012, 12:13 PM UTC

rwmj wrote: post #123

guelo wrote: post #31

The only way to stop these large criminal enterprises is to legalize the stuff. Just like alcohol prohibition created some of the most notorious American criminals, South American drug prohibitions produce powerful criminals down there. There isn't any large crime related to South American cocoa or coffee imports. Legalize it and then spend money and make laws regulating consumption, it would greatly reduce the miser…

I read this and wonder how bad it needs to get before politicians take legalisation seriously. 50,000 people dead? - check. Billions in profit? - check. Narco-states on the US border? - check. Criminals walk out of prison? - check. Gigantic crack & methaphetamine problem within the US? - check.

Given how much money the cartels are making, I wonder if they are funding politicians lobbying to keep marijuana, cocaine etc. illegal?

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#200

Post by ovi256 » Sat, Jun 16, 2012, 12:14 PM UTC

Eliezer wrote: post #170

abruzzi wrote: post #3

Also impressed that the cartel smuggles cocaine on 747s that they own. That's a large operation.

I'm a bit surprised by this; I'd expect spy satellites to be able to spot a rogue 747.

You're assuming the money that bought a 747 can't buy a fake company for registration, plane manifests, flight plans and whatever else is needed to make it look legal.