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How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

nytimes.com

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Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#81

Post by bmelton »

astrodust wrote: post #75
mrtron wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Should any substance be illegal? If we start banning substances rationally, wouldn't cigarettes top the list.

Cigarettes, while harmful, don't result in instant death. Banning cigarettes would result in the same problem banning other drugs has created. The only things that should be "banned" are those that are so intrinsically harmful they cause severe, immediate, measurable harm to both the abuser and society. There aren't many drugs that people consume that qualify for this standard since to be able to continuously abuse s…

Perhaps not, but you can overdose and die from nicotine.

Almost nobody does though because there is a legal form from which to get the high that is a minute fraction of what is required to kill you.

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#82

Post by mcantelon »

"The Sinaloa is occasionally called the Federation because senior figures and their subsidiaries operate semiautonomously while still employing a common smuggling apparatus. ... To reduce the likelihood of clashes [between competing interests], the cartel has revived an unlikely custom: the ancient art of dynastic marriage. ... An associate may be less likely to cheat you, or to murder you, if there’ll be hell to pay with his wife."

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#83

Post by mrtron »

astrodust wrote: post #75
mrtron wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Should any substance be illegal? If we start banning substances rationally, wouldn't cigarettes top the list.

Cigarettes, while harmful, don't result in instant death. Banning cigarettes would result in the same problem banning other drugs has created. The only things that should be "banned" are those that are so intrinsically harmful they cause severe, immediate, measurable harm to both the abuser and society. There aren't many drugs that people consume that qualify for this standard since to be able to continuously abuse s…

Interesting perspective.

Firstly, substances can be used without 'abuse'. Alcohol is a good example of this, you probably know many users who never abuse it. Alcohol most certainly can cause severe, immediate harm to the abuser an society.

Why ban substances based on harm? Why not just enforce the rules around the actual harm?

For example, enforce driving under the influence and don't ban alcohol.

Is there really a need to ban things like heroin which have a high rate of causing harm to the user? It seems like it is more of social and community issue. Throwing that person in jail is hardly improving their life.

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#84

Post by ceejayoz »

larrys wrote: post #44
fkn wrote: post #15

I'd be interested in knowing how they were able to buy Boeing 747s. Those are huge transactions, you can't simply buy planes with cash. I would assume that it would be through shell companies, but wouldn't (or shouldn't) Boeing be careful about who their customers are?

"but wouldn't (or shouldn't) Boeing be careful about who their customers are?" Forgetting for a second whether we are talking about Boeing or the used market that is what money laundering is all about. Taking ill gotten gains and putting into a legitimate business. It wouldn't be a stretch to form a legitimate air charter company and even get customers as a cover for buying an airplane. If you've got the level of mon…

Hell, it'd be good for your cover if 99 out of 100 flights are genuine charters with real passengers on board.

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#85

Post by mrtron »

vlisivka wrote: post #48
elorant wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Legalizing drugs means that the street price will drop by 90% and that will eventually make drug trafficking obsolete. This of course doesn't solve the real problem which is consumption.

Meth is very cheap already. Any changes?

From what I understand meth is produced really poorly by regional producers.

I think it would end up more expensive at your local pharmacy if legalized. The benefit would be you know you won't lose your teeth from the odd chemicals the producer is using.

(I could be horribly off on the details)

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#86

Post by [deleted] »

randomdata wrote: post #80
debacle wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd rather not be driving around on the same road as someone tripping on LSD.

Even if LSD were legal, it would remain illegal to drive while under the influence of it. But more importantly, do the laws prevent someone who wants to drive while consuming LSD stop anyone from doing it now? I'm not sure about the USA, but in Canada, the number of people who use marijuana and the number of people who use tobacco are almost equal, despite only one of those substances being legal. That seems to indic…

[deleted]

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#87

Post by guelo »

vibrunazo wrote: post #45
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…

They make most of their money from cocaine and methamphetamine (which can be legally acquired, but that didn't stop traffic). 90% of all cocaine in the US come from mexico. [1] Do you mean cocaine should be legalized? Alcohol is a bad analogy to legalizing cocaine, you should probably be comparing to the Opium Wars instead, which didn't really end well. [2] [1] http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL34215.pdf [2] http://en…

Yes, I am saying cocaine should be legalized. People that want the drug today are able to obtain it anyway. We could put all kinds of restrictions on its sale and use, as long as it is easier to obtain legally than underground it would prevent the formation of wealthy criminal gangs.

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#88

Post by vlisivka »

blazingice wrote: post #74
vlisivka wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Alcohol is already legal, so why gangs are not gone?

It looks like you're being downvoted, so I'll provide a reason. Alcohol is legal. The gangs that formed around producing, smuggling, and selling alcohol (e.g. Capone) are gone. The hope is that once other drugs are legal, the same thing happens to their producers.

So if everything illegal will be legal, like in America before USA, then all gangs will gone?

Re: How a Mexican Drug Cartel Makes Its Billions

#89

Post by elorant »

silvestrov wrote: post #57
elorant wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Legalizing drugs means that the street price will drop by 90% and that will eventually make drug trafficking obsolete. This of course doesn't solve the real problem which is consumption.

Street price doesn't even need to drop: it is safer for customers to buy it at the local drug store (legal, pure drug) than on the street (unknown quality).

It might be safer but I'm not sure it's preferable. You see the local drug store owner knows you and there's still a stigma for drug consumption. Your local dealer on the other hand doesn't know you and you don't risk been exposed or stigmatized buying from him.

If on the contrary you take the huge profits part out of the equation then the whole network collapses; there just aren't enough money to support all the individuals involved in trafficking.

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