What’s the difference between a narco state and a failed state? In Mexico, there isn’t one: both entities coexist and feed off each other.
In Mexico, the interactions between both do not require philosophical interpretations; just listen. Distinguishing between one and the other is not possible. Both tragedies unfold simultaneously; they do not compete: their actors switch groups without accountability. Violating rights and justice are attributes of the politicians responsible for the failed state. For those who live off drug trafficking, borders resemble pipe dreams.
From Mexico as a failed state, I have written twice in this newspaper:
– Mexican Immigrants: Failed State (September 1, 2024)
– The Danger of Traveling by Road in Mexico (July 21, 2024)
It’s impossible to know the number of active cartels in Mexico, but perhaps, just as we hold the dubious honor of having the most exported presidents, our nation may also have the dishonor of having one of the largest collections of active narco groups.
Narco communities do not arise by chance or spontaneous generation. In Mexico, their number, distribution, and presence are overwhelming and growing. They have taken over the entire territory, shaking the country and the vast majority of the population. Searching mothers, the disappeared, ghost towns, Chiapanecos seeking protection in Guatemala due to violence unleashed by the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels, massacres like San Fernando, Tamaulipas (2010), where 72 migrants were killed by the Zetas, and many more, not to mention the nauseating action of the now fugitive Felipe Calderón, who sought redemption by erecting the Memorial to the Victims of Violence in Mexico in 2012 in Mexico City, inaugurated by another former president now in Spain, Enrique Peña Nieto.
While Mayo Zambada declares, Culiacán burns. An indeterminate number of Culiacán residents die daily due to the war between Chapitos and Mayos. Meanwhile, Rubén Rocha Moya clings to power with the support of López Obrador and Sheinbaum, backed by the former’s statements about the malign interference of the United States, claiming that our neighbor is responsible for the wave of violence in Sinaloa due to their attempts to capture Mayo. The exact number of people who have lost their lives in Culiacán is unknown, nor is it known if they all belong to pro-Chapitos or pro-Zambada cartels. Unofficial figures in Mexico never reflect reality. The “unofficial” is an old national shame. For now, despite (or because of?) the killings, Rubén Rocha remains in charge of his failed state.
Mexico as Mexico. A brief account of the other —the true?— reality about the cartels made in Mexico:
– Beltrán Leyva Cartel (active)
– La Familia Michoacana (active)
– Los Caballeros Templarios (active)
– Zetas (active)
– Gulf Cartel (active)
– Sinaloa Cartel (active)
– Jalisco New Generation Cartel (active)
– Tijuana Cartel (active)
– Southern Cartel (active)
– Mayan Cartel (active)
– Guerreros Unidos Cartel (active)
– Los Ardillos Cartel (active)
– …and many more, whose list can be found online or, if lucky, with politicians associated with them.
The words matter: Narco State, Narco economy, Failed State, criminal gangs whose actions are not always associated with drug trafficking, and Narco state are current terms. Their impact on the daily life of Mexicans is demonic. Under the discreet charm of corruption, Mexico and its inhabitants are victims of the not spontaneous but terrifying reproduction of the cartels.
Source: El Pais
