Guadalajara -
Mexican drug traffickers have long had a presence in the mid-western United States, including Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. They're particularly strong in Chicago, as MGRR reported more than a year ago (In drug war, "national sovereignty" is antiquated political theory).
But now the Drug Enforcement Administration reports that Mexican cartels in the U.S. are not just focused on local narcotics sales. They're using Chicago as a warehouse and distribution center for drugs headed to every corner of the world, including Australia.
In a DEA report quoted today by the Australian press, the agency concluded that huge quantities of cocaine are shipped to that country every month on private aircraft, returning with millions in cash. One such operation is run by the powerful Sinaloa Cartel.
Pilots working with the traffickers collect a 10% fee, according to DEA documents filed in January in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois. The disclosures came in the criminal prosecution of a Mexican who is accused of being one of the ringleaders of the Sinaloa drug running operation. Some of the evidence was based upon the testimony of confidential informants involved with the group.
In 2011, the Australian Crime Commission reported that the nation had become a prime market for Mexican traffickers, especially those dealing in cocaine. The reason is purely economic, it said. Despite the great distance which shipments must travel, a kilo of cocaine may sell for as much as 100 times its price in Latin America, according to a redaction today by a Mexican press source.
The Commission said that 80% of the cocaine which arrives in Australia comes from Colombia, Peru or Bolivia. Now it's clear that much of it passes through the United States on the way.
Mar. 26 - Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel enjoys 90% market domination in U.S.
Mar. 29 - A Mexican researcher has published a study which reports that the Sinaloa Cartel became a global enterprise by diversification in the manufacture and distribution of drugs, including cocaine, opiates, marijuana, designer drugs and above all methamphetamine. José Luis León Manríquez, a Ph.D. in political science at Colombia University in New York, concluded that the cartel controls a triangular market between Mexico, the United States and Asia. Dr. León found that Sinaloa has been a major producer and exporter of meth since the 1990s and enjoys a virtual monopoly on the drug in many countries, including 80% market domination in the U.S. according to a DEA analysis.
Feb. 14 - Chicago calls El Chapo Guzmán "Public Enemy # 1"
Feb. 10 - Mexican marines arrest chief executioner for El Chapo Guzmán in Sinaloa state
Bolivia
Evo Morales threatens to close U.S. embassy in Bolivia
Mexican drug cartels have expanded operations to Peru and Bolivia, says DEA official
Sinaloa Cartel
Routine traffic stop in Mérida yields Sinaloa Cartel "Boss of the Plaza" in Cozumel, Playa del Carmen
What do business magnate Carlos Slim and El Chapo Guzmán have in common?
U.S. confirms: El Chapo Guzmán is world's biggest drug trafficker - and # 1 target
World's most wanted man - "El Chapo" Guzmán - makes Forbes top list again
El Chapo Guzmán: "Dead or Alive"
"El Chapo" Guzmán must be in United States, says Felipe Calderón
Sinaloa Cartel of "El Chapo" Guzmán dominates U.S. drug trade, says DOJ
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