DerekJunttonen

GlobalizedCartelsTradewithNAFTABenefits

ForthegodfathersofthedrugtradeinColombiaandMexico,[NAFTA]wasadealmadein
narcoheaven.PhilJordan,aformerDEAauthority,madethisstatementinresponsetothe
incredibledrugtraffickingnumbersthatNAFTAhasproduced.Ironically,NAFTAwasmeantto
benefitthenationsinvolved,buthasinsteadchosenthesesocallednarcostobeits
beneficiaries.

NAFTA,otherwiseknownastheNorthAmericanFreeTradeAgreement,isanagreement
betweentheUnitedStates,Canada,andMexico.Thegoalofthisagreementwastocreate
economicgrowthandtoencouragefreetradebetweencountries.AccordingtoNAFTANow,
NAFTAhasalsoworkedtoeliminatetariffandnontariffbarrierstofreetradeandinvestment
betweentheNAFTAnations.However,NAFTAisaverycontroversialagreement,asitallows
poorlaborandhealthlawsinmanufacturersbasedinunderdevelopedcountries.Conversely,it
alsoprovidesmanypeoplelivinginthosecountrieswithjobs,whichiswhatmakesitso
controversial.

Theglobalizationofdrugcartelshasbeenimmenseanddestructive.Notonlyhasthedrugtrade
increased,butMexicancommunitieshavebeendestroyedandpulledapartbytheglobalized
expansionofinternationaldrugcartels.Mexicanfarmersarepulledawayfromtheirwork
becausetheyhavebeenreplacedbyinternationalimports,whichNAFTAhascaused.Manygo
toworkincheapmanufacturingbusinesses,andtherestjointheactivecartels.Theirabandoned
landiseventuallytakenoverbythesecartels,andthecommunitiesintheareaareplaguedwith
corruptionandviolence,effectivelydestroyingthecivilization.Thestabilitythatwasonce
presentinthesecommunitieshasbeencompletelyshatteredbyNAFTA.

AlthoughNAFTAhasprovidedsomestabilityandbenefitstoourinterconnectedworld,the
progressionofglobalizeddrugcartelshasnegativelyimpactedthenationsinvolved.

NAFTAisanagreementthatholdssomebenefits.InAmerica,wereceivequalityproductsat
lowprices,alongwithagreaterselectionofproductstochoosefrom.Additionally,theentire
marketissetupasafreetradearrangement.Businessesbenefitfromthisbecausetheirproducts
aredrivenbysupplyanddemand,ratherthanbytheconfinementsofmarketing.Moreso,tariffs
amongtheUS,Canada,andMexicohavebeeneliminated,whichallowsforevenmorefreetrade
opportunity,meaningthatproductscaneasilymovebetweennationalmarkets.

However,theperksofNAFTAarenottheonlysidetothestory.NAFTAhasalsobeena
massivebeneficiarytodrugcartels,especiallythoseoperatinginMexico.Americanhealth,
governmenttrust,andMexicancommunitieshaveallbeennegativelyaffectedbyNAFTA.

DrugtraffickinghasincreasedacrosstheboardsinceNAFTAwasputintoplay.Inthearticle
NAFTAFuelingDrugTrade,authorDennisEnsingerpointsouttheincrease:Sincethe
passageofNAFTA16yearsago,drugtrafficthroughLaredo,Texasalonehastripled.Inan
interviewmentionedinthearticle,JohnBurnettstatesthatfreetradeisoneofthegreatestgifts
fordrugtraffickers.

Becauseofthelooseinspectionregulationsontrade,globalizeddrugtraffickingcartelsare
thriving.Infact,accordingtoTheHuffingtonPost,aWhiteHousereportestimatedthatabout
100tonsofcocainewastransportedintotheUnitedStatesfromMexicoin1993.Onlyasmall
percentageofthosevehicleswerechecked.Inthesamearticle,writtenbyRyanGrim,itisstated
thatWithNAFTAineffect,1994sawthebiggestjumpincommercialvehiclesmugglingon
recorda25percentincrease.Additionally,InSanDiego,Americasmethcapital,meth
seizuresclimbedfrom1,409poundsin1991to13,366in1994.Thereturnofmethacrossthe
Mexicanborderwasonemoresignthatthegettoughpoliciesoftheeightieshadbackfired.
(Grim)AmericanhealthhasalsotakenaplungeunderNAFTA,asThenumberofmethrelated
emergencyroomvisitsintheUnitedStatesdoubledbetween1991and1994.(Grim)

NotonlyhasNAFTAbeenlargelybenefittingthedrugcartels,thusnegativelyimpactingboth
AmericanandMexicansocieties,butithasalsonegativelyaffectedthegovernmenttrust
betweentheUSandMexico.OnJanuary14,2014anarticlewaspublishedbyAlexNewmanin
TheNewAmerican,whichexposedasecretdealthattheUnitedStatesgovernmenthadwiththe
Sinaloadrugcartel,whichhasbeennamedthelargestcartelintheWesternhemisphere.As
statedinthearticle,TheBushandObamaadministrationslettheSinaloacartelimporttonsof
drugsintotheUnitedStateswhilewipingoutSinaloacompetitorsandensuringthatitsleaders
wouldnotbeprosecutedfortheirlonglistofmajorcrimes.Itisalsopointedoutinthearticle
that,accordingtoanalystsandadrugtraffickerwhowasinterviewed,theObamaadministration
alsohadagunrunningprogramtoarmthecartel.Thissecretagreementhadbeenineffectfor
overadecade.

Moreover,NAFTAsimpactsondrugcartelshavealsohaddetrimentaleffectsonMexican
communities.InthearticleFruitsofNAFTA,authorDaleWiehoffexplainsthehorrible
aftermathofglobalizeddrugcartels,statingthat,becauseofthedumpingofcornfromtheUSto
Mexico,Mexicanfarmerswereunabletosustainthemselvesandmovedofftheirland.Manyof
thesepeoplewerepickedupbysmallmanufacturingbusinesses,buttherestweredrawnintothe
drugtraffickingbusinessbycartels.Yearslater,muchoftheabandonedlandiscontrolledbythe

cartels,andthecommunitiesarestrickenwithcorruptionandviolence.Asclearlystatedinthe
article,...weshouldthinkclearlyaboutthefruitsthatNAFTAcreatedandwhatfreetradehas
donetodestroythebondsthatholdcommunitiestogether(Wiehoff)

NAFTAwas,andis,apowerfulagreementwithsomeveryinfluentialideasbehindit.However,
italsohaddrasticconsequences.MexicoandtheUS,amongothercountries,havefeltthe
impactsofdrugcartelsunderNAFTA,andseentheramificationsofaflawedplaninaction.Our
nationsbondsmaybefailing,butwearenotalone.Americanhealthisdown,butMexican
communitiesareworse,toppledbytheindirectintentionsofNAFTA.

WorksCited:

Ensinger,Dustin."NAFTAFuelingDrugTrade."
EconomyInCrisisRSS
.N.p.,10Nov.2010.
Web.02Feb.2015.<http://economyincrisis.org/content/naftafuelingdrugtrade>.

"FrequentlyAskedQuestions."
NAFTANow
.NAFTANow,n.d.Web.10Feb.2015.
<http://www.naftanow.org/faq_en.asp#faq1>.
"THENORTHAMERICANFREETRADEAGREEMENT(."
THENORTHAMERICAN
FREETRADEAGREEMENT(
.N.p.,n.d.Web.10Feb.2015.
<http://www.library.unt.edu/gpo/oca/nafta.htm>.

Grim,Ryan."NAFTAAndTheDrugCartels."
TheHuffingtonPost
.TheHuffingtonPost.com,1
Aug.2009.Web.02Feb.2015.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ryangrim/naftaandthedrugcartel_b_223705.html>.
Updated25May2010.

Newman,Alex."U.S.GovernmentandTopMexicanDrugCartelExposedasPartners."
The
NewAmerican
.TheNewAmerican,14Jan.2014.Web.02Feb.2015.

<http://www.thenewamerican.com/worldnews/northamerica/item/17396usgovernmentandt
opmexicandrugcartelexposedaspartners>.

Wiehoff,Dale."FruitsofNAFTA."
InstituteforAgricultureandTradePolicy
.N.p.,17July
2013. Web.04Feb.2015.<http://www.iatp.org/blog/201307/fruitsofnafta>.

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