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Dangerous Mexican/U.S. Criminal Enterprises

Michael Webster: Investigative Reporter May 1, 2008 8:00 PM PDT

The overwhelming influence and power of the Mexican Drug Cartels who are the Mexican drug trafficking organizations and criminal gangs operating in Mexico and the United States.

They have emerged in recent years as the most dangerous and politically influential drug traffickers in the western hemisphere if not the world. The Mexican cartels have existed for some time, they have become increasingly powerful with the demise of the Medellin and Cali cartels in Colombia and have now come to dominate the U.S. illicit drug market and other criminal enterprises.

According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, Mexican cartels are “the predominant smugglers, transporters, and wholesale distributors of cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, and Mexico-produced heroin in the United Statesâ€