Cartels Infiltrating US Local Neighborhoods
"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing"
-Tolstoy or Burke
Drug cartels are infiltrating parts of the US whether we want to believe it, or not. The act of infiltration poses the greatest threat to US national security because it serves as the primary medium to achieve subversion. The act of infiltration allowed a Japanese intelligence agent to spy on the US naval fleet at Pearl Harbor in the 1940s. The act of infiltration gave al Qaida terrorists access to US aircraft in order to bomb the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9/11. The drug cartels are destroying some US neighborhoods via corruption, fear and intimidation for the sake of money; they do not worry about the consequences of their actions as long as they make money. Social instability cripples families, neighborhoods, cities, counties, states and countries. Don’t believe me, Mexico is a perfect example.
Why Do the Cartels Infiltrate US Cities?
Pure and simple, it’s about money. The cartels are creating and using fronts to expand their business and influence. As expansion grows, the dirty money may get washed via the purchases of legitimate businesses, thus allowing the personalities partaking in these activities embed themselves within local society.[i] This is not a new pattern. This is a pattern that has brought Mexico to its current state as the same techniques have been used there[ii]. Mexico’s gross domestic national product is now reportedly intertwined with the drug cartels simply because of activities such as this at an estimated 78 percent.[iii]
How are they Infiltrating US Cities?
The cartels are using a variety of fronts. [iv] Fronts physical business, persons, organizations etc that are leveraged to hide ones true intentions. If I look legitimate, you think I’m legitimate, regardless of the fact I’m a crook. Take the movie “The Godfather”. In the beginning the mafia employed hard tactics such as overt murder, extortion and intimidation. As you watch the series you see the group evolve from petty crime to sophisticated organized crime by investing/controlling legitimate businesses and legal mechanisms- lawyers. This is what you are seeing occur in the US.
The killing, extortion and intimidation continues, but it evolves over time…seems more palatable…does not disrupt the surface…those effected seem few and far apart, thus ignored. However, society rots before your eyes as politicians get paid off; crimes do not get investigated or prosecuted. Is this what you want?
Gangs are another infiltration medium. Gangs are surrogate families. They provide structure for some who do not have a home, or for some who struggle to survive in areas where police and local governance are of limited effect. While gangs may fill a void in the lives of some, members are enslaved to the group. Members must support the gang, often by whatever means necessary. Selling drugs, prostitution and other criminal acts, help meet this objective. So, where you have gangs, you likely have drugs, and where you have a drug problem, you can likely expect other criminal problems.[v] If the problem grows, the security infrastructure needed to contain the problem often does not grow with the problem…again…due to money. That said your gang problem begins to go into thermal runaway. The US is facing this very problem as we speak.[vi] Children as early as fifth grade are being recruited by gangs.
Illegal Immigrants are leveraged by money or by force. The desire for money is obvious. The leverage by force is not so obvious. Illegal immigrants can be coerced into supporting cartel activities. Their families may be threatened with harm, or harm may come to their own lives. Under such stresses of little money, a high value on family and/or personal well being, illegal immigrants will basically prostitute themselves in order to survive. Those who feel nothing should be done about illegal immigrants or illegal immigration may eventually find themselves as unfortunate “useful idiots”. “Useful Idiots” is a term Russian leaders and later the KGB used to describe naïve do-gooders supporting their subversive cause.[vii] They unwittingly have good hearts, but uncontrolled immigration and border control impacts the stability of states. There are other infiltration mediums we may address at a future date.
What Can You Do About It?
Most of the time, citizens can take measures before corruption grows out of control in their neighborhood. Preventing and/or mitigating the potential for cartel activity should not be done alone…it should be a community effort…one that involves local authorities and legal representatives when possible.
Know you will always have someone complain about purported rights violations such as privacy…etc. This is a valid concern, but the community needs to get together and decide what’s best for their community. Washington DC had a crime ridden neighborhood a couple years back and went through this very process and series of rights over watch.[viii]. Also know that while complaints and concerns may be legitimate, understand that supporters of illicit activities may attempt to leverage such debate to cover their activities…again, “useful idiots” may come to a drug dealer’s rescue...just a thought.
Get Involved. Report observed illicit or suspicious activities to local authorities…then follow-up. I specifically say follow- up because problems can be swept aside for a variety of reasons e.g. money, interests, liability, etc. It’s your neighborhood and you need to fight for it…and that means holding local authorities and leaders accountable. It roughly took one neighborhood I know approximately four months to mitigate a nascent potential gang issue; one should expect at least this much if they actually have a mature problem in their area.
As a side note to monitoring the neighborhood, just because someone works odd hours, or has money, does not mean they are a criminal, however, making note of an observation may serve as a linking tip to a bigger picture. If you suspect illegal activity, and have some supporting evidence, talk to your local authorities. They will tell you what information they need before they can conduct an investigation.
Report, document and disseminate. Create local social networks to monitor your neighborhood. Maintain a journal of time, places and events of suspicious activities and whether or not local authorities acted on the issue. This information may come in handy to identify corrupt/ineffective police, city officials, etc. Your neighborhood may be able to post neighborhood watch signs. Your community may also have a concealed means to communicate and report suspicious activities. At the city level, the Houston Police Department created such a tool worthy of emulation. You can find it here http://www.stophoustongangs.org/ .
Risk Versus Gain?
Freedom does not come for free, sometimes risks are involved. It is up to you and your local community to assess that risk and determine how aggressive one can be in curtailing cartel and related activities in your town. Again, use the law, the political infrastructure and the community to work out the issue with you.
I’ve dealt with similar issues in the past, and I know it’s not easy, nor is there a quick fix solution. There are people and processes involved…some of it can be extremely aggravating. But, if you attack the problem early and via the right legal mechanisms you can curtail the potential to illicit activities in your neighborhood, some of which may be cartel affiliated.
[i] Strike of the Eye. Analysis of ‘BBC Mexico’s Drug War 2010 (3of7). 1Sep10. http://www.mexdrugcartels.com/2010/09/bbc-mexicos-drug-war-2010-3-of-7.html . Accessed 13Oct10
[ii] Strike of the Eye. Analysis of ‘BBC Mexico’s Drug War 2010 (2of7). 1Sep10. http://www.mexdrugcartels.com/2010/09/bbc-mexicos-drug-war-2010-2-of-7.html . Accessed 13Oct10
[iii] Strike of the Eye. Analysis of “BBC Mexico’s Drug War 2010 (4of7) Sep10. http://www.mexdrugcartels.com/2010/09/bbc-mexicos-drug-war-2010-4-of-7.html Accessed 13Oct10
[iv]Full Disclosure. DRUG CARTELS TAKE OVER LOCAL POLITICS. 15Jul10. http://www.morningliberty.com/2010/07/16/drug-cartels-taking-over-california. Accessed 13Oct10
[v] FBI. They poison our streets with drugs, violence, and all manner of crime. http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/vc_majorthefts/gangs/gangs Accessed 13Oct10
[vi] National Gang Intelligence Center. National Gang Threat Assessment 2009. http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/national-gang-threat-assessment-2009-pdf; accessed 13Oct10
[viii] Allison Klein. D.C. Police to Check Drivers In Violence-Plagued Trinidad. 5Jun08 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/04/AR2008060402205.html; accessed 13Oc10
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