Top law officials have indicated that the notorious Mexican drug cartels, who once rarely ventured onto U.S. soil, have begun moving into United States and are setting up (or have already set up) operations in at least nine none-border states. This conclusion was reached by the Associated Press after they reviewed reams of federal court cases and government drug-enforcement data, plus interviews with many top law enforcement officials.
The head of Chicago’s DEA office, said “It’s probably the most serious threat the United States has faced from organized crime.” In fact, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, head of the deadly Sinaloa cartel, is now listed as the city’s Public Enemy No. 1, a distinction previously held by the famous Chicago-based gangster Al Capone. The DEA is convinced that the Mexican drug cartels supply the majority of the drugs to Chicago users and other drug users across the United States.
Art Bilek, a former organized crime investigator and current executive vice president of the crime commission, explained:
“For years, cartels were more inclined to make deals in Mexico with American traffickers, who would then handle transportation to and distribution within major cities. As their organizations grew more sophisticated, the cartels began scheming to keep more profits for themselves. So leaders sought to cut out middlemen and assume more direct control, pushing aside American traffickers.”
In addition to cases from border states from Texas to California, cases involving cartel members have now emerged in the suburbs of Chicago and Atlanta, Columbus, Ohio, Louisville, Ky., rural North Carolina, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Pennsylvania. Authorities feel the expansion into U.S. territories is analogous to the early days of the Mob, and that if left unchecked, will become even more menacing.