The Mexican crime cartels are the number one employers in the country, say new reports – with the poverty, corruption, and lack of opportunity making the Mesoamerican country a prime breeding ground for organized crime.
The Yucatan Times claims the popular tourist destination is also the home to the second-most organized crime in the world, trailing only behind Colombia for the dubious honor.
Mexico and other Central American countries — including El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala — are all listed as high on the crime index.
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What’s more, according to another social justice report, the cartels in Mexico employ more people than some of the biggest corporations in the world, drawing yet another example as to the allure of organized crime.
And this trend only promises to increase as time goes on.
“In 2027, according to predicted trends from the authors, Mexico could face an increase of 40% more casualties and 26% more cartel members,” read the report.
Thanks to warring cartels — who compete with one another for access to such things as drugs, money, and humans available for trafficking — the violence in the country is also on the upswing.
Many of the Catholic Churches in the area also report that Mexicans don’t have much of a choice in the matter, with many of the cartels forcing residents to join under threat of violence and death.
“Cartels are practicing forced recruitment amongst local residents, and have taken control of much of the territory in Chiapas by blocking roads,” reads the report.
“An increase in kidnapping, extortion, and homicides have also come with the turf war.”
Various dioceses of the Catholic Church have requested intercession from the Mexican government, to no avail, suggesting that the organized crime problem won’t be solved anytime soon.
