By M.M. Rajabali
While Western nations perpetuate the War on Terror in the Middle East, the War on Drugs continues to go by unnoticed. Juarez city lies on the border of Mexico and the United States, and is a major shipping port for drugs being sent to the United States. Up until a few weeks ago, Juarez was recorded as the most violent city in the world – being the murder capital of the world.
In Juarez, drug cartels operate and recruit individuals with the “Silver or lead” policy. If you choose to get bribed to work for any one of the numerous cartels, your life will be spared. They are also likely to provide healthcare benefits, social benefits and family care in the much-maligned future of Mexico. How could one resist?
El Chapo Guzman - “Shorty Guzman” - is the drug lord of the largest cartel in the world: the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico. Unlike his size, his network runs far and wide – all the way from Canada and the United States to West Africa. El Chapo is seen as the meticulous yet loving modern day Robin Hood.
He is able to order assassinations in a jiffy, and yet care for his close family (which includes recruits from the lowest levels) on a day-to-day basis. Surprisingly, El Chapo has made numerous public appearances at restaurants, parties and beaches with his own set of bodyguards.
Why haven’t they caught him yet? Well because he was caught once, and then he escaped. El Chapo was sentenced to 20 years in a maximum prison facility, but escaped after bribing the police and taking complete control of the prison. Although it took him eight years to find an ideal way out of the maximum-security prison, it cost him a mere $2.5 million.
In Mexico, becoming the president or a government official with a mighty reign is not something anyone strives for. Rather, El Chapo provides a surreal example of the man that everyone wishes to be.
When given the choice between smuggling drugs and being shot to the head, most would not pick the latter.
Once a member of a drug cartel, fidelity is the only criteria.
Ciudad Juarez is one of the most dangerous cities in the world because it is the main route of drug supply from the largest seller of drugs, to the largest buyer of illegal drugs. So next time you decide to take that sniff or snort, think about the countless lives that may have been lost in trying to give you that batch of goodies.
