Crime is among the most urgent concerns facing Mexico, as Mexican drug trafficking rings play a major role in the flow of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana transiting between Latin America and the United States. Drug trafficking has led to corruption, which has had a deleterious effect on Mexico’s Federal Representative Republic. Drug trafficking and organized crime have also been a major source of violent crime in Mexico.

Mexico has experienced increasingly high crime rates, especially in major urban centers. The country’s great economic polarization has stimulated criminal activity in the lower socioeconomic strata, which include the majority of the country’s population. Crime continues at high levels, and is repeatedly marked by violence, especially in Monterrey, Tijuana, Ciudad Juárez, Nuevo Laredo, Michoacan, and the state of Sinaloa. Other metropolitan areas have lower, yet still serious, levels of crime. Low apprehension and conviction rates contribute to the high crime rate.

In this documentary Ross Kemp follows some of the most dangerous drug running routes on the US/Mexico border. A grim reminder of what has happened since Calderon decided to “take on the cartels”. It’s not rocket science. The more enforcement. The more fractured the drug gangs are. This may seem like a good thing to those fighting “The Drug War” however there are some very serious consequences which have come as a result. The escalation of violence from the Mexican government has destabilized what were previously gang turf. This means that as the police take control of one section, the gangs must move into someone elses turf in order to continue their business. The second effect is that by decreasing supply the police are also raising the price of the products so the gangs end up making more money off of a product if there is more stringent enforcement.