Mexican drug cartels grow pot in U.S. Most discussions of Mexican drug wars focus on the smuggling and the gang violence that threatens the border areas. But now the Mexican cartels have caught on and found a new way to get drugs in the U.S. Mexican drug cartels are increasingly active inside the United States, producing homegrown marijuana and gaining new urban footholds, officials say. ... The four largest Mexican cartels -- the Federation, the Tijuana Cartel, the Juarez Cartel and the Gulf Cartel -- now operate in 195 U.S. cities, up from about 50 cities in 2006, a Justice Department report indicates. One reason is that marijuana sales have been a steady and lucrative business for them, virtually unrelated to the ups and downs of other drugs. "Marijuana is the king crop," Special Agent Rafael Reyes of the Drug Enforcement Administration told the Times. "It consistently sustains its marketability and profitability." Mexican drug traffickers have also moved into hydroponic marijuana production -- cannabis grown indoors without soil and using sunlamps, officials said. Next up: Mexican landscapers grow marijuana in your backyard. Now that's what I call market synergy! Next up: Mexican landscapers grow marijuana in your backyard. Now that's what I call market synergy! » more at: www.upi.com Posted By jamesk at 2009-02-02 11:35:58 permalink | comments » More ways to bookmark this page





Comments (4)