Leader of Mexico's brutal Zetas drug cartel captured

[americanwoman]

I have no doubt cartels would just murder any competition, legal or not.

I recently read a good book "El Narco: inside Mexico's criminal insurgency". It's a pretty good book, detailing the history of drugs in Mexico and the rise of "El Narco" and the culture that is being built upon them. The writer is a little biased but does stick to facts and statistics pretty consistently.

 

[blaxshep]

Dude, I am not contesting the fact that if you make drugs legal, there would be no cartels.

But you didn't read my previous comment, the one in which I put that map.

These drug cartels have the plantations of opium and cannabis to make the hard drugs they sell. So they also have the facilities in which they prepare said drugs. If you make hard drugs legal, all you do is turn these criminals into law-biding drug magnates who will have HUGE profit margins from the sell of hard drugs legally. They already own the means of production, commercializing them legally will be a breeze.

And while you do encourage LEGAL competition between the various druglords turned drug magnates, you encourage it at a NATIONAL level, not just the regional level that they have now. So areas that are now NOT in any of the current drug lords' influence will become a deployment zone for legal hard drug merchandise.

These drug tycoons will not make their fortune by selling drugs at a high mark-up, but sell them accross a WIDE market. With marketing and all that... it's easy to make more fortune. Remember, the wealthiest people in the world are not people who operate illegally, but those who operate legally. Legally, you always make a lot more money. And if you legalize a very dangerous substance with real harmful effects you endanger an entire country while letting people get away with murder legally. It's insane.



We aren't discussing about pot and the USA. By all means, make pot legal in the USA. That's fine. We are discussing hard drugs and the cartels that distribute them, and have a whole criminal infrastructure in MEXICO.

Apply that same logic to prohibition. Is it the Mobsters that now dominate the alcohol market? No. They no longer exist.

 

[Binary_Digit]

Rainman05,

The Al Capones of the world (thugs who capitalized on alcohol prohibition) all but disappeared after the 21st Amendment was passed. But your assertion is that wouldn't happen if other drugs are legalized. How does that make sense? Why are other drugs any different?

The cartels have a death grip on the industry because of prohibition, not in spite of it. They've been handed the black market on a silver platter. It makes no sense to point at the problems caused by prohibition as a reason to continue prohibition.

 

[Thoreau72]

Leader of Mexico's brutal Zetas drug cartel captured - World News




I really hope this is a great victory and just not a rival cartel working with the govenment taking out the other guy. Los Zetas are truly a force to be reckoned with, they are ruthless. I have heard of Los Zetas being infiltrated into the US and that is the last thing we need. Maybe the government can move on to get Sinaloa next, I can only pray.

For those of us over age 40 or so, we've been hearing this sophistry for quite some time.

I can remember when the government bragged how much better things would be after it captured or killed or imprisoned, Pable Escobar, Carlos Lederer, and a very long list of other "kingpins". Pure political sophistry, meant to impress those who are easily impressed with headlines.

This man's capture will change nothing at all that is meaningful.

 

[MMC]

For those of us over age 40 or so, we've been hearing this sophistry for quite some time.

I can remember when the government bragged how much better things would be after it captured or killed or imprisoned, Pable Escobar, Carlos Lederer, and a very long list of other "kingpins". Pure political sophistry, meant to impress those who are easily impressed with headlines.

This man's capture will change nothing at all that is meaningful.

Heya HD. :2wave: Well it does weaken the Zetas. As his brother isn't the type that can lead and outwit Guzman. But you are Right. It does make for a good headline.

 

[ttwtt78640]

How do you know? maybe I'm a smart drug dealer, follow american news... when there is talk of legalizing pot in states I make preparations to set up a company... buy store locations and all that, and then when the law passes, bam, I already have the supply, the means of production and offer reasonable small prices for marijuana to customers all over that state. Earlier than anyone else can. I buy off the competition and become a multi millionaire legally.

it's perfectly possible. You just say it will kill their market because you want to believe that. There is no reason why what I just said can't be true. If anything I will reach more people than I did before because now that it's legal, I can freely advertise it and set up stores everywhere without watching for the fuzz. In fact, the fuzz is on my side.

You discount the downward pressure of massive competition on prices. While these "drug lords" have armies to distribute raw agricultural products they lack what even our own tobacco companies have - access to rolling/packaging factories and contracts with millions of retail stores to sell their products. Growing marijuana and other raw materials for drugs are not what is highly profitable, it is the illegal distrubution (and lack of competition) that generates the big profits. Any moron can grow decent marijuana, and many can learn to grow very high quality weed. How much "boot legging" do we see now that alcohol is legal?

 

[Thoreau72]

Heya HD. :2wave: Well it does weaken the Zetas. As his brother isn't the type that can lead and outwit Guzman. But you are Right. It does make for a good headline.

And if the Zetas cease to exist, some other group will step up and take there place. That applies on both the individual level, and on the group/organization level.

And if the truth could be known, it's likely that Zeta and others are working in cahoots with somebody in CIA or DEA, running drugs one way and guns the other way. Until the prohibition is repealed, ain't nothing gonna change. :roll:

 

[MMC]

You discount the downward pressure of massive competition on prices. While these "drug lords" have armies to distribute raw agricultural products they lack what even our own tobacco companies have - access to rolling/packaging factories and contracts with millions of retail stores to sell their products. Growing marijuana and other raw materials for drugs are not what is highly profitable, it is the illegal distrubution (and lack of competition) that generates the big profits. Any moron can grow decent marijuana, and many can learn to grow very high quality weed. How much "boot legging" do we see now that alcohol is legal?

That's why back in the 60sixties they also shifted to pharmaceuticals. Also providing raw material for those. Mainly overseas. Moreover I would also start watching as to who is Putting up or backing the opening up of these Medical marijuana joints. The money behind whoever.

 

[ttwtt78640]

That's why back in the 60sixties they also shifted to pharmaceuticals. Also providing raw material for those. Mainly overseas. Moreover I would also start watching as to who is Putting up or backing the opening up of these Medical marijuana joints. The money behind whoever.

Marijuana is the least profitable product that they sell mainly due to its bulk. By weight, marijuana is not nearly as profitable as many other recreaional drugs. A truck load of marijuana yields less profit than a briefcase of cocaine, ecstasy, meth or heroin.

 

[MMC]

Marijuana is the least profitable product that they sell mainly due to its bulk. By weight, marijuana is not nearly as profitable as many other recreaional drugs. A truck load of marijuana yields less profit than a briefcase of cocaine, ecstasy, meth or heroin.

Yep.....and they have known this for at least 40 years. Which is why efforts were made to get the most out of that product as possible. Now all that is left is to play in the legal and medical business with it.

Going legal here isn't going to hurt them. It will help them in this area. As for the others. Different ballgame.

 

[Thoreau72]

Marijuana is the least profitable product that they sell mainly due to its bulk. By weight, marijuana is not nearly as profitable as many other recreaional drugs. A truck load of marijuana yields less profit than a briefcase of cocaine, ecstasy, meth or heroin.

That's because anybody with a slightly green thumb can grow their own. :mrgreen:

 

[MMC]

That's because anybody with a slightly green thumb can grow their own. :mrgreen:

Sounds like.....someone will be sitting on those sacks of Seeds. :lol:

Not to mention they can get endorsements from Entertainers.

Just think of some stuff called. Lohan Longbottom leaf Kryto Chronica. Means this **** will blow your mind! :lamo

 

[Morrigi]

Ah, Los Zetas. I was in southern Mexico for a month a few years back and word was that they had control of just about all of Veracruz, but the group in question was not particularly violent, making their money primarily off the classic act of kidnapping targets of opportunity and demanding affordable ransoms from the victim's family. That said, the police still had M-16s and there were still military or paramilitary roadblocks in some places, though they were armed with a seemingly random and rather motley collection of M-16s, FN FALs, a few G-3s, and MP5s. In their defense, at one point I saw them in action, professionally stopping and apprehending a suspect in a very shiny, very new SUV with tinted windows.

 

[Thoreau72]

With the Zetas, Mexico reached the point at which the drug cartels were militarily qualified, with many of them having been trained by the US military at Fort Beginning. My goodness, 100 years of drug prohibition have brought us good things, eh?