As the war between the drug cartels and Mexican government wages on, the incidence of cartel-related crimes continues to escalate in the US, particularly in Arizona. Sharing more than 300 miles of border with Mexico, Arizona has become one of the principal stomping grounds for home invasions, human trafficking, human smuggling and gun running.
While the majority of the targets of these crimes are illegal immigrants and those with a connection to the drug cartels and human trafficking/smuggling rings, ordinary citizens of the state still are impacted by the violence, as they feel less safe in their homes and communities.
Home Invasions and Kidnappings
The most common targets in home invasions are those who owe a debt to the drug cartels - either as a user or a lower-level dealer - and those who have been smuggled across the border. Home invasions also are perpetuated by rival drug gangs seeking to steal the other gang's drug shipments and cash. People wearing gear similar to that of the police will storm the home and demand money and/or drugs. They may take a person from the home, sometimes children, to secure payment of a debt.
In 2008, there were more than 200 home invasions in Tucson. In the last two years, more than 700 home invasions have been reported in Phoenix. The true number of home invasions is not known, however, because the majority of them are never reported to the police.
Human Trafficking
Arizona also has become a hotbed for the human trafficking trade, particularly for men, woman and children smuggled in from Mexico. Human trafficking involves the use of people for forced labor, usually as laborers in manufacturing, construction or agricultural industries or as sex industry workers. Victims also are often forced into indentured servitude to perform domestic duties, like housecleaning, cooking and nanny services. The traffickers use threats, intimidation, force and even rape to keep the workers in line.
The victims of human trafficking are brought to the US from all over the world - not just from Mexico. For example, federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials recently raided a massage parlor near Yuma, Arizona, that was a front for a Korean prostitution business.
According to US State Department figures, between 14,500 and 17,500 people are trafficked in the US each year. However, many human rights groups believe these figures are too low and that the real number is somewhere closer to 50,000.
Human Smuggling
Due to its shared border with Mexico, Arizona is one of the main gateways into the US for the human smuggling trade. Mexican citizens will give money to smugglers - often called "coyotes" - who then will agree to run them across the US border. Oftentimes, the coyotes will demand more money for their services than they already have received, especially after they have transported the people into the US. At this point, the people are in the country illegally, without any documentation and are literally are at the mercy of their captors. The coyotes will hold them until the higher price is paid, usually by a relative already living in the US.
Human smuggling also has become a profitable side business for the drug cartels. In some cases, they will kidnap and hold for ransom people that they previously smuggled into the country.
Gun Running
The drug cartels are not just bringing drugs and people into the US, they also are taking guns back out of it. In 2008, of 12,000 weapons the Mexican government confiscated from the drug cartels, 90 percent came from the United States, principally from Arizona and Texas.
The cartels are taking advantage of the favorable gun laws in these states to stockpile weapons in their war against each other and the Mexican government. For example, Arizona state law allows gun dealers to sell an unlimited number of rifles to one buyer, so long as the buyer has a clean criminal record and a valid driver's license. Private sellers, like those at gun shows, are not required by law to perform background checks, keep records of the sale or report the sale to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Typically, the cartels will use several strawmen, oftentimes women, to purchase a few weapons each from several different gun shops in order to stay under the radar. In other cases, the cartels will be less inconspicuous and may use threats of violence to keep shop owners and private sellers quiet about the sales. Once enough weapons have been purchased, they then smuggle them back across the border.
Victims' Silence Impeding Law Enforcement Efforts
Despite the number of joint coalitions and task forces formed by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, they are still fighting an uphill battle in their attempts to stop the flow of violence from Mexico into Arizona and other states.
The silence of the victims is one of the biggest obstacles to prosecuting and punishing these crimes. Whether because of fear of retaliation by the cartels against them or their families or fears of deportation, the victims of these crimes rarely are willing come forward and seek the help of the police.
Even without the help of the victims and their families, however, Arizona state and local police and federal agents continue to fight what may be a losing battle against cartel-related drug violence.
