We posted about the Mexico cartels during 2024. We may be posting more in 2025 after listening to President Trump talk about dismantling them. Time will tell.

We can tell you this about the state of the cartels. My friend Allan Wall posted this:

It’s important for jobs to be created in Mexico.

But what if criminal gangs are one of the biggest employers in the country?

A recent study has found that, taken collectively, the Mexican drug cartels are now the fifth largest employer in Mexico.

From ZME Science: “Mexican cartels now boast an estimated 175,000 members, making them the fifth largest employer in Mexico, right between the grocery chain Oxxo and telecoms company América Móvil.”

Working for a cartel means that you may be selling illegal drugs on the street, bringing someone over the border, working in one of many companies funded by laundered money and maybe others. It’s a diverse operation to say the least.

The cartels are the fifth largest employer because of the power of cash. No one knows for sure how many dollars go south because of cartel operations, but it's billions. It's enough to create jobs and keep a few politicians happy about their local economies.

So how are we going to dismantle the cartels? It won't be easy and will require the full participation of the Mexican government.

Mexico receives $65 billion in remittances and the cartels are the fifth largest employer. What a strange way to run an economy.

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Image: Defense Visual Information Distributon Service