Cartels - Mexicanist

Editorial illustration showing a shadowy hand extending from Mexico across the U.S.-Mexico border to a grocery store shelf.

Cartels

The 'Mutation' of Cartels and the 'Shadow Tax' on the U.S. Economy

Mexico's homicides are down 40% — but don't pop the champagne. Cartels have mutated from drug traffickers into quasi-feudal tax collectors, extorting avocado farmers and hijacking cargo routes. That shadow tax? You're paying it at the grocery store.