Mexican Drug War

Although it has developed into its own horrific shape over the past few years, the Mexican drug war might be considered as a component of the greater War on Drugs in the region. Drug cartel armed groups have been conducting a deadly conflict with the Mexican government since 2006. The violence is far from over; it frequently spreads to the surrounding areas and has so far claimed more than 300,000 lives throughout Mexico.

Nearly all of the region's drug trade is controlled by Mexican cartels, several of whom are also at open war with one another. People in society who are accused of working with rival gangs are frequently exposed to cruel execution and torture techniques. Although the security forces in Mexico have been effective in capturing or killing the heads of significant gangs, including the dramatic capture of El Chapo in 2014, this has not done much to address the underlying reasons of the war.

Date: December 11, 2006 – present(15 years, 11 months and 5 days)

Location: Throughout Mexico, with occasional spillover across international borders into Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California, and also into the Central and South American countries of El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Belize, Venezuela, Colombia, and Guatemala

Status: Ongoing