It is with interest that I read letters written to you from people who have strong opinions regarding Mexico’s illicit trafficking of drugs or other topics.
I research websites to validate or negate editorial postings that are of interest to me.
Regarding the aforementioned posting, I offer this U.S. government website for factual information of all the source countries for the various drug related crimes: https://www.cia.gov/ library/publications/the-world-factbook/ fields/2086.html. Therein, Mexico’s overview: “Major drug-producing and transit nation; Mexico is estimated to be the world’s third largest producer of opium with poppy cultivation in 2015 estimated to be 28,000 hectares yielding a potential production of 475 metric tons of raw opium; government conducts the largest independent illicit-crop eradication program in the world; continues as the primary transshipment country for USbound cocaine from South America, with
an estimated 95 percent of annual cocaine movements toward the US stopping in Mexico; major drug syndicates control the majority of drug trafficking throughout the country; producer and distributor of ecstasy; significant moneylaundering center; major supplier of heroin and largest foreign supplier of marijuana and methamphetamine to the U.S. market.”
Therefore, Mexico besides being a provider of illicit drugs is also a “transit nation” that provides the traffickers (mules) to transport drugs from Europe, South America. Of interest, from other websites, Asian countries also use Mexico as a smuggling route into the U.S.
I agree that Mexico produces large quantities of illicit drugs; but, European, South American and Asian countries do also.
In other Letters to the Editor, several writers have mistakenly stated that Mexicans have a high level of incarceration due to various crimes.
I offer fellow writers to your column that they read and report the facts from various websites.
BOP’s website provides a treasure trove of facts relating to the “who/ what/when” of the US prison population: https://www.bop.gov/about/ statistics/statistics_inmate_citizenship 79.8% are U.S. Citizens. 46.2% of all incarcerations are for drug violations (includes manufacturing/transporting/ selling/possession, etc.) If we are to post an opinion, I would appreciate the facts and articulate the reasoning behind the postings and, when possible, with validated information.
If it is a matter where no statistics nor reports are available regarding your viewpoint, then by all means articulate your reasoning behind it and let the challenging responses be made.
I thank you in advance for your understanding and would appreciate it.
Dora Sanchez Harlingen
