Mexican Diplomat: US Government Helps Sinaloa Cartel Smuggle Drugs

A little over a year ago, a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa drug cartel alleged that the Fast and Furious program was not aimed at tracking the movement of guns into Mexico, but instead an effort to arm the Sinaloa cartel itself against other rival cartels. This may sound shocking, but, when one considers that arming particular rebels, terrorists, or militant groups to fight against others is a typical US foreign policy move in the Middle East and South America, it’s certainly within reason to think it might be happening in Mexico as well.

Now, Business Insider is reporting that, according to leaked emails from the security contractor Stratfor, a Mexican diplomat says that the US government is arming the Sinaloa cartel and allowing it to smuggle drugs across the border in exchange for cooperation against other drug gangs. If the US were to end drug prohibition, drug cartels would lose their primary cash cow and would no longer be able to afford the military-style weapons they are using to terrorize Mexico and US border states. Check out the song “Drug War” by Thousands of One in the player below, and let’s talk about the madness that is the War on Drugs after the jump.

War on Drugs Policy Mirroring Foreign Policy Mistakes That Led to 9/11

Arming one group of bad guys to take out another has serious consequences. Most notably, the US attempted to do this by arming and training Osama bin Laden and his Mujahideen against the Soviets, only to later suffer a devastating surprise attack when the rebel group turned against the US on 9/11/2001. Now, similar mistakes are allegedly being made much closer to home and with greater risks.

If the feds are supplying the Sinaloa drug cartel with weapons and allowing the criminal gang to cross the border, then US citizens are being put directly in harms way. Certainly, such a foolish move would escalate American murder rates. Furthermore, it sends a mixed signal for the government to criminalize drugs while assisting its preferred provider, which just so happens to be one of the most notoriously violent organizations in the world.

Examining the Authenticity of the Claim

It’s important to note that the Mexican diplomat cited by the above-linked article did not make a pronouncement to the media expressing his theory about the US government’s cooperation with the Sinaloa cartel. Instead, his comments were hacked from a private email and leaked by Anonymous. This lends some credibility to the claim, because it’s obvious that the communication was not meant for public consumption. However, The Atlantic editorialized that Stratfor’s credibility is suspect and that Anonymous shouldn’t have taken the firm’s emails seriously.

Though these claims have yet to be conclusively verified, many have alleged over the years that various alphabet gangs such as the CIA and FBI have been involved in drug running. Also, it seems that these allegations fit the modus operandi of the government in general when compared to how it deals with terrorist organizations and rebel groups in the Middle East.

Is the US picking winners and losers in the international drug smuggling industry in a misguided effort to defeat some drug cartels? Has the Sinaloa cartel’s leader Joaquín Guzmán attained assistance from the US government in exchange for serving as an informant? Rather than equipping a violent drug cartel with weapons and allowing it to cross the border and kill Americans, Congress and state legislatures should end the War on Drugs and prohibition completely. That would put all of the drug cartels and terrorist organizations out of business right away.

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