What’s the effect of illegal drug traffic in Mexico?

In the US, whether we hear a lot about illegal drug traffic in Mexico or any other place depends on the timeframe and other factors. Back in the 80s and 90s the focus was on Colombia and Pablo Escobar, and then the focus became Mexico.  

 

In my personal experience, I haven’t been affected by illegal drug traffic in Mexico and I haven’t known anyone who’s ever been affected by it, and I’ve been traveling to Mexico since 2000. ...

In the US, whether we hear a lot about illegal drug traffic in Mexico or any other place depends on the timeframe and other factors. Back in the 80s and 90s the focus was on Colombia and Pablo Escobar, and then the focus became Mexico.  

 

In my personal experience, I haven’t been affected by illegal drug traffic in Mexico and I haven’t known anyone who’s ever been affected by it, and I’ve been traveling to Mexico since 2000.  During those 15 years of traveling all around Mexico, mostly the coastal areas on both coasts, I have never known anyone who’s come into contact with this.

 

I think it’s kind of a business that happens as an underground market. It’s not something that’s in front of your face, although there’s a lot of news in a lot of the interior states and maybe closer to other borders with Arizona and Texas. But those don’t tend to be the same places that are the most popular with expats. So it really doesn’t have any direct effect on me or any of my clients.

 

From what I’ve seen and read and heard, the violence seems to have more to do with people from specific families who are involved in some way. So if you’re not involved in the drug trade or any type of illegal trafficking, you would be unlikely to be caught up in something like that, unless you’re at the wrong place at the wrong time in which case that can be anywhere in the world.  From what I know from the news, a lot of times the people who were kidnapped for ransom were specific high profile politicians or high-income families that are well-known in the area.  

 

(Penthouse where Kristin Wilson stayed in at the beach community of  Playa del Carmen, Yucatan, Mexico, pictured.)

In certain regions or states of Mexico you have drug cartels battling for the market. For example, in the states of Michoacán, Sinaloa, Guerrero and Baja, California where there’s a battle among the drug cartels. And that gives that publicity to Mexico because if you visit the Riviera Maya or the Yucatan Peninsula you will notice that it is an area that is very peaceful. You won’t see any violence and related problems.
 
The bad publicity internationally paints...

In certain regions or states of Mexico you have drug cartels battling for the market. For example, in the states of Michoacán, Sinaloa, Guerrero and Baja, California where there’s a battle among the drug cartels. And that gives that publicity to Mexico because if you visit the Riviera Maya or the Yucatan Peninsula you will notice that it is an area that is very peaceful. You won’t see any violence and related problems.
 
The bad publicity internationally paints Mexico with a broad brush.  They’re not describing where the problems are and that’s the most important thing that I consider when discussing any effect of illegal drug traffic.  If you’re not involved in illegal drugs or in these particular areas, you would not be affected by illegal drug traffic.  In the everyday life of everyday people, you don’t even see it. It’s common sense. If you’re in New York or in Michigan or somewhere in a big city, you won’t go to the bad neighborhoods that you know that are violent. If you’re not within that environment then there’s no reason for you to be affected.

 

(Regions of Mexico, pictured.)