Relation to Terrorist Organizations The cartels participate in the narcotics production and trafficking process in order to fund their territorial claims and political control. Their affinity for and involvement in the narcotics trade has brought these drug cartels into contact and context with other terrorist groups (Clarke 1). There have been cases of money flowing from the cartels to the middle east to fund terrorist activity with many ISIS operatives active on …show more content…
They thrive on “creating mayhem by indiscriminately attacking and killing Mexican civilians and migrants and significantly disturbing political life in Mexico and the United States,” (Jackson 123). They create this mayhem by implementing terrorist tactics “like car bombings and beheadings,” as a means “to further their goals of control, intimidation, and persuasion,” (Jackson 123). These methods are not motivated only by monetary gain, but “ultimately to lead to the disruption of the Mexican and American governments in significant ways,” (Jackson 123). Los Zetas and other cartels use the above tactics and more in a public setting to accomplish their goals, just like terrorist organizations