DIMENSIONS OF CRIME

Dimensions of Crime

Dimensions of Crime

Introduction

Intelligence and general information about the structure and organization of the Juárez cartel are slim at best. Therefore, looking at general information about Mexican drug cartels gives insight into the operation of the Juárez cartel. As stated earlier in the thesis, as information specific to the Juárez cartel became available it was used throughout this chapter. A by-product of early Mexican DTOs [Drug Trafficking Organizations] and Colombian cartels working together for an extended period of time is that Mexican DTOs have been able to evolve into more “organized, specialized, and efficient” organizations. Drug cartels tend to be highly compartmentalized. Cartels are made of drug trafficking organizations. If drug trafficking organizations are the units that make up cartels, then cells are the units that make up drug trafficking organizations. Cells are groups of specialized people who use their skill to aid specific drug trafficking organizations. “On average, cells are made up of 10 employees who have no knowledge about the memberships, location, or activities of other cells in the area.” There are several advantages to this compartmentalization.

Jharna Chatterjee (2006) observes that this structure “allows criminal organizations to suffer little setbacks when so called leaders or other key figures are prosecuted, arrested, or even killed.” Another advantage is that “if law enforcement activities were able to compromise one cell, none of the others would be effected (sic) (Potter 2004).” This compartmentalization was utilized by the Pablo Acosta organization in Ojinaga/Presidio. Poppa (1998) explains that this shutting off of people to Acosta better protected him from those wanting to assassinate him or turn him over to the authorities. Key people in various areas who possess skills, such as transporting drugs, money laundering, or stealing cars, run the cells. These cells have no contact with ...