By: Eric Xu

Drug wars have been occurring for many decades, especially in Mexico. Recently, these wars have escalated after drug cartels started to modify trucks to add different mechanics, such as guns, to them to fight off police and other cartels. This new addition is a major problem and it is taking these wars to the next level.

Mexico is famous for its multiple drug cartels and how powerful they are. A study from my USF academy states, “Some of the most abused drugs are Alcohol, Cocaine, Heroin, Steroids (Anabolic), and Tobacco/Nicotine.” These are sold worldwide for extremely high prices and are very addictive and dangerous. These factors all contribute to why multiple governments ban it from being used. Many people still sell these drugs because of the high profits, and are called drug dealers. Groups of drug dealers are called drug cartels, and they are very dangerous. Many powerful drug lords have been wanted, and multiple have already been caught. Some of these drug lords are Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, Pablo Escobar, and “Freeway” Rick Ross. Although there have been many successes, new drug lords replace the old , and it is still as powerful as ever.

Drug dealers have always been thought of as secretive people who hide in shady places to sell drugs. It is actually more complicated than that. Drug dealers have to get the drugs they need by buying it from massive companies that sell them, and they need to protect themselves from the police and other competitive companies. This is why the newest ‘Monster’ trucks are being created. They are basically modified trucks that are much more dangerous. They have multiple weapons inside, and are extremely durable. They are suited for the dangerous operations they are used for, such as transporting massive amounts of drugs. The Daily Star addressed these trucks, stating that, “Cartels emblazon the exteriors with their initials or the latest in camouflage patterns, at times making them hard to distinguish from official military vehicles.” This is only the beginning of the cartel’s plans. They may develop these trucks to be even more indestructible.

Mexico is already struggling to stop drug trafficking, and this new addition will not help. How Mexico will respond to the new trucks is unknown, but if it is not stopped, it has the potential to develop into a bigger problem.