Mexican drug war facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mexican drug war
Part of the war on drugs
The Mexican military detaining suspects in Michoacán, 2007
Date December 11, 2006 (2006-12-11) – present (17 years, 11 months, 1 week and 5 days) Location Throughout Mexico, with occasional spillover across international borders into Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California, and also into the Central and South American countries of El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Belize, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Guatemala Status Ongoing
Belligerents
Mexico Armed Forces National Guard (2019–present) Federal Police (2006–2019) State and municipal police forces Self-defense groups Consulting and training support by: United States through the Mérida Initiative Colombia through the National Police of Colombia Australia through the Australian Federal Police Canada through the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program (ACCBP) Philippines through the National Bureau of Investigation Guerrilla groups: Popular Revolutionary Army (EPR) Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN)	Mexican cartels: Sinaloa Cartel CJNG LNFM Los Viagras Weakened and defunct cartels: Gulf Cartel Los Metros LFM CSRL Los Zetas Juárez Cartel Tijuana Cartel Cárteles Unidos La Barredora La Unión Tepito Milenio Cartel (2006–2010) BLO (2006–2017) CIDA (2010–2014) Knights Templar Cartel (2011–2017)
Commanders and leaders
Felipe Calderón (2006–2012) Enrique Peña Nieto (2012–2018) Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018–present) Guillermo Galván (2006–2012) Salvador Cienfuegos (2012–2018) Luis Cresencio Sandoval (2018–present) Mariano Francisco Saynez (2006–2012) Vidal Francisco Soberón Sanz (2012–2018) José Rafael Ojeda (2018–present)	"El Mayo" (incarcerated) "El Chapo" (incarcerated) "El Vicentillo" (incarcerated ) "El Chapito" "El Ratón" (incarcerated) "El Güero" (incarcerated) "El Coss" (incarcerated) "El Viceroy" (incarcerated) "El Ingeniero" (incarcerated) "La Tuta" (incarcerated) "El Chango" (incarcerated) "El Tío" (incarcerated) "El General" (incarcerated) "El Grande" (incarcerated) "La Barbie" (incarcerated) "La Jefa" "El Teo" (incarcerated) "El Ingeniero" (incarcerated) "El Z-40" (incarcerated) "El Z-42" (incarcerated) "El L-50" (incarcerated) "El Goyo" (incarcerated) "El Mencho" "El 85" (incarcerated) "El Cuini" (incarcerated) "El Menchito" (incarcerated) "El Tony Montana" (incarcerated) "El Marro" (incarcerated)
Strength
Mexico 368,000 police officers 277,000 Soldiers 107,000 National Guard members 23,300 Self-defense group 9,000 Guerrillas group	Cartels: 100,000+ individuals
Casualties and losses
Mexico: 743 servicemen killed and 137 missing 4,038 federal, state, and municipal police killed 66 members of the Policía Comunitaria killed EPR: 2 EPR members killed	Cartels: 12,456 cartel members killed (2006–2010) 121,199 cartel members detained (2006–2009) 8,500 cartel members convicted (2006–2010)
Total casualties: 41,034 dead in war conflicts between identified parties from 2006–2020 (total 350,000–400,000 dead from organized crime homicides from 2006–2022) 60,000+ missing (2020)

The Mexican drug war is an ongoing conflict primarily between the Mexican government and various drug trafficking organizations, commonly referred to as cartels. This war has resulted in significant violence, corruption, and social upheaval within Mexico.

The conflict began in earnest in December 2006 when President Felipe Calderón deployed military forces to combat drug-related violence. The government's main objective was to dismantle the cartels that had become powerful across the country.

The Calderón administration's strategy involved deploying thousands of troops to combat cartel violence directly. This militarized approach has been criticized for escalating violence rather than reducing it. Subsequent administrations have continued this strategy with varying degrees of success.

In December 2018, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared an end to the war on drugs; however, violence has persisted, with homicide rates remaining high. Critics argue that simply declaring an end does not address the underlying issues fueling the conflict.

Aftermath

The drug war has exacerbated corruption within law enforcement and government institutions. Many officials have been bribed or coerced by cartel influences, undermining public trust in governance.

The violence has led to widespread suffering among civilians, including displacement and loss of life. The conflict has also resulted in a significant number of missing persons in Mexico. Since the onset of the war, estimates suggest that over 431,000 people have been killed, with tens of thousands more reported missing. By 2013, estimates indicated that at least 120,000 people had died as a result of the conflict.

See also