Mexican cartels persist because poverty and corruption are unresolved

Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes (“El Mencho”) was reported killed by U.S. and Mexican authorities, and the article says poverty, corruption, access to firearms and sustained drug demand are the structural drivers that created and sustain cartels.

El Mencho, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was reported killed by U.S. and Mexican authorities. The author recalls family ties to Michoacán and Jalisco and contrasts those communities with life in a working-class U.S. neighbourhood. The piece traces the rise of Mexican drug trafficking to historical demand, trade shifts and weakened local economies. It emphasizes that poverty, corruption, firearms access and sustained drug demand have long driven cartel recruitment and violence. Key facts: - Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes ("El Mencho") was reported killed by U.S. and Mexican authorities. - The article identifies poverty, corruption, access to firearms and sustained U.S. demand for drugs as core drivers of cartel formation and growth. - Reports cited link cartel activity to cross-border impacts, including a discovered fentanyl production lab near Vancouver and Canadians affected by violence in Mexico. Summary: The killing of El Mencho may change immediate power dynamics among cartels but does not remove the structural conditions the article says created them. Undetermined at this time.