Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs)

Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs), also known as cartels, are responsible for the majority of drug trafficking into the United States. These networks are involved in the production, transportation, and wholesale distribution of illegal drugs. Ninety percent of the cocaine entering the United States comes through Mexico. This mass movement increased after many of the prominent Colombian cartels, such as the Cali and Medellín cartels, were destroyed in the 1990s by the Colombian and U.S. military. Mexican cartels have an advantage over traditional street and motorcycle gangs, as they have control over smuggling routes into the United States through the southwest border. These same cartels also have the ability to manufacture, transport, and distribute illegal drugs through sophisticated networks. Drugs are transported in small quantities across the border by foot and in noncommercial vehicles. Large quantities of narcotics are trafficked in commercial and noncommercial vehicles, planes, and boats.