Drugs, Murder, and Pueblo Mágico

With President Felipe Caldron taking a harsher stance against drug cartels and police corruption, violence between traffickers and the Mexican military is occurring more and more frequently. The breakdown of many of the larger cartels throughout Mexico has led to the increase in the activity of smaller gangs especially in areas of small crime.  In response to the increase in violence, tourism, one of Mexico’s largest and most profitable industries, has significantly dropped with people fearing the "oh my god it's happening next door" type of criminal activity.  Writer Maribeth Mellin summed it up by saying, “I just think that your chances of being an innocent bystander or witnessing something bad are higher now.” 

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The chemical components just got a lot more organic...

Santiago Meza Lopez was arrested for literally dissolving 300 bodies into chemicals. Mexican drug wars drive this particular industry.  The 300 bodies (or lack thereof) were once rivals of a Mexican drug trafficking gang lead by kingpin Teodoro Garcia Simental.  The drug wars are over drug trafficking routes through Tijuana.  In a statement, Meza bluntly said that when he was "disposing of" the bodies he felt "nothing".  It was just a job for him.  He was payed $600 a week to get rid of 300 bodies.  The question I pose to you is this: was it because of impoverishment that people do such things, or is it simply for the pure pursuit of money? Would this job be regarded as democratic since Meza didn't murder anybody, and he has the freedom to a contract?  At what point can the government curtail this freedom to a contract, especially in a society as problematic and poverty-ridden as Mexico is today.  Would it be worse to eliminate his opportunity to work in such an impoverished nation?

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