Where Did Mexican Cartels Come From in the First Place? Chris Cappy and Justin Taylor - Task & Purpose
go to original June 22, 2023

American officials estimate that 94 percent of illicit substances consumed in the United States today comes from Mexico. The roots of Mexican cartels have a very unlikely origin and can be traced back to the early 1880s. At this time Chinese migrants were hoping to come to the United States.

The influx caused a reaction from the US government which resulted in the 1882 Chinese exclusion act. This law prevented any Chinese migrants from entering into the US. This led to those migrants choosing to settle in Sinaloa Mexico instead. Here at the border these Chinese migrants introduced these substances to the region for the first time. These substances would then be grown in Mexico and exported into the US ever since then.

Then the United States Prohibition Act of 1919 was a major attempt by the government to control people and prevent them from having this. Mexican bootleggers in the 1920s and early 30s were a major supplier of alcohol to the illegal speakeasies, and gang sponsored distribution networks. The bootleggers would brew gallons of alcohol and smuggle it across the fairly open and unpatrolled border.

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