Recent reports have shown that the effects of Mexican drug cartels reach deep into the United States, not just border states. One of the states affected is South Carolina, whose Attorney General Alan Wilson is trying to prosecute cartel members in South Carolina.
"It might surprise people that cartel drug trafficking happens in South Carolina, but it does and we’re fighting to stop it," said Alan Wilson.
In January, the state of South Carolina announced an indictment against 43 individuals for 170 different charges in a drug trafficking case called "Las Señoritas." This case was named because many of the priority targets were women who fled to Mexico to escape prosecution. The investigation revealed that these targets were allegedly involved with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and trafficked drugs in Pickens, Greenville, Laurens, Anderson, and Oconee Counties.
According to a report by NewsNation, between the beginning of 2022 and the beginning of 2023, over 300 people in the U.S. have been arrested or charged for criminal activity directly related to cartels. It is also believed that the number of crimes that can be traced back to cartels is much higher than that.
It is not just border states that are being affected by cartel activities. According to KTLA, there have been arrests directly linked to cartels in states as far away from the border as Washington and Connecticut.
In a congressional hearing, Anne Milgram, the administrator for the Drug Enforcement Administration, testified that the Jalisco New Generation Cartel has more than 18,800 members, associates, facilitators, and brokers associated with it throughout the world and has a presence in every state in the U.S. She described them as "posing the greatest criminal drug threat the United States has ever faced."
The Jalisco Cartel is known for its violent tactics. Insight Crime described Jalisco as "Mexico's foremost criminal threat and appears set to continue expanding." They have been involved in a number of infamous mass killings and attacks against public officials while running a public relations campaign to ingratiate themselves to the public.
