Title: Drug cartel | Britannica
Headings: Drug cartel
Drug cartel
Colombian drug cartels
Mexican drug cartels
Other cartels
Narco-terrorists
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Drug cartel

Content: Richard Nixon. Following his victory in the 1968 presidential election, Nixon declared that drug abuse was “public enemy number one.” Efforts to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the United States —which was the primary destination for most narcotics—became increasingly focused on curtailing foreign production of marijuana and heroin. It was during the 1970s, however, that a growing U.S. demand for cocaine led to the creation of the earliest drug cartels. Colombian drug cartels
The Medellín cartel, the first major drug cartel in Colombia, began in the mid-1970s when Colombian marijuana traffickers began smuggling small quantities of cocaine into the United States. As the trade grew, a diverse group of entrepreneurs became involved, ranging from well-respected individuals with backgrounds in ranching and horsing to petty criminals. The growing demand for cocaine soon prompted the expansion of the trade beyond small amounts tucked into suitcases. The cartel purchased private planes to carry its shipments, constructed more sophisticated drug laboratories, and even purchased a small island in the Caribbean for refueling its aircraft. Violence, lapses in organization, and competition from the emergent Cali cartel (centered in Cali, Colombia) fractured the Medellín cartel in the late 1980s and early ’90s. Pablo Escobar, leader of the Medellín cartel, became one of the most wanted men in the world and was forced into hiding.