The complexity of drug cartels’ internal structures, their strategies of “marketing and customer service” and the way they operate increasingly resemble those of large global corporations.

How are the Coca-Cola and McDonald’s corporations similar to drugs cartels? Of course the products they sell are completely different, but the way the three try to position their products and brands, increase their market share and increase profits to generate more dividends to their shareholders, is almost the same.

This is the conclusion reached by the editor of The Economist, Tom Wainwright, in his book “Narconomics: How to Run a Drug Cartel”.

“… Criminals control the market of raw materials, as Wal-Mart does. They set drug prices and keep prices stable because they supress producers of these raw materials, as does Wal-Mart or McDonald’s. They have personnel management and -the best example is Los Zetas – who also hand over franchises to “Local Entrepreneurs” to whom their give their logo, weapons and drugs in exchange for profits. Just like Coca-Cola. “

In an interview with the website Sinembargo.com.mx Wainwright explains that the cartels have grown and improved the way they operate “… ‘Learning from the best, of course. The people who run the cartels have been attentive students of the strategy and tactics used by companies such as Wal-Mart, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola, creating brand value and adjusting their customer service. ‘ ”

“… ‘What can the government learn from this in order to combat this scourge? By analyzing cartels as companies law officers can better understand how they work and stop throwing 100 billion dollars a year into futile attempts to win the “war” against this global business which is highly organized,” says the presentation of Amazon Great Britain.”

The growing presence of drug cartels in Central America is an example of the precision with which they operate. In the region, although the rulers deny it, Central American countries are losing the war against drug traffickers. In some it is happening faster than in others, and in all of the nations on the isthmus violence associated with drug trafficking is growing, and it is becoming increasingly apparent that mafia power has infiltrated public institutions and private organizations, through bribery, and also through of use of terror.

See also “Einstein and Drug Trafficking” and “Central America in the Hands of Drug Traffickers“

Source: sinembargo.mx