The State-Cartel Synthesis – How Mexico and Venezuela work with Cartels

What is a narco state? It’s not just corruption—it’s when the government and cartels become indispensable to each other.

🔑 Key Points:
Cartels = “Evil Amazons” – They’re sophisticated multi-billion dollar logistics firms trafficking drugs, people, weapons, and everything else

The Synthesis:
– STATE provides: Cover, legitimization, operational bases
– CARTELS provide: Foreign policy muscle, election enforcement, strategic support

Real Examples:
– Mexico’s Morena regime
– Venezuela’s Maduro regime

📍 2021 Sinaloa elections – cartels providing “election muscle”
Why This Matters: This isn’t ordinary corruption you can root out. When cartels and the state fuse together, they fundamentally change each other’s nature. The state itself becomes criminal, and the criminals become quasi-governmental.

This synthesis makes both entities stronger and more dangerous—creating regimes that can’t be reformed, only confronted.