Transcript Hettie`s - ElSalvadorVCDGroup

Shadow/Illicit Economy: Narcotics
Gangs ‘les maras’
The Sources of income for gangs are:
•Ransom money
•Protection money
•Armed robbery
•Extortion
Narcotics
1990s emergence of cocaine markets. EL Salvador’ provides transportation network from the cocaine producers to the
South to the Drug Trafficking Organisations in the North.
•DTOs
•Transportistas
– Cartel de Texis and Los Perrones Orientales
– State Complicity
•Gangs
– Muscle
– Evolving role (Steven Dudley 2010)
– Strengthening role between gangs and transnational criminal organisations (Douglas Farah)
Shadow/Illicit Economy: Transportistas
Transportista Operations
•Cartel de Texis - El Faro Quotation
–“A highway worth millions of dollars to those who control it, composed of businessmen, ranchers, mayors, police,
gang members, coyotes [those who handle human trafficking], and congressmen. Everyone plays a role.”
•Los Perrones arrests
– (Douglas Farah) Perrones “integrated their corruption in a structured system of protection for their illicit activities”
Key Points
•Reach of smuggling networks
•Continuum of criminal activity on which gang violence sits
•Blurred borders between state and non-state
•Policy implications given extent of state inflitration
Shadow/Illicit Economy: Historical PE approach
From Civil War to Criminal Enterprises
•Transfer of personnel, skills and knowledge
•Failure of peace process to break down these networks
Fact of Geography
Weak State
(Steven Dudley)
•Civil War lays foundations for trafficking
•Civil war weakens State Institutions
•Neo-liberal policies further undermine state capacity
•Narco traffickers, state agents and gangs capitalise upon weak state
Vested interests in Violence
(Nazih Richani) Economic vested interests in the perpetuation of a system of violence.
(Scott Wallace) The gangs are “a convenient smoke screen to deflect attention from the activities of powerful
criminal syndicates”
Shadow/Illicit Economy: Homo Economicus?
Low Opportunity costs?
• (Nazih Richani) Deterrence theory? But it cannot:
– explain why violence increased with Manu Dura
– account for gang participation given lack of material rewards
Motivation or means?
•Distinguish Gangs from Transportistas
•Money from drugs not the motivation although (Cruz) evidence that gang violence is becoming
increasingly instrumental in nature i.e. for economic purposes.
•Gangs still overwhelmingly poor. Little evidence of great material incentives. A cost - benefit calculation
can not adequately account for gang participation and violence.