Marijuana ‘the number 1 cash crop’ for Mexican drug cartels
Marijuana is proving to be a lucrative resource for drug cartels in Mexico, drug experts from the US have revealed.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the substance has become the "number one cash crop" for cartels in the country, ABC News reports.
Mel Rodriguez, assistant special agent at the DEA, said proceeds from the sale of marijuana are going towards various other criminal activities.
For instance, he noted that money is being used to fund the purchase of weapons, some of which are then sold to other criminal organisations.
He was speaking after the Nightline programme carried out an investigation into Mexican drug cartels and found that the amount of marijuana smuggling into the US has gone up significantly in recent years.
This followed earlier warnings from Victor Clark-Alfaro, director of the Binational Center for Human Rights, who told Reuters that young people in Mexico are increasingly turning towards the world of organised crime in order to find a job.
