Street Gangs, Outlaw Bikers, the Mafia and the Mexican Cartels: Dynamics of Transnational Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking in Canada

Over the last few years, Mexican organizations active in the cocaine trade have chosen to stop working through Canadian middlemen and have instead established a direct presence in Canada. What factors have facilitated this decision? How is it likely to affect the dynamics of the transnational drug trade in Canada? It appears that the decision to stop working through middlemen can be traced back to a relative contemporary weakness of Canadian organized crime groups that traditionally handled the Canadian distribution. Further, a convenient network opportunity for direct expansion into Canada has presented itself to the cartels in the form of recently immigrated Mexican-Canadian Mennonites, some of whom have long acted as Mexican cartel-agents. Despite the fearsome reputation of Mexican cartels, there has been no noticeable increase in drug-related violence in Canada, and it is highly unlikely that they will bring Mexico-style violence to Canada with them in the near-term.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Strategic Studies (MSS)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Military and Strategic Studies

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Graduate Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2015

Author dc:creator

• Gaudig-Rueger, Steffen

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Gibbs-Van Brunschot, Erin

• History--Modern
• Military Studies
• Criminology and Penology

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

eng

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/27892

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:11023/2511