Mexican drug cartels are increasingly turning to the Internet to taunt and threaten rivals, recruit members and glorify the narco-trafficker lifestyle. Some of the videos posted by the cartels depict executions and torture or display the dead bodies of victims in the Mexican drug wars – including law enforcement officials who interfere with the cartels’ lucrative business. "It’s out of control,” Victor Clark, a Tijuana-based drug expert, told the Washington Post. "The Internet has turned into a toy for Mexican organized crime. It’s a toy to have fun with, a toy to scare people.”
Drug raids in Mexico often capture cameras, computers and computerized surveillance systems along with the usual haul of cash, weapons and contraband. YouTube is the most popular destination for videos from the cartels. The site removes those videos deemed objectionable by users, but the violent clips frequently reappear on the site shortly after they are removed, the Post reports.
"Mexican law enforcement is ill-equipped to deal with this, said Andrew Teekell, an analyst at Stratfor, a private intelligence company based in Texas. "In the U.S., posting videos like that would be plain crazy – U.S. law enforcement has guys who do nothing but surf the Internet. But in Mexico, they can get away with it. It shows these cartels are untouchable.” U.S. officials say from 70 to 90 percent of the cocaine entering the U.S. comes across the Mexican border. Mexico is the top source for marijuana in the U.S., the No. 2 source of heroin, and the top producer of methamphetamine.