Cartels

Simmons and his two colleagues are among a growing number of scientists in various fields around the world who moonlight as data detectives, sifting through studies published in scholarly journals for evidence of fraud.

At least 5,500 faulty papers were retracted in 2022, compared with 119 in 2002, according to Retraction Watch, a website that keeps a tally. The jump largely reflects the investigative work of the Data Colada scientists and many other academic volunteers, said Dr. Ivan Oransky, the site’s co-founder. Their discoveries have led to embarrassing retractions, upended careers, and retaliatory lawsuits.

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American PXs accept Food Stamps.

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Cartels

As of 2023, the Sinaloa Cartel remains Mexico's most dominant drug cartel. After the arrest of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán and his son Ovidio Guzmán López, the cartel is now headed by old-school leader Ismael Zambada García (aka El Mayo) and Guzmán's other sons, Jesús Alfredo Guzmán and Ivan Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar.

The most dangerous is said to be Los Zetas (the "Zs').

The origins of Los Zetas date back to the late 1990s, when commandos of the Mexican Army deserted their ranks and began working as the enforcement arm of the Gulf Cartel. In February 2010, Los Zetas broke away and formed their own criminal organization, rivaling the Gulf Cartel.
The Zetas were formed by the police.

The cartels recruit heavily in Texas high schools for 'mules.'

175,000 people work for the Mexican cartels. This makes the cartels the fifth largest employer in Mexico. The ten-year death/incarceration rate among cartel members is 37%--so the recruitment rate must be terrific. And they must be very susceptible to infiltration.