Fear
I lived in Mexico across the road from a big wedding venue that was regularly booked by narcos.
I asked the people I was living with it was ever raided. Everyone knew who was there and when.
No, because the narcos have more power than the government. If you wrong them, they will kill you, they will kill your family, they will kill everyone you’ve ever loved. They will do that even if you didn’t wrong them but they suspect you might.
You will never be safe in Mexico or the US. If they go to prison they will have their people still running things and they will track you down and kill you.
Politicians, journalists, are killed regularly. Being a journalist in Mexico means you’re either a mouthpiece for the cartel (i.e. the government, which works with the cartels) or you risk your life every day.
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