Second-seeded Maria Sakkari ended her four-year wait for a second WTA title on Saturday, beating Caroline Dolehide 7-5, 6-3 to win the 1000 level Guadalajara Open.

Greece's Sakkari, ranked ninth in the world, had come up empty in six finals since her breakthrough victory in Rabat in 2019.

That included the Guadalajara final last year, when she lost to American Jessica Pegula, and a loss to Coco Gauff in the final at Washington this year.

An emotional Sakkari thanked her coach of five years, noting they'd waited "more than four years for a second title.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ten-man-manchester-city-beat-nottingham-forest-2-0-to-stay-on-top-of-premier-league-638991">Ten-man Manchester City beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 to stay on top of Premier League</a>

"We've heard so many bad things - that I will never win a title, that I'm a top-five player with only winning one title, that was very hard for me to overcome," she said. "I'm so happy that I did it here this week."

The victory came less than a month after Sakkari was unceremoniously dumped from the first round of the US Open, her third straight first-round exit at a Grand Slam.

Sakkari had said at Flushing Meadows she was "suffering on the court" and was "uncertain" about what to do about it.

This week, however, Sakkari has looked in total command, becoming the first player this year to reach the final of a WTA 1000 event without dropping a set.

Sakkari ended a fairytale week for Dolehide, ranked 111th in the world and playing in her first career final.

Dolehide, who will rise to inside the top 50, came from a set down to beat Peyton Stearns in three tiebreaks in the first round, she beat eighth-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova in the third round and saved four match points in her quarter-final win over Martina Trevisan.

In her first career semi-final Dolehide defeated 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.

Dolehide demonstrated the same grit she'd shown all week when she clawed back an early break in the opening set to take a 5-4 lead.

But Sakkari won the next two games, taking advantage of one of Dolehide's six double faults to break for 6-5.

Down 0-30 in the next game, Sakkari battled back to take the set, and finally gained the upper hand in the second with a break for a 3-2 lead.

That proved to be enough, although there was a tense moment in the seventh game, when Sakkari's 40-0 lead evaporated before she steadied herself to take the game with her third ace of the contest.

She closed it out with one more break, converting her second match point.

When Dolehide's volley sailed long, Sakkari fell to the court and covered her face with her hands as the tears came.

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Second-seeded Maria Sakkari ended her four-year wait for a second WTA title on Saturday, beating Caroline Dolehide 7-5, 6-3 to win the 1000 level Guadalajara Open.

Second-seeded Maria Sakkari ended her four-year wait for a second WTA title on Saturday, beating Caroline Dolehide 7-5, 6-3 to win the 1000 level Guadalajara Open. Greece's Sakkari, ranked ninth in the world, had come up empty in six finals since her breakthrough victory in Rabat in 2019. That included the Guadalajara final last year, when she lost to American Jessica Pegula, and a loss to Coco Gauff in the final at Washington this year. An emotional Sakkari thanked her coach of five years, noting they'd waited "more than four years for a second title. Also Read: Ten-man Manchester City beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 to stay on top of Premier League "We've heard so many bad things - that I will never win a title, that I'm a top-five player with only winning one title, that was very hard for me to overcome," she said. "I'm so happy that I did it here this week." The victory came less than a month after Sakkari was unceremoniously dumped from the first round of the US Open, her third straight first-round exit at a Grand Slam. Sakkari had said at Flushing Meadows she was "suffering on the court" and was "uncertain" about what to do about it. This week, however, Sakkari has looked in total command, becoming the first player this year to reach the final of a WTA 1000 event without dropping a set. Sakkari ended a fairytale week for Dolehide, ranked 111th in the world and playing in her first career final. Dolehide, who will rise to inside the top 50, came from a set down to beat Peyton Stearns in three tiebreaks in the first round, she beat eighth-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova in the third round and saved four match points in her quarter-final win over Martina Trevisan. In her first career semi-final Dolehide defeated 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin. Dolehide demonstrated the same grit she'd shown all week when she clawed back an early break in the opening set to take a 5-4 lead. But Sakkari won the next two games, taking advantage of one of Dolehide's six double faults to break for 6-5. Down 0-30 in the next game, Sakkari battled back to take the set, and finally gained the upper hand in the second with a break for a 3-2 lead. That proved to be enough, although there was a tense moment in the seventh game, when Sakkari's 40-0 lead evaporated before she steadied herself to take the game with her third ace of the contest. She closed it out with one more break, converting her second match point. When Dolehide's volley sailed long, Sakkari fell to the court and covered her face with her hands as the tears came. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Tennis: Maria Sakkari beats Caroline Dolehide in Guadalajara Open for second WTA title

Sofia Kenin's impressive return to form claimed another scalp on Wednesday as the unseeded American upset sixth seed Jelena Ostapenko to reach the quarter-finals of the WTA 1000 Guadalajara Open.

Former Australian Open champion Kenin, who last reached the quarter-finals of a WTA 1000 event in 2019, booked her place in the last eight with a 6-4, 7-5 win in 1hr 44min.

Kenin's victory came after she knocked out 12th seed Anhelina Kalinina in the second round, and follows a deep run at last week's San Diego Open, where she finished runner-up.

Latvia's Ostapenko, who reached the last eight of the US Open earlier this month, reeled off 36 winners to Kenin's 19, but was left paying the price for a failure to convert break points at key moments.

Ostapenko led 3-0 in the second set, but was unable to force a decider after squandering three break points in the eighth game and six as Kenin served for the match in the 12th game of the second set.

The Moscow-born Kenin will face either Emma Navarro or Canada's 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez in the last eight.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-a-brief-history-of-all-india-vs-pakistan-matches-in-odi-world-cups-637997">In Pics: A brief history of all India vs Pakistan matches in ODI World Cups</a>

Kenin, 24, has gradually worked her way back to relevance on the WTA Tour after her ranking tumbled to 426 last year following a slew of injuries and upheaval in her coaching set-up.

In other matches on Wednesday, third seed Caroline Garcia of France sailed into the quarter-finals with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Hailey Baptiste of the United States.

Second seed Maria Sakkari of Greece, meanwhile, romped into the quarter-finals with a 6-2, 6-2 dismissal of Italy's Camila Giorgi.

But while Garcia and Sakkari advanced safely, another seed exited with eighth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova being thrashed 6-1, 6-2 by unseeded American Caroline Dolehide.

&nbsp;

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Sofia Kenin's impressive return to form claimed another scalp on Wednesday as the unseeded American upset sixth seed Jelena Ostapenko to reach the quarter-finals of the WTA 1000 Guadalajara Open.

Sofia Kenin's impressive return to form claimed another scalp on Wednesday as the unseeded American upset sixth seed Jelena Ostapenko to reach the quarter-finals of the WTA 1000 Guadalajara Open. Former Australian Open champion Kenin, who last reached the quarter-finals of a WTA 1000 event in 2019, booked her place in the last eight with a 6-4, 7-5 win in 1hr 44min. Kenin's victory came after she knocked out 12th seed Anhelina Kalinina in the second round, and follows a deep run at last week's San Diego Open, where she finished runner-up. Latvia's Ostapenko, who reached the last eight of the US Open earlier this month, reeled off 36 winners to Kenin's 19, but was left paying the price for a failure to convert break points at key moments. Ostapenko led 3-0 in the second set, but was unable to force a decider after squandering three break points in the eighth game and six as Kenin served for the match in the 12th game of the second set. The Moscow-born Kenin will face either Emma Navarro or Canada's 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez in the last eight. ALSO READ | In Pics: A brief history of all India vs Pakistan matches in ODI World Cups Kenin, 24, has gradually worked her way back to relevance on the WTA Tour after her ranking tumbled to 426 last year following a slew of injuries and upheaval in her coaching set-up. In other matches on Wednesday, third seed Caroline Garcia of France sailed into the quarter-finals with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Hailey Baptiste of the United States. Second seed Maria Sakkari of Greece, meanwhile, romped into the quarter-finals with a 6-2, 6-2 dismissal of Italy's Camila Giorgi. But while Garcia and Sakkari advanced safely, another seed exited with eighth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova being thrashed 6-1, 6-2 by unseeded American Caroline Dolehide. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Tennis: Sofia Kenin upsets Jelena Ostapenko to advance at WTA Guadalajara

U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu was forced to retire with a left hip injury in the deciding set of her opening match against Australia's Daria Saville on Tuesday in the WTA 250 tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The 19-year-old from Britain was playing her first match since last month's painful exit in the second round of the Australian Open, when a blistered racket hand contributed to a three-set defeat by Danka Kovinic.

The British player was two points from victory at the Abierto Akron Zapopan against former world number 20 Saville, who has slipped to 610 in the rankings after undergoing surgery on her Achilles tendon last year.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/mexican-open-daniil-medvedev-beats-frances-benoit-paire-in-pursuit-of-world-no-1-ranking-455587">Mexican Open: Daniil Medvedev beats France's Benoit Paire in pursuit of world no. 1 ranking</a>

Serving for the match at 7-5 5-3 Raducanu failed to close out the game with the Australian fighting back to level the contest at 1-1 in the tiebreaker.

Both women suffered physically during the deciding set, with Saville battling leg cramps while the 12th-ranked Raducanu went off the court for a medical timeout.

Raducanu returned with her upper left leg heavily taped and after two more games decided to quit with Saville leading 5-7 7-6(4) 4-3 after three hours and 36 minutes - the longest WTA match of the season.

U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu was forced to retire with a left hip injury in the deciding set of her opening match against Australia's Daria Saville on Tuesday in the WTA 250 tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico.

U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu was forced to retire with a left hip injury in the deciding set of her opening match against Australia's Daria Saville on Tuesday in the WTA 250 tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico. The 19-year-old from Britain was playing her first match since last month's painful exit in the second round of the Australian Open, when a blistered racket hand contributed to a three-set defeat by Danka Kovinic. The British player was two points from victory at the Abierto Akron Zapopan against former world number 20 Saville, who has slipped to 610 in the rankings after undergoing surgery on her Achilles tendon last year. ALSO READ: Mexican Open: Daniil Medvedev beats France's Benoit Paire in pursuit of world no. 1 ranking Serving for the match at 7-5 5-3 Raducanu failed to close out the game with the Australian fighting back to level the contest at 1-1 in the tiebreaker. Both women suffered physically during the deciding set, with Saville battling leg cramps while the 12th-ranked Raducanu went off the court for a medical timeout. Raducanu returned with her upper left leg heavily taped and after two more games decided to quit with Saville leading 5-7 7-6(4) 4-3 after three hours and 36 minutes - the longest WTA match of the season.

Emma Raducanu retires with hip injury in WTA 250 tournament in Guadalajara

Investigators have found 31 bodies hidden in clandestine graves outside Mexico's second-largest city <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-consulate-in-mexicos-guadalajara-attacked-180816">Guadalajara</a>, authorities in violence-torn Jalisco state said Thursday.

The work of uncovering the clandestine graves began earlier this month after authorities secured a 3,400 square foot (320 square meters) plot of land in Tlajomulco, a suburb of Guadalajara.

"At the end of the work on the property 31 bodies were located in the area, corresponding to six women and 25 women," the Jalisco prosecutor's office said in a statement.

Ten of the bodies were identified, nine of which corresponded to people who had been reported missing.

Prosecutors and forensic officers excavated the graves with the help of heavy machinery, dogs and ground-penetrating radar.

Investigators have also identified two other nearby plots where they believe there could be more graves. Forensic experts will begin investigating those areas on Friday.

Jalisco has seen violence linked to organized crime rebound in recent years due to the presence of the Jalisco New Generation, one of Mexico's most brutal drug cartels.

Violence has spiked since March 2017 after an internal split in the cartel, which also competes with criminal groups in the neighbouring Guanajuato state.

In one suburb of Guadalajara, investigators discovered a property with 30 buried bodies in May.

Another grave with 34 bodies was found in the same neighbourhood in September.

Some 3,200 military personnel have been deployed to Jalisco in an attempt to cont

Investigators have found 31 bodies hidden in clandestine graves outside Mexico's second-largest city Guadalajara, authorities in violence-torn Jalisco state said Thursday.

Investigators have found 31 bodies hidden in clandestine graves outside Mexico's second-largest city Guadalajara, authorities in violence-torn Jalisco state said Thursday. The work of uncovering the clandestine graves began earlier this month after authorities secured a 3,400 square foot (320 square meters) plot of land in Tlajomulco, a suburb of Guadalajara. "At the end of the work on the property 31 bodies were located in the area, corresponding to six women and 25 women," the Jalisco prosecutor's office said in a statement. Ten of the bodies were identified, nine of which corresponded to people who had been reported missing. Prosecutors and forensic officers excavated the graves with the help of heavy machinery, dogs and ground-penetrating radar. Investigators have also identified two other nearby plots where they believe there could be more graves. Forensic experts will begin investigating those areas on Friday. Jalisco has seen violence linked to organized crime rebound in recent years due to the presence of the Jalisco New Generation, one of Mexico's most brutal drug cartels. Violence has spiked since March 2017 after an internal split in the cartel, which also competes with criminal groups in the neighbouring Guanajuato state. In one suburb of Guadalajara, investigators discovered a property with 30 buried bodies in May. Another grave with 34 bodies was found in the same neighbourhood in September. Some 3,200 military personnel have been deployed to Jalisco in an attempt to cont

Mexican investigators find 31 bodies in secret graves

Becoming the mayor of your city, the place where you grew up, is an honour. It is a victory, often coming after a fierce political battle. You finally have the chance to do your best to improve the daily lives of your fellow citizens.&nbsp; 
 
It is not an easy path though, it requires a lot of effort. Not everybody will be happy with your actions, and many will stand on your way ready to stop you every time they can. 
 
When Ambrosio Soto won the elections in the small Mexican town of Pungarabato, he knew all this. And he also knew that for him, as for many other mayors in the country, things were going to be more complicated. 
 
Being a good mayor in Mexico can get you killed in cold blood at any time. It is what happens to the ones who do not want to surrender their territory to the local powerful and brutal criminal organisations, the so-called drug cartels. There is no possible middle ground: if you are not for them, you are against them.&nbsp; 
 
Against them was where Ambrosio Soto decided to be. During his office, he firmly refused to give a share of the municipality public funding to the cartels. A choice he payed for with his life. On the night of July 23, a masked commando showered his car with bullets, killing him and his driver. 
 
He knew this could have happened. Indeed, he wrote it on Twitter two weeks before his assassination.
<div class="twitter-block">
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Mataron a mi primo, estoy amenazado por la delincuencia organizada. Ya es hora de actuar se?or presidente <a href="https://twitter.com/EPN">@EPN</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TierraCaliente?src=hash">#TierraCaliente</a> lo necesita.
&mdash; Ambrosio Soto (@BOCHOSOTO1) <a href="https://twitter.com/BOCHOSOTO1/status/751594411004293120">July 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="~/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div>
</div>
Translation: &quot;They killed my cousin, I am threatened by organised crime, it is time to act Mister President&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Domingo Lopez Gonzalez, the Mexican mayor of San Juan Chamula, was meeting his citizens in the main square, to collect requests, suggestions and complaints. It was a normal Saturday afternoon, until a group of armed men attacked the venue and killed Gonzalez, his deputy and two staff members. 
 
These two killings are only the last on a long list. Eighty three mayors and ex-mayors have been assassinated in Mexico since 2006. 
 
Mexico is, unfortunately, also this. A country where extremely wealthy, armed and influential criminal groups have built an unscrupulous parallel state where being a local politician is a dangerous job, even after retirment. &nbsp; 
 
<img alt="" class="img-responsive" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/02-20160728122158.jpg" /> 
 
Their rule is one of fear and money. 
 
Assassinations and bribes are their control levers. 
 
Their cruelty is notorious around the world: if you make a mistake they do not just simply shoot you. They torture you, chop you into pieces, burn you alive, melt your limbs in acid and deliver what remains to your family. 
 
<img alt="" class="img-responsive" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/01-20160728122011.jpg" />
&nbsp;
Such brutality makes corruption very hard to uproot. It takes guts to refuse a bribe knowing what will happen after, and most citizens want to live. Corruption is a pervasive element in the Mexican society, from the streets up to the higest political offices. Many of the law enforcement agencies are also believed to be on the criminal&#39;s payroll.&nbsp; 
 
From a business perspective their location is their unique selling point. Being on the North American border provides access to a wide and wealthy market, where the appetite for drugs is insatiable. On top of that, there is no other land route to the United States than Mexico. Not surprisingly, currently, the most influential cartels are the ones located on border areas. 
 
<img alt="" class="img-responsive" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/04%20(1)-20160728122453.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
&nbsp;
</div>
For these organisations, controlling the territory is fundamental. All Mexican cartels have well organised fire batteries, in all similar to regular army units. They carry last generation weapons of all sorts, from small pistols to anti-tank machine guns. The majority of those weapons, nearly seven out of 10, are legally purchased in the nearly 7,000 gun shops located just across the US border. The smuggling network then takes care of the delivery. 
 
Drug dealing is the cartels&#39; core business, and cocaine is, as always, the majour source of income. Cartels buy it from Colombia, Peru or Bolivia, then manage its sale and distribution in the United States. The price at source for a kilogram of powder is around $2,000, which can be sold to wholesalers for $30,000. The gross profit is 1,400 per cent, way more than any legal business on earth. 
 
Like any other corporation, the cartels diversify their investments.&nbsp; 
 
In the last decade, methamphetamine has proved to be an excellent substitute for cocaine: it is more addictive and cheaper to produce. Meth can be prepared in any chemical laboratory, it does not need a natural precursor. The entire process, beginning to end, takes place in Mexico and there is no need to pay foreign organisations for the raw material. 
 
Marijuana used to be a majour source of income, but things have slightly changed after the decision of several states in the US to depenalise both the recreational or the therapeutic use of cannabis. Recent figures show a decrease in US seizures of Mexican weed. 
 
Nevertheless, the Central American country still has thousands of hectares of well-guarded and hidden ganja plantations. Their harvest, with its intense perfume and typical orange shades, is commonly appreciated in many South American countries. 
 
<img alt="" class="img-responsive" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/03-20160728122320.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
&nbsp;
</div>
According to estimates, the whole Mexican drug trade is worth $30 billion a year. More than the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nepal, at $21 billion, and Afghanistan, at $17 billion. 
 
Some of the top 500 companies of the world have smaller revenues. The Japan-based corporation Suzuki Motors, for instance, makes $26.5 billion a year. The French cosmetic company l&#39;Or?al has a yearly flow of $28 billion. 
 
The Sinaloa cartel, which rules over the Mexican west coast, is currently the most powerful. It controls roughly 50 per cent of the country&#39;s drug trade, and its turnover is higher than the GDP of Zimbabwe, at $14.6 billion, and Jamaica, at $14 billion.&nbsp; 
 
All these figures have to be considered carefully; by the nature of the business it is impossible to have exact data. Criminal organisations do not file tax papers nor regular balance sheets, and their transactions happen mostly in cash. The only way to estimate their assets is on the basis of seizures and investigations, so what we have is most likely a conservative figure. 
 
<img alt="" class="img-responsive" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/05-20160728122629.jpg" />
&nbsp;
The Mexican government response has, so far, been mainly military. In 2006 former President Felipe Calder?n declared his intention to destroy the cartels and deployed more than 6,500 soldiers in what has become a constant war. 
 
The military aspect is not the only one of this conflict. The cartel&#39;s solid power has much to do with the perception that part of society has about them. It is a also a cultural battle.&nbsp; 
 
Drug lords, and affiliates in general, are often perceived as examples of success, powerful people who fulfilled all their dreams. They have luxury cars, villas, money and everything one could possibly desire. Many young Mexicans look up to them, want to be them. This appeal is a very powerful tool in the criminals hands. They create and manipulate this mythology expertly. 
 
Cartels keep fuelling an underground narco-culture, ranging from tatoos to songs. Music plays a very important role in this game, there is a vast musical repertoire representing criminals as folk heroes fighting bravely against the police for the good of their land and their people. Hundreds of these songs, the so-called &ldquo;narco corrido&rdquo;, drug ballads, can be heard in the many small tavernas in the North of Mexico. 
 
Here below just a sample. 
 
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zBYZpmf6MK0" width="420"></iframe> 
 
The control that cartels are able to excercise in many Mexican regions is also a matter of employment. It is believed that the organisations employ some five hundred thousand people, at least. It means that entire families are surviving &ldquo;thanks&rdquo; to the drug money, a fact that works heavily in the criminals favour, building a spirit of gratitude that passes on generation to generation.&nbsp; 
 
Many perceive the cartels as positive organisations, granting them salaries and thus a dignified life.&nbsp;Too many times a short one, though. Most of the people who join the cartels die very young. The cartels are involved in a constant war, both against their rivals and against the state. This spiral of violence has claimed more than 60,000 lives by now, suffocating Mexico&#39;s positive energies and depriving the country of peace. &nbsp; 
 
(With inputs from Vrinda Aggarwal)

The assassination of two Mexican mayors is the latest episode in a drug war that has claimed more than 60,000 lives so far

Becoming the mayor of your city, the place where you grew up, is an honour. It is a victory, often coming after a fierce political battle. You finally have the chance to do your best to improve the daily lives of your fellow citizens. It is not an easy path though, it requires a lot of effort. Not everybody will be happy with your actions, and many will stand on your way ready to stop you every time they can. When Ambrosio Soto won the elections in the small Mexican town of Pungarabato, he knew all this. And he also knew that for him, as for many other mayors in the country, things were going to be more complicated. Being a good mayor in Mexico can get you killed in cold blood at any time. It is what happens to the ones who do not want to surrender their territory to the local powerful and brutal criminal organisations, the so-called drug cartels. There is no possible middle ground: if you are not for them, you are against them. Against them was where Ambrosio Soto decided to be. During his office, he firmly refused to give a share of the municipality public funding to the cartels. A choice he payed for with his life. On the night of July 23, a masked commando showered his car with bullets, killing him and his driver. He knew this could have happened. Indeed, he wrote it on Twitter two weeks before his assassination. Mataron a mi primo, estoy amenazado por la delincuencia organizada. Ya es hora de actuar se?or presidente @EPN. #TierraCaliente lo necesita. — Ambrosio Soto (@BOCHOSOTO1) July 9, 2016 Translation: "They killed my cousin, I am threatened by organised crime, it is time to act Mister President" Domingo Lopez Gonzalez, the Mexican mayor of San Juan Chamula, was meeting his citizens in the main square, to collect requests, suggestions and complaints. It was a normal Saturday afternoon, until a group of armed men attacked the venue and killed Gonzalez, his deputy and two staff members. These two killings are only the last on a long list. Eighty three mayors and ex-mayors have been assassinated in Mexico since 2006. Mexico is, unfortunately, also this. A country where extremely wealthy, armed and influential criminal groups have built an unscrupulous parallel state where being a local politician is a dangerous job, even after retirment. Their rule is one of fear and money. Assassinations and bribes are their control levers. Their cruelty is notorious around the world: if you make a mistake they do not just simply shoot you. They torture you, chop you into pieces, burn you alive, melt your limbs in acid and deliver what remains to your family. Such brutality makes corruption very hard to uproot. It takes guts to refuse a bribe knowing what will happen after, and most citizens want to live. Corruption is a pervasive element in the Mexican society, from the streets up to the higest political offices. Many of the law enforcement agencies are also believed to be on the criminal's payroll. From a business perspective their location is their unique selling point. Being on the North American border provides access to a wide and wealthy market, where the appetite for drugs is insatiable. On top of that, there is no other land route to the United States than Mexico. Not surprisingly, currently, the most influential cartels are the ones located on border areas. For these organisations, controlling the territory is fundamental. All Mexican cartels have well organised fire batteries, in all similar to regular army units. They carry last generation weapons of all sorts, from small pistols to anti-tank machine guns. The majority of those weapons, nearly seven out of 10, are legally purchased in the nearly 7,000 gun shops located just across the US border. The smuggling network then takes care of the delivery. Drug dealing is the cartels' core business, and cocaine is, as always, the majour source of income. Cartels buy it from Colombia, Peru or Bolivia, then manage its sale and distribution in the United States. The price at source for a kilogram of powder is around $2,000, which can be sold to wholesalers for $30,000. The gross profit is 1,400 per cent, way more than any legal business on earth. Like any other corporation, the cartels diversify their investments. In the last decade, methamphetamine has proved to be an excellent substitute for cocaine: it is more addictive and cheaper to produce. Meth can be prepared in any chemical laboratory, it does not need a natural precursor. The entire process, beginning to end, takes place in Mexico and there is no need to pay foreign organisations for the raw material. Marijuana used to be a majour source of income, but things have slightly changed after the decision of several states in the US to depenalise both the recreational or the therapeutic use of cannabis. Recent figures show a decrease in US seizures of Mexican weed. Nevertheless, the Central American country still has thousands of hectares of well-guarded and hidden ganja plantations. Their harvest, with its intense perfume and typical orange shades, is commonly appreciated in many South American countries. According to estimates, the whole Mexican drug trade is worth $30 billion a year. More than the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nepal, at $21 billion, and Afghanistan, at $17 billion. Some of the top 500 companies of the world have smaller revenues. The Japan-based corporation Suzuki Motors, for instance, makes $26.5 billion a year. The French cosmetic company l'Or?al has a yearly flow of $28 billion. The Sinaloa cartel, which rules over the Mexican west coast, is currently the most powerful. It controls roughly 50 per cent of the country's drug trade, and its turnover is higher than the GDP of Zimbabwe, at $14.6 billion, and Jamaica, at $14 billion. All these figures have to be considered carefully; by the nature of the business it is impossible to have exact data. Criminal organisations do not file tax papers nor regular balance sheets, and their transactions happen mostly in cash. The only way to estimate their assets is on the basis of seizures and investigations, so what we have is most likely a conservative figure. The Mexican government response has, so far, been mainly military. In 2006 former President Felipe Calder?n declared his intention to destroy the cartels and deployed more than 6,500 soldiers in what has become a constant war. The military aspect is not the only one of this conflict. The cartel's solid power has much to do with the perception that part of society has about them. It is a also a cultural battle. Drug lords, and affiliates in general, are often perceived as examples of success, powerful people who fulfilled all their dreams. They have luxury cars, villas, money and everything one could possibly desire. Many young Mexicans look up to them, want to be them. This appeal is a very powerful tool in the criminals hands. They create and manipulate this mythology expertly. Cartels keep fuelling an underground narco-culture, ranging from tatoos to songs. Music plays a very important role in this game, there is a vast musical repertoire representing criminals as folk heroes fighting bravely against the police for the good of their land and their people. Hundreds of these songs, the so-called “narco corrido”, drug ballads, can be heard in the many small tavernas in the North of Mexico. Here below just a sample. The control that cartels are able to excercise in many Mexican regions is also a matter of employment. It is believed that the organisations employ some five hundred thousand people, at least. It means that entire families are surviving “thanks” to the drug money, a fact that works heavily in the criminals favour, building a spirit of gratitude that passes on generation to generation. Many perceive the cartels as positive organisations, granting them salaries and thus a dignified life. Too many times a short one, though. Most of the people who join the cartels die very young. The cartels are involved in a constant war, both against their rivals and against the state. This spiral of violence has claimed more than 60,000 lives by now, suffocating Mexico's positive energies and depriving the country of peace. (With inputs from Vrinda Aggarwal)

Being mayor in Mexico can cost you your life

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