The methodology used by the United States government to locate the presence of Mexican drug cartels in over a thousand American cities presented its results and conclusions based on a questionable methodology, The Washington Post claims.
According to information corroborated by newspaper La Opinión, the government report, which was distributed in 2011 by the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC), a division belonging to the Department of Justice that ceased to exist in 2012, contains data and figures that are, "misleading at best."
The Post's investigation gathered interviews and declarations by chiefs of police and experts, whose final analysis shows that in many cases the assumed presence of Mexican drug cartels was unknown even by the communities named by the document.
According to the Post's investigation, "the interviewees said that the figures are exaggerated because it was based on internal reports by police agents and not on documented criminal cases involving Mexican drug cartels." The 2011 report reported on alleged Mexican drug cartel activity in states like Montana (20), Oregon (25), Idaho (25) and Arkansas (30), among others.
However, the investigation unveiled on August 26, points out that, "There is no doubt that Mexican gangs operate in the United States. But analysts studying drug trafficking rejected the idea that violent gangs and other drug organizations based in Mexico operate in over a thousand American cities."
The delicate subject has highlighted the manipulation of official information, since the report has been frequently quoted by legislators "as a base to make declarations that no longer reflect reality," an article published by Mexican newspaper La Jornada stated.
It's worth noting that even some elements of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) quoted by The Washington Post, have distanced themselves from the report. "These are not DEA numbers. We don't want to be associated with these figures," said an anonymous official of the DEA to the Post.