Drug cartels are Mexico’s fifth largest employer with 175,000 on payroll, study finds

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Drug cartels employ 175,000 people across Mexico making it the fifth largest employer in the country, according to a new study.

A vast network of 150 cartels are recruiting upwards of 350 new members a week. This puts the Mexican drug trade on par with industries like general practice medicine, which employed 189,000 people in 2023; coffee and tobacco cultivation, according to the Mexican government.