Originally Posted by deltav

It's not really WTF if you understand the dynamic. In many of these places the drug lords are sort of Robin Hood figures - they make a point to help out the communities, providing jobs, helping families with whatever crisis comes up, give loans to businesses, throw money around, sponsor charities, etc. It's all a smokescreen for the fact that they're cold murderous bastards, but for impoverished communities that have local ties to the kingpins, they build them up into a sort of folk hero or whatever. Especially considering the govt there doesn't have the resources to really help anyone, so the drug lords swoop in as the good guys.

Sort of like in a deeply Italian neighborhood (or in Italy itself) in the 20th century the local Mafia boss would be respected and involved in the community, etc, despite the fact that he's truly an asshole who kills people. The difference being in Mexico the cops wouldn't dare break up a march in support of a crime boss, because they will get killed....