I just read the article below last night and it might add to your discussion.
How Corruption Affects National Security of the United States
by Eduardo Salcedo-Albaran and Luis Jorge Garay
Small Wars Journal
Journal Article | October 6, 2011 - 3:35pm
http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art...-united-states
Excerpt:
In fact, intelligence reports provided by the U.S. Department of Justice point out that Mexican TCNs such as Los Zetas, El Cartel de Sinaloa, El Cartel de Juarez and La Familia Michoacana operate in over 1200 cities of the U.S.[xi] Also, on the Arizona/Mexico border and the Texas/Mexico border there has been intense heroin-trafficking activity. Specifically, the amount of heroin seized in the Southwest border has increased between 2007 and 2010 as follows: 358 Kilos, 496 Kilos, 737 Kilos and 935 Kilos.[xii] Therefore, as result of the increase in heroin production by Mexican TCNs, combined with an increase in the transportation of South American heroin by Mexican TCNs, availability has increased in the States of Illinois, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and South Carolina. All this is the result of Mexican TCNs today producing and/or transporting the second largest amount of heroin in the world, behind Afghanistan.[xiii]