Yes that is correct , however said cartels very much exercise a great deal of ( indirect ) influence via their domination of wholesale trade . After all they could apply a great amount of pressure on low level organized crime groups engaged in drug trafficking , by threatening to cut off the supply of drugs , either by telling the middlemen that they won't be getting any more product if they don't talk some sense into retailers or in a more direct way by telling the retailers directly ( though the former is probably more likely to occur than the latter ) .

How would it benefit the cartels to cut off the supply and receive no money? Their supply flow into the US and cash money flow out of the U.S. The issues between various groups at the retail level is no concerned to the cartel. They have enough to deal with conflicts back in mexico and there's nothing to gain financially being a peacemaker in the U.S.

And as an aside I meant wholesale trade when I typed the only game in town . Of course there are places in the US where lower level gangs can buy ( to use a good example ) heroin from non Mexican cartel suppliers who also obtain their supply from non Mexican cartel sources all the way up the line , but to my understanding such places are more the exception than the rule .

The Northeast, Florida, and specific Metros such as Detroiit for example have DTOs operating at the wholesale level in partnership with mexican cartels or different cartels ( such Carribean traffickers) altogether. The mexican cartels are the predominate wholesale suppliers throughout the U.S not the only suppliers.


Of course correct me if I'm wrong but to my knowledge Colombian and Dominican OC groups have little presence outside of the Northeast and Asian OC groups generally don't operate outside of cosmopolitan cities/metro areas .

Florida wholesale drug trade is supplied by predominantly Carribean DTOs and locals with a small presence from Mexican cartels. Asian DTO traffick in even small cities like Biloxi, Mississippi. Asian traffickers generally blend in with any asian enclave in the U.S.

I ( admittedly ) know little about Nigerian groups , but they seem to be much bigger players in Europe than over in the States . I mean I don't even recall them being mentioned in the DEA's latest national drug threat assessment .