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9 - Sea of Cortez Region: Crime and Ecosystem Crossroads

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 February 2025

Peter Stoett
Affiliation:
Ontario Tech University
Delon Omrow
Affiliation:
Ontario Tech University
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Summary

This chapter explores ecoviolence along the Sea of Cortez, and Mexican cartels’ decades-long monopoly of the illegal drug market. Through this illicit economy, we unpack the convergence of illegal waste dumping, the illegal wildlife trade, money laundering, and human smuggling, and the role that Mexican, Chinese, and Fujian criminal organizations play in regional, interregional, and transnational exchanges to further criminal activities. The Sea of Cortez is a fascinating case study due to its geographic location as a historical hub for smuggling multiple commodities such as totoaba bladders, shark fins, drugs, diamonds, and precious metals. But the smuggling of immigrants has now come under the purview of these criminal networks. The chapter concludes with proposing a new analytical framework for studying ecoviolence, building expert capacity for undertaking research and analysis of policy development and enforcement.

Type
Chapter
Information
Ecoviolence Studies
Human Exploitation and Environmental Crime
, pp. 158 - 169
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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