Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T04:09:08.588Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Narco-Messages: Competition and Public Communication by Criminal Groups

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 January 2020

Brian J. Phillips Open the ORCID record for Brian J. Phillips [Opens in a new window]  and
Viridiana Ríos Open the ORCID record for Viridiana Ríos [Opens in a new window]
Brian J. Phillips*
Affiliation:
Brian J. Phillips is a senior lecturer in the Department of Government at the University of Essex and affiliated professor at the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE).
Viridiana Ríos*
Affiliation:
Viridiana Ríos is a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Government, Harvard University.
*
brian.phillips@essex.ac.uk.
vrios@fas.harvard.edu.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Criminal groups often avoid the limelight, shunning publicity. However, in some instances, they overtly communicate, such as with banners or signs. This article explains the competition dynamics behind public criminal communication and provides theory and evidence of the conditions under which it emerges. Relying on a new dataset of approximately 1,800 banners publicly deployed by Mexican criminal groups from 2007 to 2010, the study identifies the conditions behind such messaging. The findings suggest that criminal groups “go public” in the presence of interorganizational contestation, violence from authorities, antagonism toward the local media, local demand for drugs, and local drug production. Some of these factors are associated only with communication toward particular audiences: rivals, the state, or the public. An interesting finding is that the correlates of criminal propaganda are sometimes distinct from those of criminal violence, suggesting that these phenomena are explained by separate dynamics.

Keywords

Organized crimecommunicationMexico
Type
Research Article
Information
Latin American Politics and Society , Volume 62 , Issue 1 , February 2020 , pp. 1 - 24
Copyright
© University of Miami 2020 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abrahms, Max, and Conrad, Justin. 2017. The Strategic Logic of Credit Claiming: A New Theory for Anonymous Terrorist Attacks. Security Studies 26, 2: 279—304.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atuesta, Laura H. 2017. Narcomessages As a Way to Analyse the Evolution of Organised Crime in Mexico. Global Crime 18, 2: 100—121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atuesta, Laura H., and Pérez-Dávila, Yocelyn Samantha. 2018. Fragmentation and Cooperation: The Evolution of Organized Crime in Mexico. Trends in Organized Crime 21, 3: 235—61.Google Scholar
Barboza, Roberto. 2008. Aparecen narcomantas en Tabasco. El Universal, August 29. Belmonte Torres, Juan José. 2009. Ejecutan a policía en Zihuatanejo. Noticias Acapulco, March 3.Google Scholar
El Blog del Narco. Various dates. https://elblogdelnarco.com Google Scholar
Brown, Joseph M. 2017. Notes to the Underground: Credit Claiming and Organizing in the Earth Liberation Front. Terrorism and Political Violence 29: 1—20. doi: 10.1080/ 09546553.2017.1364637CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Calderón, Gabriela, Robles, Gustavo, Díaz-Cayeros, Alberto, and Magaloni, Beatriz. 2015. The Beheading of Criminal Organizations and the Dynamics of Violence in Mexico. Journal of Conflict Resolution 59, 8: 1455—85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, Howard. 2014. Narco-Propaganda in the Mexican Drug War: An Anthropological Perspective. Latin American Perspectives 41, 2: 60—77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, Howard, and Hansen, Tobin. 2013. Is Narco-Violence in Mexico Terrorism? Bulletin of Latin American Research 33, 2: 158—73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carbray, Paul. 2002. Handkerchiefs on Display as Barcelona Fans Protest: South American Teams Are Biggest Losers as World Cup Final Spots Are Adjusted. The Gazette (Montreal), December 23.Google Scholar
Carpenter, Ami C. 2010. Beyond Drug Wars: Transforming Factional Conflict in Mexico. Conflict Resolution Quarterly 27, 4: 401—21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chermak, Steven, and Nicole, M. Chapman. 2007. Predicting Crime Story Salience: A Replication. Journal of Criminal Justice 35, 4: 351—63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coggins, Bridget L. 2015. Rebel Diplomacy: Theorizing Violent Non-State Actors’ Strategic Use of Talk. In Rebel Governance in Civil War, ed. Arjona, Ana, Kasfir, Nelson, and Mampilly, Zachariah. New York: Cambridge University Press. 98—118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coleman, Joseph. 1990. Cartel: “We Don’t Plan Bush Assassination.” UPI, January 29.Google Scholar
Coscia, Michele, and Rios, Viridiana. 2012. Knowing Where and How Criminal Organizations Operate Using Web Content. Proceedings of the 21st ACM International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management, Maui, HI, October 29—November 2.Google Scholar
Consejo Nacional de Evaluación de la Política de Desarrollo Social (CONEVAL). 2010. Estadisticas de desigualdad por municipio, 2010. Índice de Cohesión Social. Mexico City: CONEVAL. https://www.coneval.org.mx Google Scholar
Consejo Nacional de Población (CONAPO). 2011. índice absoluto de marginación 1990–2000. Datos Abiertos. Mexico City: CONAPO. www.gob.mx/conapo Google Scholar
Consejo Nacional de Población (CONAPO). 2014. Proyecciones de la población 2010–2050. Datos Abiertos. CONAPO.Google Scholar
Cowell, Alan. 1992. Big Palermo Rally Assails Mafia Grip. New York Times, June 27.Google Scholar
Décary-Hétu, David, and Morselli, Carlo. 2011. Gang Presence in Social Network Sites. International Journal of Cyber Criminology 5, 2: 876.Google Scholar
Dell, Melissa. 2015. Trafficking Networks and the Mexican Drug War. American Economic Review 105, 6: 1738—79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dube, Oeindrila, García-Ponce, Omar, and Thom, Kevin. 2016. From Maize to Haze: Agricultural Shocks and the Growth of the Mexican Drug Sector. Journal of the European Economic Association 14, 5: 1181—1224.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Durín-Martínez, Angélica. 2015. To Kill and Tell? State Power, Criminal Competition, and Drug Violence. Journal of Conflict Resolution 59, 8: 1377—1402.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Durín-Martínez, Angélica. 2017a. Drugs Around the Corner: Domestic Drug Markets and Violence in Colombia and Mexico. Latin American Politics and Society 57, 3: 122—46.Google Scholar
Durín-Martínez, Angélica. 2017b. Silent Traffickers or Brutal Criminals: How State Power Shapes Criminals’ Incentives to Expose Violence. In Violence and Crime in Latin America: Representations and Politics, ed. Santamaria, Gema and Carey, David, Jr. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.Google Scholar
Enamorado, Ted, Luis, F. López-Calva, Rodríguez-Castellán, Carlos, and Winkler, Hernán. 2016. Income Inequality and Violent Crime: Evidence from Mexico’s Drug War. Journal of Development Economics 120: 128—43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Escalante, Fernando. 2009. Territorios violentos. Nexos, December 1. https://www.nexos.com.mx/?p=3951 Google Scholar
Ferrarin, Elena. 2011. March Honors Gang-Shooting Victim in Elgin. Chicago Daily Herald, October 16.Google Scholar
Finckenauer, James O. 2005. Problems of Definition: What Is Organized Crime? Trends in Organized Crime 8, 3: 63—83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Contreras, Flores, Ezequiel. 2018. Junto a ejecutado dejan narcomensaje contra portal noticioso y funciona Ríos de Astudillo. Proceso, June 5. Galarce Sosa, Karla. 2012.Google Scholar
Guerrero, lugar 18 nacional en consume de drogas, segun funcionario estatal. El Sur, June 28. Gambetta, Diego. 2009. Codes of the Underworld: How Criminals Communicate. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Gohdes, Anita R., and Sabine, C. Carey. 2017. Canaries in a Coal-Mine? What the Killings of Journalists Tell Us About Future Repression. Journal of Peace Research 54, 2: 157—74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guevara, América Y. 2013. Propaganda in Mexico’s Drug War. Journal of Strategic Security 6, 5: 131—51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guevara Castillo, Melitón, and Cruz, Alberto Martínez. 2014. Las narcomantas: vía para producir noticias en un clima de violencia. Unpublished mss.Google Scholar
Hoffman, Aaron M. 2010. Voice and Silence: Why Groups Take Credit for Acts of Terror. Journal of Peace Research 47, 5: 615—26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoffman, Bruce. 2006. Inside Terrorism. New York: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
Holland, Bradley E., and Rios, Viridiana. 2017. Informally Governing Information: How Criminal Rivalry Leads to Violence Against the Press in Mexico. Journal of Conflict Resolution 61, 5: 1095—1119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huang, Reyko. 2016. Rebel Diplomacy in Civil War. International Security 40, 4: 89—126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kalyvas, Stathis N. 2006. The Logic of Violence in Civil War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kearns, Erin M., Conlon, Brendan, and Joseph, K. Young. 2014. Lying About Terrorism. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 37, 5: 422—39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kenney, Michael. 2006. From Pablo to Osama: Trafficking and Terrorist Networks, Government Bureaucracies, and Competitive Adaptation. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press.Google Scholar
King, Gary, and Zeng, Langche. 2001. Logistic Regression in Rare Events Data. Political Analysis 9, 2: 137—63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawson, Chappell H. 2002. Building the Fourth Estate: Democratization and the Rise of a Free Press in Mexico. Berkeley: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Lessing, Benjamin. 2017. Making Peace in Drug Wars: Crackdowns and Cartels in Latin America. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ley, Sandra. 2017. Electoral Accountability in the Midst of Criminal Violence: Evidence from Mexico. Latin American Politics and Society 59, 1: 3—27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maihold, Günter. 2012. Las comunicaciones criminales: el caso de las narcomantas. In Atlas de la seguridad y la defensa de México 2012, ed. Sergio Aguayo and Raul Benítez. Mexico City: Colectivo de Análisis de la Seguridad con Democracia A. C. (CASEDE). 83—91.Google Scholar
Martin, Carlos. 2012. Categorization of Narcomessages in Mexico: An Appraisal of the Attempts to Influence Public Perception and Policy Actions. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 35, 1: 76—93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martinez, Fabiola. 2011. Medios de comunicación firmarán pacto sobre cobertura de violencia del narco. La Jornada, March 24.Google Scholar
Rockwell, Mendoza, Natalia. 2016. Narco-mantas o el confin de lo criminal. Acta Poética 37, 2: 21—34.Google Scholar
Moncada, Carlos. 2012. Oficio de muerte: periodistas asesinados en el pais de la impunidad. Mexico City: Grijalbo.Google Scholar
Ortiz, Ildefonso. 2013. Family Flees After Possible Cartel Banner Left at San Juan Home. The Monitor (McAllen, TX), May 22.Google Scholar
Osorio, Javier. 2015. The Contagion of Drug Violence: Spatiotemporal Dynamics of the Mexican War on Drugs. Journal of Conflict Resolution 59, 8: 1403—32.Google Scholar
Salazar, Pérez, Carlos, Juan. 2013. La proliferación de los “narcotaxis” en México. BBC Mundo, August 15. https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias/2013/08/130813_mexico_narcotaxis_guerrero_jcps Google Scholar
Phillips, Brian J. 2015. How Does Leadership Decapitation Affect Violence? The Case of Drug Trafficking Organizations in Mexico. Journal of Politics 77, 2: 324—36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Phillips, Brian J. 2017. Inequality and the Emergence of Vigilante Organizations: The Case of Mexican Autodefensas. Comparative Political Studies 50, 10: 1358—89.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Phillips, Brian J. 2018. Terrorist Tactics by Criminal Organizations: The Mexican Case in Context. Perspectives on Terrorism 12, 1: 46—63.Google Scholar
Ramos, Mar Horacio. 2009. Hallan a cinco personas descuartizadas con mensaje firmado porel jefe de jefes. Crónica (Mexico City), December 11.Google Scholar
Reforma. 2009. Reaparecen narcomantas; piden respeto para las familias. May 12. www.reforma.com Google Scholar
Rios, Viridiana. 2013. Why Did Mexico Become So Violent? A Self-Reinforcing Violent Equilibrium Caused by Competition and Enforcement. Trends in Organized Crime 16, 2: 138—55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rios, Viridiana. 2014. The Role of Drug-Related Violence and Extortion in Promoting Mexican Migration. Latin American Research Review 49, 3: 199—217.Google Scholar
Rios, Viridiana. 2015. How Government Coordination Controlled Organized Crime. Journal of Conflict Resolution 59, 8: 1433—54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rios, Viridiana, and Ferguson, Chris. 2019. News Media Coverage of Crime and Violent Drug Crime: A Case for Cause of Catalyst? Justice Quarterly, published online February 23.Google Scholar
Rios, Viridiana, and Rivera, Johanan. 2019. Media Effects on Brutality Displays: The Case of Mexico’s Drug War. Politics, Groups and Identities 7, 1: 194—208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luna, Rodriguez, Armando. 2017. Violence, Co-Optation and Corruption: Risks for the Exercise of Journalism and Freedom of Expression in Mexico. In Beyond the Drug War in Mexico: Human Rights, the Public Sphere and Justice, ed. Wil, G. Pansters, Benjamin, T. Smith, and Watt, Peter. London: Routledge. 107—20.Google Scholar
Roque Madriz, Ignacio . 2010. Balean a jefe policiaco de Ciudad Hidalgo y a su escolta. Crónica, April 17.Google Scholar
Sabet, Daniel. 2010. Confrontation, Collusion and Tolerance: The Relationship Between Law Enforcement and Organized Crime in Tijuana. Mexican Law Review 2, 2: 3—29.Google Scholar
Sabet, Daniel. 2012. Police Reform in Mexico: Informal Politics and the Challenge of Institutional Change. Stanford: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Salopek, Paul. 2011. Conflict Graffiti. Foreign Policy 189 (November): 94—95.Google Scholar
Schmid, Alex P., and de Graaf, Janny. 1982. Violence as Communication: Insurgent Terrorism and the Western News Media. Thousand Oaks: Sage.Google Scholar
de Salud, Secretaría (SSA). Dirección General de Información en Salud. 2008–2011. Registros de Urgencias. https://www.gob.mx/salud Google Scholar
El Siglo de Durango. 2010. Ola de violencia en La Laguna sin freno; seis decapitados. May 31. https://www.elsiglodedurango.com.mx/noticia/269455.ola-de-violencia-en-la-laguna-sin-freno-seis-decapitados.html Google Scholar
Sistema Nacional de Seguridad Pública (SNSP). 2007–2011. Base de datos por fallecimientos por presunta rivalidad delincuencial, deciembre de 2006 a septiembre de 2011. Data retrieved from Secretaria de Gobernación. https://www.gob.mx/sesnsp/acciones-y-pro-gramas/incidencia-delictiva-87005 Google Scholar
Snyder, Richard, and Durín-Martínez, Angelica. 2009. Does Illegality Breed Violence? Drug Trafficking and State-sponsored Protection Rackets. Crime, Law, and Social Change 52, 3: 253—73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Solar, Carlos. 2015. Police Bribery: Is Corruption Fostering Dissatisfaction with the Political System? Democracy and Security 11, 4: 373–94.Google Scholar
El Sur de Campeche. 2016. Dejan una narcomanta en el centro de Chilpancingo. July 30. http://www.elsur.mx Google Scholar
Trejo, Guillermo, and Ley, Sandra. 2018. Why Did Drug Cartels Go to War in Mexico? Subnational Party Alternation, the Breakdown of Criminal Protection, and the Onset of Large-Scale Violence. Comparative Political Studies 51, 7: 900—937.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC). 2004. United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols Thereto. Vienna: UNDOC. https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/WDR2011/World_Drug_Report_2011_spanish.pdf Google Scholar
El Universal. 2009a. Violencia-Guerrero. December 16. eluniversal.com.mxGoogle Scholar
El Universal. 2009b. Colocan narcomanta en Morelos. December 22.Google Scholar
El Universal. 2010. El peligro de informar. http://interactivo.eluniversal.com.mx/periodistas-ase-sinados/anios/2010.html Google Scholar
Uno Más Uno. 2018. Tiran cuerpo descuartizado de repartidor en Chilpancingo. July 18. https://www.unomasuno.com.mx/tiran-cuerpo-descuartizado-de-repartidor-en-chilpancingo Google Scholar
U.S. Department of State. 2011. International Narcotics Control Strategy Report. Volume 1. https://www.state.gov/2019-incsr-volume-i-drug-and-chemical-control-as-submitted-to-congress Google Scholar
Varese, Federico. 2010. What Is Organized Crime? In Organized Crime, ed. Varese. London: Routledge. 1–33.Google Scholar
Woldoff, Rachael A., and Karen, G. Weiss. 2010. Stop Snitchin’: Exploring Definitions of the Snitch and Implications for Urban Black Communities. Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture 17, 1: 184—223.Google Scholar
Womer, Sarah, and Robert, J. Bunker. 2010. Sureños Gangs and Mexican Cartel Use of Social Networking Sites. Small Wars and Insurgencies 21, 1: 81—94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar