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Prohibition, and the emergence of the illegal drug trade with the US, began when the Drug Prohibition Act was passed in 1933. -
In the late 1960s, recreational drug use became noticeable among young Americans.
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On September 21, 1969, US President Nixon announced Operation Interception to combat drug trafficking across the Mexican border with the United States.
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On October 27, 1970, the United States Congress passed the "Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act."
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On June 18, 1971, Richard Nixon declared drugs "public enemy number one".
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The DEA was formed in 1973 under the command of the United States Department of Justice, combining the Bureau of Narcotics.
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In the 1970s, Mexico was persuaded to be part of Operation Condor, carried out between 1975 and 1979.
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One consequence of Operation Condor was the transfer of drug traffickers from Sinaloa to Guadalajara where the Guadalajara Cartel was formed in the 1980s.
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The beginning of the conflict was on December 11, 2006, when the federal government of Mexico announced an operation against organized crime in Michoacán
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In 2009, Gil Kerlikowske declared that the Obama administration would continue with the drug control policy but would not use the term "war on drugs" because the term was "counterproductive."
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In June 2011, the Global Commission on Drug Policy declared that "the global war on drugs has failed, with devastating consequences for people and societies around the world."
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From this point, new cartels began to emerge throughout the Mexican Republic.