Mexico army gives drug cartels free rein as critics claim ‘non-aggression pact’

The Viagras and the Jalisco New Generation cartel are vying for influence but soldiers merely patrol the lines between territories

A small squad of soldiers with about a half-dozen trucks and sandbag emplacements stands guard on a rural highway in western Mexico. In one direction, almost within earshot, one drug cartel operates a roadblock extorting farmers. In the other direction, a rival cartel carries out armed patrols in trucks bearing its initials.

The Mexican army has largely stopped fighting drug cartels here, instead soldiers guard the dividing lines between gang territories so they won't invade each other's turf - and turn a blind eye to the cartels' illegal activities just a few hundred yards away.