"...they don't exist to traffic drugs, they exist for the top leader(s) to obtain and maintain power, like a state-in-waiting..." I've been thinking about this

"...they don't exist to traffic drugs, they exist for the top leader(s) to obtain and maintain power, like a state-in-waiting..." I've been thinking about this for a day, and it's bugging me. I think the problem here is that this a true statement, yet it is also an incomplete statement. The ways that it is incomplete are important. This is like saying that startups exist solely to make their founders into successful businesspeople. Well, yes, but there are a ton of folks who want to be successful that don't end up that way. So sure, if you ask the top guys at the cartel why they're in it -- they're in it for power. But there's a huge sorting and filtering function the market does that's not included in this observation. Routes and methods that work great for cocaine don't work so well for people. Government officials that might be bought off with money siphoned off from huge flows can't be paid off if the flows aren't that great. In short, it makes it appear as if cartels only exist based on the will of the cartel leader. That's whack. I don't have any other comments about your analysis, but that was bugging me. I wish things were simple enough that it was just a matter of focusing on a few powerful men with large egos. It is not.