Any sufficiently organized armed group is indistinguishable from an army. Leave them to their own devices at your own peril. They will surprise you with just ho

Any sufficiently organized armed group is indistinguishable from an army. Leave them to their own devices at your own peril. They will surprise you with just how much damage they can do. In my country, the drug gangs have grown to the point they dominate over 26% of our continental territory. They have infiltrated and corrupted every part of society, and they are showing signs of having subverted the government itself. They have a massive army of people. They are much better equipped than police. Cops cannot operate freely in their territory because they are executed on sight. As a result, our laws do not really apply to their territories. So are they really just common criminals operating in our territories? I don't think so. They pulled off a stealth secession. The government needs to recognize this fact, grow some balls and declare war on them. Just like they declared war on and crushed last century's secessionists. They have their own army, their own laws, even their own tribunals. They even collect taxes from their subjects and execute anyone who fails to pay them. They are a parallel government, a narcostate dictatorship made up of borderline terrorists. You don't "police" these people. You openly declare war on them. They are enemy combatants trying to literally take over the country. Anything short of this means total defeat. It's easy to not be radicalized if you live in a civilized nation. It's impossible when you wake up and take in the news that barbaric crime gangs dominate over a quarter of your country's territory. The thought of being at the mercy of these drug gangs is absolutely terrifying. I'm trying to raise a family here.