Adriana Marín, head of Digital Communication for the Morena parliamentary group in the Congress of Mexico City, stated in a youth debate that one of the factors complicating the fight against drug trafficking is that it is one of the 'main employers at the national level.' This sparked various official statements from the capital's faction and the Morena party, which distanced themselves from her remarks. The statement gained public prominence after fragments of the debate circulated on social media, where it was interpreted as a possible admission of the state's limitations in confronting organized crime. The exchange began when one participant stated that his position was not due to ideological confusion but a direct demand for security from the state. In response, Adriana Marín questioned the premise and asked for clarification on how exactly peace was being demanded, to which the interlocutor replied that the specific demand to the federal government—of Morena affiliation—was concrete: 'to end the pact with the narco, nothing more.' Faced with this, Marín presented the argument that sparked the controversy, stating that drug trafficking is a complex phenomenon and its eradication cannot be understood without considering its structural causes. 'Drug trafficking is one of the largest, main employers at the national level; they recruit around 160,000 to 185,000 people, and in reality, 350 more people are needed per week to cover those who are detained or killed.' Her argument was immediately challenged by another participant who asked, 'So, should organized crime continue because the government cannot provide jobs?' Marín rejected that interpretation and denied having defended the continuation of organized crime in the country. 'Don't put words in my mouth, I'm saying it's complex, it's complex to address the drug trafficking situation because not only does it have help from the United States, but it also generates employment, employment that many private companies, and the State itself, have not bothered to generate,' said Marín. Likewise, Marín questioned the alternatives available to people recruited by these organizations, assuming all recruitments are voluntary and aimed at meeting economic needs. 'So, what are you going to do with those people to whom you promised money and fame who, at some point, also have no hope at all?'
