Drug-related violence in Mexico is spilling into our own country.

In the past two years, our neighbor to the south, Mexico, has been hit by a lot of terrible violence. The violence is related to the illegal drugs that flow through Mexico, many of them on their way to the United States. More than 10,000 people have been killed, including police officers, soldiers, and political leaders. Some of the violence is between different drug cartels. A cartel is an organization selling a product that tries to keep others, outside the organization, from competing. Because so much money is at stake in selling drugs, the cartels will go to great lengths to harm one another's business. But the cartels are also targeting soldiers and police officers, sometimes even politicians and journalists -- anyone they think stands in their way. Why do you think the illegal drug trade is worth so much money and is the source of so much crime?

The map shows the four Mexican states that have seen the most violence: Baja California, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, and Durango. In the photo you see a group of armed soldiers. The soldiers set up roadblocks and do raids on homes or businesses suspected of being part of the drug business -- anything they can do to lessen the amount of drugs in the country. But Mexico's drug cartels are very, very powerful. They control large areas of the country and some cities. Because so many people are so afraid of them, they are able to do whatever they want in some areas. Also, some officials cooperate with the cartels or even help with the drug trade.