Posted on 11/21/2019 3:24:05 AM PST by BenLurkin
The cartel members showed up in this verdant stretch of western Mexico armed with automatic weapons and chainsaws.
When locals protested, explaining that the area was protected from logging, they were held at gunpoint and ordered to keep quiet.
The newcomers, members of a criminal group called the Viagras, were almost certainly clearing the forest to set up a grow operation. They wouldn’t be planting marijuana or other crops long favored by Mexican cartels, but something potentially even more profitable: avocados.
(Excerpt) Read more at ktla.com ...
The Mafia in the US, particularly in New York, took over a number of legitimate businesses or even industries. They at one point controlled the entire cement industry, and of course, with the amount of building, government highway contracts, etc. in NY, you can see why that would be lucrative!
True. I was forgetting my history.
I try not to, but it's very hard. Much of the produce in supermarkets in my area is from Mexico, including just about all of the tomatoes. This is the case even in upscale supermarkets such as Whole Foods.
The mafia was also involved in the music industry. They knew how to collect revenues, they just didn’t pay them out to the performers. ASCAP and BMI operate the same way.
Avocado farmers could not compete with fruit from Mexico and Chile due to crazy California restrictions on water and general regulation nonsense. They pulled out their avocado trees and planted olives for olive oil.
It is much easier for the cartels to hide drugs inside trucks full of avocados.
Produce that is sensitive to any delays.
Clinton gave the produce haulers a free pass regarding inspections....and lots of illegal stuff is hidden inside those trucks.
That’s funny. And I thought I was the only person in the world who didn’t like ‘cadoes. :)
My aunt had a knack for growing avocado plants from pits. East River view, Manhattan. ;)
I don't eat as much avocado as I did when I was young but grew up with trees in the backyard. Picking avocados and timing their ripening is an art. You learn to evaluate when they're ready to place in the hothouse and for how long. If you depend on chance, most of them will go bad.
If one's never had perfect avocados and their only experience with them is bad produce, it's understandable how they'd come to hate them.
Just the same, a label that says "product of Mexico" is a stop sign for me.
That's why I buy the frozen Avocado chunks.
Call your doctor if you've been terrorized for more than four hours.
-PJ
Sounds like they were hard to argue with as well...
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