Analysis of Power Sources and Uses in the Sinaloa Cartel Operations

This essay provides an in-depth analysis of the sources and uses of power within the Sinaloa Cartel, a notorious international drug trafficking organization. It explores various power sources, including legitimate power derived from position, referent power built on interpersonal relationships, coercive power based on threats and punishment, and reward power stemming from the ability to provide incentives. The essay examines how leaders like El Chapo (Joaquin Guzman) utilized these power sources to control the cartel, expand its operations, and exert influence within the Mexican drug trade and beyond. It discusses the negative consequences of the cartel's power, including violence, corruption, and societal impact, highlighting the destructive effects on individuals, families, and the economy. The analysis draws on various academic sources to provide a comprehensive understanding of the cartel's power dynamics and its implications.

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Introduction
Power can be defined as the authority that an individual or group of people posses that
they use to influence decision making and to direct others. It can also be referred to as
the authority and influence over other people (Abadinsky, 2014). Power is an
important tool in life and it can result to other positive or negative outcomes. People
and organizations draw power from different areas and factors. This is what is
referred to as a power source. This paper discusses the sources and uses of power with
a specific reference to Sinaloa Cartel. Sinaloa cartel is an International drug
trafficking and money laundering syndicate. It was established in the mid 1980`s and
its based in Culiac`can, Sinaloa. Its operations are also based in major Mexican states
and it has been involved in drug trafficking into USA (Kirst-Ashman, 2008). The
group has had many powerful and influential leaders who have led the group
ruthlessly. This paper analyzes where these leaders drew their power and how they
used the power to rule and lead the group.
There are various sources of power that can be associated with Sinaloa Cartel. One of
the most popular sources of power is the legitimate power. Legitimate power is
derived from the position that a person owns in an organization. The position must be
earned legitimately through work done in the past (Carpenter& Cato Institute, 2008).
The holder of a position must be influential among their peers and must be respected
as well. Most of the leaders of the infamous Sinaloa cartel earned their power
legitimately. This means that the leaders rose to the positions they held/hold due to
their dedication, loyalty, and hard work. This brought about respect and admiration
from among the members and they were appointed or nominated to those positions.
Leaders who acquire power legitimately can be able to assign duties and tasks to their
juniors and hence can get so many things done at the same time. These types of
leaders have a lot of influence and command so much respect. For example
Guzman ,alias El Chapo eared his power and position as the overall leader of Sinaloa
cartel. During the 1980`s he used to work for drug Lord Hector Palma. He transported
drugs and oversaw shipment of drugs from Sierra Madre to urban areas near the
boarder of US and Mexico (Montana & Charnov, 2008). He was ambitious and
focused and he used to request his superiors to increase his share of drugs he
transported. He was also very serious and violent if there was a delay in shipment or
in-case anyone leaked information to rivals. These characteristics were very
fundamental to the rise of Guzman to such a powerful position and to help the
organization grow for many years thereafter.
Referent power is the biggest source of power for the Sinaloa Cartel. Referent power
is derived from the interpersonal relations that a person cultivates with other people
within and outside the organization (Fairholm, 2009). Some of the most influential
and powerful corporate leaders have referent power. Referent power is very important
source of power because it brings about respect from the people one is working with
and this helps in increasing the power of an individual within the organization.
Referent power brings is cultivated from relations between people in an organization.

One of the leaders of the Sinaloa Catel who had referent power is Juan Jose Moreno.
Joaquin Guzman is also another popular leader of Sinaloa Cartel. He became the most
powerful drug Kingpin in the year 2003 after his rival Osiel Cardenas Guillen of Gulf
Cartel was arrested. Guzman was also ranked by Forbes magazine as one of the most
powerful men in the world between the year 2009 and 2011 (Pherson, K& Pherson, R.
H.2012). Guzman mainly derived his power from the fear he triggered among his
followers on hearing his name. He was a merciless killer who never pardoned anyone
and this explains the crime and the series of murders committed by the criminal gang
throughout Mexico.
Coercive power is derived from the ability of a person to influence others by using
threats, punishment and punishment. This source of power was also commonly used
by the Sinaloa cartel. The group is characterized with brutal violence and murders.
The leaders of the Sinaloa cartel are people who have risen to owner due to the fact
that they are greatly feared in the members of the gang and other people in the
society. The group is also referred to as the Blood alliance due to its criminal nature
and no mercy policy. One of the cartels ring leader, Guzman would shoot a drug
smuggler in the head in case any of the shipments got late. None of the people who
worked under him would dare cheat him or associate with his competitors. His ability
to cause fear among the members of the cartel motivated Felix Gallardo to make him
the logistics manager in his cartel. He would eventually gain recognition and start
working with Felix Guillardo directly. Felix Gillerdo was also a powerful leader in the
Sinaloa cartel which was formed after he dismantled the Gualalajara Cartel. Felix
coordinated with Guzman to manhunt and kill Enrique Camarena who worked as an
informant of DEA. The power of the Sinaloa Cartel also rested on the ability of the
leaders to deal with competition from inside the cartel and also from the rival gangs.
The drug business in Mexico is very violent and there is a lot of competition with
killings and revenge killings which resulted to the murder of very many people.
Guzman gave information to the DEA and Mexican authorities. This information
aided the arrest of the Beltran Leyva brothers and consequently this led to the
dismantling of the Tijuana cartel (Langton, 2011). The top leaders of the cartel do not
entertain any form of rebellion or the rise of another center of power. Power of the
cartel is concentrated on one individual who makes all decisions and gives orders to
the junior members. The members have to follow the orders without questions and
this makes the leaders of the cartel revered in all the areas in which the group
operates. This has also resulted to the group being named the biggest drug and
organized crime syndicate in the world.
The Sinaloa cartel also used reward criteria as a source of power. Reward power
arises from the ability of an individual to influence incentives to be given to people
who perform extraordinarily within an organization (Beith, 2011). The incentives
could be monetary or non-monetary. They could be promotion or positive appraisal.
When a person is in a leadership position in an organization, they can use the reward
system to draw power to themselves and increase the influence that they have on other

people in the organization. People who reward good performance are loved by their
juniors and this love gives them power and influence which can help them to gain
more control (Hunter & Westerman, 2009). The leadership of Sinaloa cartel used the
reward power system to increase its influence in the Mexican drug trafficking chain.
Guzman who is the leader of Sinaloa drug cartel used to reward his loyal followers
and this made many of the people to love him. The members of the cartel who were
loyal to Guzman were also rewarded through promotion to powerful positions. An
example is Coronel Villareal who was loyal to Guzman and he headed up becoming a
very close associate and later one of the cartel`s top leaders.
People can decide to use power in different ways. The uses of power are what
determine whether the outcome of the power will be positive or negative. A leader
can choose to use their power to do evil or good. The actions of a leader influence the
attitudes, opinions, and behavior of those around him. Most of the leaders of the
Sinaloa cartel decided to use their power and influence to do and cause evil (Bacon,
2011). Guzman in particular was known for brutally murdering smugglers who did
not follow his commands the way he wanted. He would instill fear among all the
people who worked under him and this was one of the major factors that led to the
growth of the cartel and expansion of its drug network to USA. Guzman was feared
even in the distribution cells in the USA despite the fact that he had never visited the
country nor had he met them before. Guzman is also known for his ability to use the
money he has to buy freedom and to commit crime that went unpunished (Beittel &
Library of Congress, 2011). The leaders paid police officers bribes so that their crimes
would go unpunished. Palma who was the leader of the cartel before he was arrested,
also participated in the murder of rival drug smugglers and also committed various
violent crimes such as armed robbery. The leaders of the Sinaloa cartel used their
power to influence the society negatively. Their drug business contributed greatly to
the increase in the number of drug users in USA and also in Mexico. This contributes
negatively in the society since drugs contribute to reduced productivity and they
destroy lives of young people. The leaders were also a negative influence in the
regions where their activities were concentrated. The cartel recruited teenagers in the
school going age and most of the teenagers in Sinaloa dropped out of school in search
for fast riches through the drugs business. The leaders of the Sinaloa cartel used their
power and influence to influence to influence the society negatively and this instilled
negative virtues in the society (Klein, 2017). The power of the Sinaloa cartel
contributed to social evils which affected the society negatively with crime rate
increasing and violent robberies happening each and every day. The activities of the
Sinaloa cartel also signify use of power to do evil deeds. The war between the Sinaloa
cartels and other cartels in the region has destroyed the economy of the region.
Despite the huge sums of money raked from selling drugs to by the cartels, the
economy in the Sinaloa province and other regions heavily involved in drug business
is very poor because, the cartels force business people to pay protection fee to them
and this heavily discourages investments. Most business in the region has closed for
fear of gangs and this has greatly affected the livelihoods of many families. In

addition to this, the negative use of power by the Sinaloa cartel has resulted to family
break ups. Some family members get involved in the drugs business and their
involvement may put them at odds with the other family members. Some members of
the family may end up getting murdered. Cases of rape and other forms of sexual
assault in the region have also been very high due to the activities of the cartel in the
region.

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