Transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), particularly drug trafficking organizations (DTOs), are a growing concern for the United States and Latin America. Relatively little research, however, focuses on how TCOs build relationships with local populations as part of their overall operations. This thesis draws from counterinsurgency literature to consider the role that populations play in TCO and counter-TCO efforts. It uses a controlled case study comparison between the Medellín Cartel in Colombia from 1976 to 1993, and a study of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico from 1988 to 2019 to investigate the ways TCOs engage populations, both positively and negatively; the steps the governments take to conduct counter-TCO operations and their effects on the population; and the measures the governments take to positively engage the population. It finds that both of these cartels have actively sought to win the support of populations by providing resources to local communities, including infrastructure development, aid, and other resources. The governments of Colombia and Mexico, by contrast, initially did little to positively engage affected populations. The thesis concludes by posing steps that governments can take to better engage these populations.

Subjects: transnational criminal organization; TCO; drug trafficking organization; DTO; counter transnational organized crime; CTOC; C-TCO; counterinsurgency; COIN; DEA; FBI; Medellín; Sinaloa; Pablo Escobar; Colombia; Mexico; Joaquín Guzmán; El Chapo; drugs; cocaine; marijuana; eradication; extradition; crime; corruption; cartel; homeland security; border; terrorism; narcoterrorism; narcotics; government; population; influence