A closer look
Drug cartels in Mexico have violently taken over the avocado farming industry, using the lucrative international trade of this trendy green fruit as an incredibly efficient vehicle to launder their illicit drug money through perfectly legal agricultural channels. because the global demand for guacamole and avocado toast has skyrocketed, the profit margins on the crop have become so absurdly high that cartels realized they could make just as much money extorting farmers as they do smuggling narcotics across the border. it completely shatters the illusion of ethical consumerism when you realize that your overpriced, aesthetically pleasing brunch is actively funding heavily armed criminal syndicates in another country. the next time a hipster cafe tries to charge you fifteen dollars for some mashed fruit on a piece of sourdough bread, you can comfortably complain about the price while knowing you are directly contributing to an incredibly complex, international shadow economy
