Not so much a drug smuggling issue as the fact that it's pretty typical for Latin America for the most part. Pretty much a lwgacy of how the independence movements in Latin America in the 19th century took form which were pretty much an example of local rich landholders taking the opportunity of the chaos from the Napoleonic wars to claim power and break away from the Spanish Empire whose administration was very caste driven if you wanted to rise very high you had to be born in Spain or have Spanish parents if you were born in the colonies from second or third generation colonists you were limited in how far you could rise as for mestizos and natives or descendants of slaves you were far more limited in your options...
A lot of the richer upper class families are of Criollo descent from the original Spaniard landholders or the descendants of the Factors and representatives of the 19th century European trade companies or later immigrants from Europe and Middle East. In the case of the old money families they tend to be very inbred as they tend to marry whom their families want them to retain control of the family fortunes with some of the issues that arise in such inbred groupings.
There's also the tendency in many countries to have family owned monopoly companies that have a stranglehold on certain parts of the economy. In Guatemala for example you have Novela family which owns the sole Cement factory in the country (Cementos Progreso) and Cerveceria Centro Americana (Cervesa Gallo) which is owned by the Castillo Family being the country's sole beer producer.
--Werehawk--
My mom's brief take on upcoming Guatemalan Elections "In last throes of preelection activities. Much loudspeaker vote pleading."
A lot of the richer upper class families are of Criollo descent from the original Spaniard landholders or the descendants of the Factors and representatives of the 19th century European trade companies or later immigrants from Europe and Middle East. In the case of the old money families they tend to be very inbred as they tend to marry whom their families want them to retain control of the family fortunes with some of the issues that arise in such inbred groupings.
There's also the tendency in many countries to have family owned monopoly companies that have a stranglehold on certain parts of the economy. In Guatemala for example you have Novela family which owns the sole Cement factory in the country (Cementos Progreso) and Cerveceria Centro Americana (Cervesa Gallo) which is owned by the Castillo Family being the country's sole beer producer.
--Werehawk--
My mom's brief take on upcoming Guatemalan Elections "In last throes of preelection activities. Much loudspeaker vote pleading."