On July 25, 2008, Michael Braun, Deputy Administrator and Chief of Operations of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), spoke in a forum about the security challenges exacerbated by relationships between Middle Eastern terrorist groups and drug cartels. In his speech, he highlighted that of the forty-three identified terrorist organizations, at least nineteen are known to be linked to the global drug trade. This equates to at least sixty percent of known terrorist organizations linked to the global illegal narcotics trade. (Braun, 2008) The House Homeland Security Committee's Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigation, and Management of Ties to Middle Eastern Terrorist Organizations released a report identifying Mexican drug cartels doing business with Iranian and Hezbollah groups. (Boyle, 2012). This growing influence in Latin America now poses a security challenge. Iran alone has embassies in eleven Latin American countries. Documented information continues to come from valid sources. Drug cartels continue to grow, particularly in the United States. Mexican drug cartels are now estimated to have a presence in more than 1,000 cities across the United States. (Representatives, 2012) Drug cartels and foreign terrorist groups appear to have formed a malleable symbiotic relationship. The transnational enterprise that has taken place between insurgent groups and drug trafficking organizations provides the resources necessary to keep each within its own hierarchy. Drug cartels such as the Sinaloa Cartel, Cartel Del Golfo or the “Zetas” operate as a criminal organization and often with or for terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. Terrorist groups require excessive funds to carry out their radical campaign...... middle of paper ......The Daily Caller: http://dailycaller.com/2012/11/16/congressional-report- ties-middle -from Eastern terrorists to Mexican-drug-cartels/Braun, M. (July 25, 2008). Drug trafficking and Middle Eastern terrorist groups: a growing link? Retrieved from Washington Institute: http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/drug-trafficking-and-middle-eastern-terrorist-groups-a-growing-nexusNews, F. (May 25, 2012). Mexican drug traffickers produce counterfeit military uniforms. Retrieved from My Fox DC: http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/18623037/mexican-drug-traffickers-make-knockoff-military-uniforms#axzz2pC8ZZvb3Representatives, United States (November 2012). A Line in the Sand: Combating Crime, Violence, and Terrorism on the Southwest Border. Retrieved from Homeland Security, House of Representatives: http://homeland.house.gov/sites/homeland.house.gov/files/11-15-12-Line-in-the-Sand.pdf