Mexican drug gangs are forcing tribal communities to abandon their traditional crops and grow marijuana and heroin poppies, the National Anthropology and History Institute reported on Tuesday.

The gangs have targeted the Tarahumara, Guarijio and Pima tribes in the western states of Sonora and Chihuahua. The gangs have brought violence, alcohol, money and other ills that are affecting tribal culture, archaeologists said.

The gangs are coming from the neighboring state of Sinaloa, where Mexico's drug trade and most ruthless drug lords are based.

Get the Story:
Mexican drug gangs force Indians to drop tradition (Reuters 2/9)
Drug Lord, Ruthless and Elusive, Reaches High in Mexico (The New York Times 2/9)
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Get the Report:
DEBIDO AL NARCOCULTIVO, LA MIGRACIN DE LAS ETNIAS QUE HABITAN LA SIERRA TARAHUMARA ES PR�CTICAMENTE NULA (Spanish Only)

Relevant Links:
National Anthropology and History Institute - http://www.inah.gob.mx