No one can "clear them out", even if the u.s. army came in and killed every last cartel member, the demand for drugs would still remain and a new cartel would pop up as soon as the u.s. leaves. It would basically be Afghanistan all over again, a bunch of people will die, trillions of dollars will be spent only to have it all go to waste as soon as we leave.

Violence can't solve the underlying social issues causing these groups to form.