On July 25, 2008, Michael Braun, assistant administrator and chief of operations at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), spoke at a forum about security challenges that were being exacerbated by intergroup relations Middle Eastern terrorists and drug cartels. In his speech he observed that of the forty-three terrorist organizations identified, at least nineteen are linked to global drug trafficking. 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, Investigations, and Dealing with Ties to Terrorist Organizations in the Middle East released a report identifying Mexican drug cartels doing business with Iranian groups and Hezbollah. (Boyle, 2012). This growing influence in Latin America now represents 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, especially in the United States. It is estimated that Mexican drug cartels are now present 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 rebel groups and drug trafficking organizations provides the resources needed to keep each in their own hierarchy. Drug cartels such as the Sinaloa Cartel, the Gulf Cartel or the “Zetas” work as a criminal organization and often with or for terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas. Terrorist groups require excessive funds to carry out their radical action. -from Eastern terrorists to Mexican drug cartels/Braun, M. (2008, July 25). Drug trafficking and terrorist groups in the Middle East: a growing connection? Retrieved from Washington Institute: http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/drug-trafficking-and-middle-eastern-terrorist-groups-a-growing-nexusNews, F. (2012, May 25) . Mexican drug traffickers make counterfeit military uniforms. Retrieved from My Fox DC: http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/18623037/mexican-drug-traffickers-make-knockoff-military-uniforms#axzz2pC8ZZvb3Representatives, United States (2012, November). A line in the sand: Fighting 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