The Mexican Drug War is an ongoing armed conflict between rival drug cartels fighting for regional control over drug trafficking routes into the United States, and between the cartels and the Mexican government seeking to reduce drug trafficking. Since the 1990s, Mexican drug cartels have dominated the drug trade in the United States, as arrests of cartel leaders have led to increased violence as cartels battle over trafficking routes. The cartels control large parts of Mexico and influence politics, and wage violent battles over smuggling corridors into the United States, employing hitmen and armed enforcers.