Based on that extensive (NYT?) article from a few weeks ago, it doesn't look like Mexico will ever be able to pull itself out of this mess. The article suggested that most of the govt and police force was either in bed with the various cartels, or too terrified of them in order to do anything about it. It's a very lucrative arrangement for everybody but the poor bystanders who might become civilian casualties in the endless turf wars.
It feels like the only way to fix this is to tweak the "demand" variable, perhaps through legalization.