Mexican drug cartel Los Zetas is estimated to be earning between $22 Million to $25 Million by illegally mining coal near the US border.
The cartels either mine the coal themselves or purchase it from small operators and then sell the coal to the state-owned mine company and make a profit up to 30 times their investment.
The Zetas either produce or purchase up to 10,000 tons of coal a week.
(More illegal and criminal profits here.)
Source: AFP, “Mexican druglords strike gold in coal,” Google News, November 18, 2012.