Mexico’s largest bloody cartel is now the empire on which the sun never sets. When you think of gun-toting, cash-laden Mexican drug cartels, you probably envision their thugs against the backdrop of the United States or Mexico—not Australia. After years of growth, the Sinaloa Foundation is now well established in Australia, and ready to provide for one of its most lucrative customers in the world.

In a September 22 statement, Australian Crime Commission chief executive Chris Dawson warned of this relatively unknown threat that is spreading to Australia’s major cities: “Organized crime is motivated principally by profit, and criminals look to exploit markets which offer high returns for low or calculated risk. Recently, we’ve seen the emergence of Mexican cartel activity within Australia.”

Despite 8,200 miles of island-spotted Pacific between Australia and Mexico, drug cartels are not deterred from making inroads into Australian cities. The attraction: a booming market of drug users willing to pay top-dollar for their next shot, sniff or puff.

When you look at the difference in prices, you can see why the Sinaloa Federation is willing to travel halfway round the world. Take cocaine, for example. In Mexico, a kilogram of cocaine is worth nearly $12,000. If it crosses the border to the States, it jumps to $30,000. If it makes its way to Australia, its worth skyrockets to $220,000!

The traditionally cocaine-peddling cartels have started branching into heroin and crystal methamphetamine (ice) to cope with Australia’s diverse drug culture. These can rake in even larger profits than cocaine. A single dose of heroine in the U.S. can sell for $4.50; in Australia, it goes for $50.

In a July raid in Sydney, police seized $30 million worth of ice as well as $1.8 million in cash and guns. Two alleged Mexican cartel members were arrested and charged at the time.

The drug bust gave a glimpse into the growing power of the cartels within Australia, but shed far more light on Australia’s inability to combat the criminal organization. The well-funded Mexicans have easy access to Australia via the loosely guarded South American ports that send shipments right to the docks of Australia’s port cities like Melbourne. From there, cartels members—aided by many of Australia’s biker gangs—disperse the drugs throughout the nation.

The Daily Telegraph released an article stating that the average cocaine dealer earns $35,000 a week. When you think of the hundreds of dealers across the nation, then think of the dealers selling ice or heroin—making even more money—you get a clear indication that the single bust of $30 million in July barely scratched the surface of Australia’s drug culture.

The blame cannot be shifted entirely to some cartel leader in a mansion in Mexico. While he may be responsible for sending the drugs, someone on the other end was willing to spend $50 for a temporary high.

The truth is, one cannot exist without the other. The Sinaloa Federation could not have a drug trade in a nation on the other side of the world if there was no demand for it. Australians continue to demand the narcotics. They demand that the high-priced illegal imports continue so they can fuel their addictions. The cartels eagerly oblige.

If men like Chris Dawson are worried about the drug cartels, they should be equally worried about the drug users. The United Nations annual drug report ranked Australia first in ecstasy usage, third in methamphetamine usage, and fourth in cocaine use.

To remove the cartels in Australia, the party-drug pandemic that has swept across the nation must also be removed. Unfortunately, with Australia well and truly head-over-heels on the moral slide, the rise in drug use and the crimes that come with it are set to continue.

Australia’s drug problem is just one sign of the moral decline bringing the nation to its knees.