Wouldn't it be easier to just not cut them down?
Not when you're, say, the gov't of Honduras, and you're paid millions of dollars to let foreign corporations do whatever the f*ck they want in your country.
Speaking of which, there's no f*cking way those Maras gangs are responsible for
that much murder and mayhem. Ditto on the amount of drugs and supposedly produce and ship to the USA and Europe. The Maras gangs are hordes of semi-literate rednecks and street kids, and they spend far too much time shooting each other for them to have time to process dope. They have no resources to ship dope either. Only a moron would believe such a thing.
On the other hand, the gov't of Honduras is the only actor with the manpower and resources to produce and move that much dope. Especially the military, police, intelligence services, and diplomatic services.