I can't say that I'm totally sold on this being a cartel connected hit, but I can't rule it out.
The scale of this action leads me away from thinking a cartel was directly involved. Too big, too "loud," too much interest by the public was inevitable on this scale.
I can't think of any comparable cartel actions within the US, but I'm looking.
On the other hand, if it was cartel directed, it would certainly send a loud message.
It is not a stretch to say that a cartel could and would perform extensive surveillance prior to taking action.
Two cartel contracted operatives go on trial tomorrow (Monday) in federal court in Fort Worth for their role in a cartel hit in Southlake, Texas. Their role was surveillance.
http://interactives.dallasnews.com/2016/chapa/
(The linked article is Part 2 of a fascinating account of how actions and counteractioms can play between cartels and US law enforcement efforts.)
That is an example of how a cartel hit took place in the US.
The target in that case was a key player in the cartels, whereas the Ohio murders would only be smaller cogs in the machine if they were cartel connected.
Considering what was said today about the planned nature of these murders, I am inclined to think they are related to the growing operation rather than a crime of passion related to personal relationships.
This was about business -- the business of money.
Shatter is a concentrated form of THC that is in fact smoked. There is a huge market for it and the product is legal in Colorado, Washington, and elsewhere. Production methods can be dicey if people are careless and/or don't know what they're doing.
It's possible that this family's operation included shatter production and that they could be the people involved in the disrupted mail delivery.
We kid ourselves when we think we are shielded from the nature of drug cartels simply because we are on this side of the border.
They operate in the US less in the open than in Mexico, and usually behind other forms of drug trafficking organizations. The easiest way to find them is to look beyond and behind every drug trafficking operation. They're almost always there.
The question for me is whether a drug cartel would go this bold over a cannabis operation. I'm inclined to think not, but they might be willing to do so to send a message to US law enforcement regarding the broader drug wars.