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Drug Cartels Now Field 100,000 Foot Soldiers

 
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bardolf



Joined: 30 Jan 2006
Posts: 23

PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 11:51 am    Post subject: Drug Cartels Now Field 100,000 Foot Soldiers Reply with quote

**********

Last year, 6,000 Mexicans died in drug-related killings in a war where the tactics are massacre, murder, kidnapping and beheading.

President Felipe Calderon has ordered another 5,000 troops and 1,000 police to the border. Primary target: Ciudad Juarez, across the Rio Grande from El Paso.

Some 2,500 federal troops are already in Juarez, where in 2008 there were 1,600 drug-related murders. Gun battles occur every day. Nationally, 45,000 army troops and police are committed to this war that Mexico is not winning. For, according to the March 3 Washington Times, the Pentagon now estimates the cartels field more than 100,000 foot soldiers.

The chief of police of Juarez just resigned after a cartel threatened to kill an officer every 48 hours if he did not. To prove its seriousness, the cartel murdered four cops, including the chief's deputy. Last year, 50 police officers in Juarez were murdered.

"The decision I am taking is one of life over death," said Chief Roberto Oduna. The chief would seem to have a point. In January, his predecessor's head was found in an ice cooler outside a police station. The mayor keeps his family in El Paso, as they have been threatened with decapitation.

****************

I think I'll hold off a while on the move-to-Mexico plan. A country where gangsters can intimidate the police chief of a city into resigning is a country in deep trouble.
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Roy Briggs



Joined: 22 Feb 2006
Posts: 18
Location: Tuxtla Gutierrez

PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 12:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A country that can't control its drug consumption and looks the other way while NRA backed gun runners smuggle arms into Mexico to arm the drug cartels is in equally deep trouble, but would rather just point its twisted judgmental finger at Mexico and Mexicans instead.
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Samantha



Joined: 25 Oct 2003
Posts: 2038
Location: Mexican Riviera

PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 5:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bardolf, FYI it's not okay to cut and paste even a portion of a (copyrighted) article from another source without including the link to the original story.

I've lived in Mexico for years, and I wouldn't live in Ciudad Juarez either. Why would anyone coming to teach English even think about some of the border cities? They have been in the news for a very long time now. The narcos that frequent that area apparently know enough English to conduct their business rather well, so corporate classes with them would be a long shot! Wink And if you aren't hanging out with people in that trade, then you really aren't in danger. The people in danger, including members of police forces, are those who have gotten "involved" and can't find a way out, and there are plenty of them.
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thelmadatter



Joined: 31 Mar 2003
Posts: 1212
Location: in el Distrito Federal x fin!

PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 5:59 pm    Post subject: gun battles Reply with quote

Ive seen some of the footage on You Tube and its makes me a little nervous too. But Samantha has a point, the out-and-out gun battles are happening on the border and the drug smuggling routes, not the entire country. And as many have stated on this forum before, it is relatively easy for us foreigners to avoid the areas and people involved in the drug trade. Not quite as easy for many Mexicans.

Roy... your argument is a little disingenuous. Many of the weapons used by the cartels are not availble in your neighborhood gun shop in the States, which means they are getting them from weapons dealers and/or the Mexican military. There is a smuggling problem of weapons from the US to Mexico, but many of these weapons are being sold to average Mexicans who need some kind of protection. (Can you blame them?) Also, just goes to show neither the Mexican NOR the US governments can control the flow of 'goods' across the border and it is very likely that the situation is reaching a breaking point. Perhaps Calderon's contribution will be to show once and for all that an all-out war on drugs is useless. Many of the center-right blogs I frequent (www.townhall.com, www.pajamasmedia.com, www.littlegreenfootballs.com and ace.mu.nu) are coming to this conclusion.

While I disagree with the notion of Mexico being in danger of becoming a failed state, there is the "danger" of Mexico throwing up its hands and simply making the drug trade at least somewhat legal. Drug consumption in the US really isnt and shouldnt be Mexico's problem (but then on the other hand, illegal gun possesion in Mexico shouldnt be the US's problem either)

The wrench in this scenario is this... if Mexico throws up its hands and the US does not move towards a more sane drug policy, we are talking about a HUGE increase of border vigilance ... probably with real troops (not unarmed National Guardsmen that can be tied up as happened in Arizona). This is bad for Mexico as it will affect all those illegal immigrants that Mexico benefits from the dumping of. This is probably why the Mexican government has cooperated with the US on the war on drugs up to this point.

The next year or so will be very telling, methinks.
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Mrs L



Joined: 20 Mar 2008
Posts: 72
Location: Rainy England

PostPosted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 11:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The problems in Mexico are now getting a much wider press, especially over here in Europe, but that's also leading to lots of over-opinionated journalists giving their 'analysis' of the situation without ever having visited Mexico and with their only knowledge being the news that comes out of the border region.

I too think the idea that Mexico might become a failed state is ridiculous, and given the US's dubious history were Latin American foreign policy is concerned one has to wonder what their alterior motives might be when making such a claim.

I think this Q&A page gives a good summary of the situation.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7906284.stm
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kellyp



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 5

PostPosted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 10:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I just got a call from my grandma (who just heard I am considering going to Acapulco) having a panic attack about my going. She was saying how the drug cartels are taking over the country and murdering men women children etc. she had just seen it on the news. Anyone know if the problems are reaching that far south? I told her I would do my due diligence and research Mexico's current drug and murder problems before I decide to go for sure. Perhaps I should look into another part of L.A.? I would love to hear more from people who are actually in Mexico about all of this....
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dixie



Joined: 23 Apr 2006
Posts: 644
Location: D.F

PostPosted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 11:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

kellyp wrote:
I just got a call from my grandma (who just heard I am considering going to Acapulco) having a panic attack about my going. She was saying how the drug cartels are taking over the country and murdering men women children etc. she had just seen it on the news. Anyone know if the problems are reaching that far south? I told her I would do my due diligence and research Mexico's current drug and murder problems before I decide to go for sure. Perhaps I should look into another part of L.A.? I would love to hear more from people who are actually in Mexico about all of this....


WoW.

I hope your grandma was using a high dose of exaggeration when she was talking to you. There are issues but unless your plan is to come down here and start selling drugs, or dating cartel members, you should be safe.
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kellyp



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 5

PostPosted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 11:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

dixie wrote:


WoW.

I hope your grandma was using a high dose of exaggeration when she was talking to you. There are issues but unless your plan is to come down here and start selling drugs, or dating cartel members, you should be safe.


No i am not planning on selling drugs or dating cartel members Smile Im easier to convince, she might take a little more!
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fladude



Joined: 02 Feb 2009
Posts: 432

PostPosted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 5:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Roy Briggs wrote:
A country that can't control its drug consumption and looks the other way while NRA backed gun runners smuggle arms into Mexico to arm the drug cartels is in equally d't eep trouble, but would rather just point its twisted judgmental finger at Mexico and Mexicans instead.


WoW Im a lifetime member of the NRA and I didn't realize that I was backing Mexican gun ownership.... although I problably would support Mexicans owning guns.

FACT: The US does supply the best handguns and AR-15s. So yeah if a drug dealer in Mexico wants an AR-15 or a handgun the US is the best market.

The AK-47's in Mexico though... are mostly coming from China. This isnt because AK's can't be found in the US. It is because the Chinese AK's are cheaper and generally higher quality.

Think Chinese AKs can't be gotten in Mexico? The Chinese at one point imported illegal full auto AKs into the US and sold them to street gangs... so your idea that they wont sell them to the Mexicans is a joke. I know a Chinese importer who asked me once, in a "semi" joke if I wanted any AK's with my order.... he was joking but only partially.

Machineguns and grenades in Mexico are not coming from the US. We do have semi-auto rifles here, but stuff like the M240 is coming from the Mexican army which is completely corrupt.

Guns in Mexico are no more the US problem than drugs in the US are Mexico's problem.

The US should legalize drugs.... but it shouldn't be concerned about Mexico when it makes that decision.
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Samantha



Joined: 25 Oct 2003
Posts: 2038
Location: Mexican Riviera

PostPosted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 6:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

fladude wrote:
Quote:
stuff like the M240 is coming from the Mexican army which is completely corrupt.


So...just out of curiousity, as a person not living in Mexico, how are you substantiating that comment about the Mexican army being completely corrupt?
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fladude



Joined: 02 Feb 2009
Posts: 432

PostPosted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 11:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Samantha wrote:
fladude wrote:
Quote:
stuff like the M240 is coming from the Mexican army which is completely corrupt.


So...just out of curiousity, as a person not living in Mexico, how are you substantiating that comment about the Mexican army being completely corrupt?


OK my choice of words was chosen poorly. "Completely" is over the top. Its obvious that some percentage of Mexican authorities are trying to fight the drug cartels. But there is no way whether it be in Mexico or the United States or anywhere else that you could have that level of criminal activity going on without duplicity from some of the authorities. I may not live in Mexico, but I certainly have my share of experience with criminal enterprise.

If you are going to come back with "how do I know about the level of criminal activity?" let me ask how do YOU know? Mexico is pretty big country, last time I checked. A lot of the US is closer to northern Mexico than parts of Mexico are....

I suspect we are all getting the same news here on the internet. Now it's true that I am getting the conspiracy news that is sent around in the US to undermine Mexico. That's obvious.... So let me ask, do you live in the border towns? If it's really safe and the news I am getting is wrong, then drive over there and give us a report and tell us the truth as you see it. That way we can get the real story.
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Samantha



Joined: 25 Oct 2003
Posts: 2038
Location: Mexican Riviera

PostPosted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 5:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The border towns, like other "hot" spots, in Mexico are extremely dangerous if you are involved with the criminal element. Otherwise, not so much. Remember that hundreds of retirees living in Mexico drive back and forth all the time, through border areas to get to their winter homes in various parts of Mexico, and those living here full-time often drive north to go shopping. These are elderly people and they don't think twice about it! They have to pass through the border cities, and do so without incident.

But really, there is no convincing anyone what it truly feels to live here because the foreign news medias, who mostly miss what's really going on, report that it's not safe. If there were drive-by shootings and innocent bystanders getting killed, like my last home city in Canada is currently experiencing, I would be telling a different story. But that's not happening. Incidentally, the thought of living in places like Miami, Phoenix, or Los Angeles, scares the life out of me.

The good being done is reported in the news constantly here. The good guys are winning the battle little by little. And it's no small battle. That's why it's called The War on Drugs. One example; a narco "safe house" with lots of powerful weapons inside got busted the other day, (nice house, upscale neighborhood) along with the 2 cops hired to guard it. They were being paid $10,000 pesos a month, each, for security duty, which I'm sure in hindsight they now regret. That is pretty much double their pathetically low regular salaries. (The cops in Florida, for example, are underpaid too and not immune to corruption).

For what it's worth, I live in Sinaloa where the presence of the army and other forces has made a big difference toward making things right since Calderon sent them in. Many weapons have been seized and arrests made. Parrot smugglers and car thieves are being captured at higher rates these days too. Because of a routine military check-point, a vacationing couple from Winnipeg, Canada recently had their stolen SUV returned to them. Taken from outside a restaurant in Mazatlan while they were eating lunch, it was later encountered and seized at the routine military checkstop miles outside the city, when the occupants didn't have a convincing story. (These type of things are small reasons we know that the military on the ground are good guys. The theft report hadn't made it into the system yet, but it was still sent off to the impound yard because they were doing their jobs. It was a very expensive vehicle, a Hummer, and that could have ended quite differently, otherwise.)

Ironically, a popular Canadian airline has just scheduled two nonstop flights a week into Mazatlan airport (as well as other airports in Mexico) for SUMMER traffic. Usually there are summer cut-backs due to the weather, but this year it's a vacation bargain, so obviously not everyone is scared off by the northern media's sensational reporting. Not one incident of a drunken spring breaker even falling off a balcony here. There are lots of students here having a great time, and I think their parents lectured them so much about safety this year, they are staying somewhat sober, and not getting into the usual mischief.
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ReeseDog



Joined: 13 Apr 2008
Posts: 26

PostPosted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 7:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Roy Briggs wrote:
A country that...looks the other way while NRA backed gun runners smuggle arms into Mexico to arm the drug cartels...


I'm throwing a bullsh�t flag on this one. Source, please.
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