War on illegal drugs

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Mexican police sufferin' a heavy toll...

Mexico: Top police officer killed
May 22,`08 -- A top police official in Mexico was found dead in the trunk of a car in Mexico City along with another officer, authorities said.

The bodies of Victor Enrique Payan and another officer were found with a note attached to them warning others not to join the Sinaloa drug gang in northern Mexico, El Universal reported Thursday.

Numerous Mexican police officers have been implicated in drug cartels despite recent efforts by the Mexican government to crack down on the gangs.

The head of Mexico's federal police force was killed this month by a group of gunmen, police officials said. Edgar Millan Gomez was shot several times outside his Mexico City apartment building.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has sent Mexican police to several border towns in recent months to combat the growing violence associated with drug trafficking.

Source

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Drug murders on the rise in Mexico...

Mexico drug-related killings soar
Saturday, 24 May 2008 : Mexico's attorney-general says murders related to organised crime have jumped by almost half this year to 1,378.

Eduardo Medina Mora also said more than 4,000 people have died since President Felipe Calderon took office 18 months ago, declaring war on the drug cartels. About 450 of those were police, soldiers, or prosecutors.

It comes as police in northern Mexico found four severed heads in ice-chests outside a motorway convenience store. Five bodies - some decapitated - were also discovered in a city on the border with the US state of Texas.

The government says the violence is a symptom of the drug gangs' desperation amid the nation-wide crackdown involving more than 20,000 soldiers and police. "Evidently when they are cornered and weakened, they have to respond with violence," Mr Medina Mora said in an interview on local radio.

BBC NEWS | Americas | Mexico drug-related killings soar

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Mexican drug chaos outta control...

State Dept: 128 Americans Murdered in Mexico in 3 Years
May 23, 2008 - A U.S State Department report on "non-natural deaths" of U.S. citizens abroad says that 128 Americans were victims of homicides or "executions" in Mexico between Jan. 1, 2005 and Dec. 31, 2007, and that a majority of these murders took place in Mexican cities located on the southern border of the United States.

All told, during the period in question, 667 Americans were killed in Mexico by "non-natural" causes, including by drowning, auto accidents, and suicides, according to the report. It is unclear how accurate these numbers are, however, because the State Department says the report "is based solely on cases reported by American citizens to our posts abroad."

Sixty-eight of the 128 murders and executions of Americans cited in the report took place in Mexican cities immediately on the U.S. border. Another 12 took place in other locations within Mexican states that border the United States. Thirty-one Americans were reportedly murdered in Tijuana; 21 in Nueva Laredo; six in Ciudad Juarez; four in Matamoros; two in a Mexicali, and one each in Reynosa, Tecate, Puerto Palomas and Nogales.

Two Americans were murdered in San Felipe, Baja California Norte; two in Rosarito, Baja California Norte; two in Ensenada, Baja California Norte, and two in Magdalena, Sonora. One American was murdered in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon; one in Bahia Kino, Sonora; one in Agualeguas, Nuevo Leon; and one in San Quintin, Baja California Norte. Each of these towns is in a Mexican state that borders the U.S.

The two deaths described in the State Department report as "executions" both occurred in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, which borders the United States. One of those executions was reported to have taken place on Jan. 21, 2007 in Ciudad Juarez, just across the border from El Paso, Texas. No specific city was listed for the other execution, which was reported to have occurred on March 27, 2007.

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Border city warned of blood-filled weekend
May 23, 2008 -- The e-mail warns that there will be "killings all over the city."; Ciudad Juarez Police say threats must be taken seriously, police will be vigilant; Officials say more than 200 people have been killed in drug wars in Juarez alone; Homicides tied to organized crime up 47 percent in 2008, Mexico officials say

The streets of Ciudad Juarez are empty after police became aware of an e-mail warning that this weekend will be "the bloodiest" in the Mexican border city. The e-mail says that gunmen will open fire at malls, restaurants, nightclubs and other public places and that there will be "killings all over the city."

Ciudad Juarez Police Chief Roberto Orduna says the threats must be taken seriously and sought to reassure residents in a news release Thursday, saying police will be more vigilant. Officials say that more than 200 people have been killed in Ciudad Juarez, a city of 1.3 million people across from El Paso, Texas, as drug cartels fight for territory.

On Friday, police found the bodies of five men dumped in blankets in front of a church. Nationally, homicides related to organized crime jumped 47 percent in 2008, Mexico's attorney general said Friday in a rare confirmation of how bad violence has become.

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Brazen druglords publish police targets...

Drug gang publishes police hit list
May 27, 2008 - A DRUG gang has pinned up hit lists across a northern Mexican city that names police officers it wants to murder, law authorities have said.

Police said they found three banners with the names of 21 state police officers hung on road bridges on Sunday in Chihuahua city, the capital of Chihuahua state. The banners displayed the names of the police in black ink and were signed by the Gente Nueva (New People) gang, a break-away group from the powerful Gulf cartel from eastern Mexico, a police spokesman said. Gente Nueva is a shadowy group that appeared in 2007 and which aims to counter the Gulf cartel with funding from rival gangs from the Pacific state of Sinaloa, US and Mexican anti-drug authorities say.

In January, drug gangs pinned a hit list to a police monument in Chihuahua's second-largest city, Ciudad Juarez, over the border from El Paso, Texas. They have so far killed half the 17 police on the list, despite a deployment of 3000 troops and 500 federal police across Chihuahua state. President Felipe Calderon has sent 25,000 troops and federal police to quell the drug war across Mexico since taking office in December 2006, making big narcotics seizures and arresting drug kingpins.

But violence is still rising as drug gangs fight each other and target troops and police officers. Gangland killings have surged in Mexico in recent weeks and some 1400 people have been killed in drug violence this year, up 50 per cent from this time in 2007. Drug violence killed more than 2500 people in 2007 as rival gangs fight over smuggling routes to the United States.

Drug gang publishes police hit list | NEWS.com.au

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Now they usin' kids...

Drug cartel uses boy as warning to police
May 27, 2008 -- Mexican chief: Cops make progress against cartels, but "let's see how long it lasts"; Boy with bike rigged with music used as a warning to cops: We're watching; 1,000 people killed in drug-related violence this year, including 170 cops; Top cop: "This has become a turf war between rival gangs"

The boy looked to be about 12 or 13 years old. Chubby, he struggled a bit with his bicycle as he rode to where we stood. He had a slight smirk as he played a tape that blared music from speakers tied to his bike. The tune was an ode to Edgar Guzman, the son of a local drug kingpin who was killed by a rival drug gang in a shootout May 10.

It was a message from the cartel to the cops, said Gen. Jose Antonio Guzman, the Mexican police commander heading up a raid on a house this day. The drug lords had sent the boy to let everyone know they were watching. It was a chilling moment in a city that has gained a reputation for being one of the most dangerous in Mexico.

Pitched battles between rival drug gangs, assassinations of police officers and ambushes on city streets have made life hell for many residents of Culiacan. A city of more than 600,000 people, Culiacan is on one of the nation's main highways along the west coast.

More Mexican drug cartel trots out boy as warning to cops - CNN.com

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Seven Mexican officers die in drug raid
27 May,`08 - Civilian also killed, 4 officers wounded, two people arrested; The deaths are the latest in a wave of drug-related violence to hit Culiacan; Culiacan has been plagued by battles between rival gangs, police assassinations; More than 1,000 have died in 2008 since Mexico launched offensive against cartels

Seven federal police officers were killed Tuesday in northwest Mexico in the latest in a series of drug-related violence, a spokesman for the federal police said. Another four officers were wounded and a civilian was killed during the incident, which occurred as police were conducting a weapons and drugs raid on a home in Culiacan, police spokesman Armando Arteaga said.

Upon arriving at the house, the officers were fired upon and a grenade was thrown at them, Arteaga said. Authorities arrested two people, including a minor, and confiscated seven AK-47s and dozens of ammunition clips. Photographs taken by Mexican police showed the walls of the house pockmarked with bullets and the small arsenal of confiscated arms in police custody.

The body of an unidentified man lay face up in a pool of blood on a cement floor. Culiacan, a city of more than 600,000 people in the state of Sinaloa, has become a key battleground in Mexico's drug war. In recent days, President Felipe Calderon has sent 2,000 federal police and army troops to Culiacan in an effort to stem the flow of drugs through the city.

More 7 Mexican officers killed in drug raid - CNN.com

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Mexico ain't backin' down...

Mexico extends army's drugs fight
Wednesday, 28 May 2008 - The Mexican government says the army will be used for at least another two years in the fight against drug cartels.

Around 25,000 troops are currently involved in a nationwide battle with the drug gangs, along with several thousand federal police officers. The Mexican Attorney General, Medina Mora, has said he sees no quick end to the violence. Nearly 1,400 people have died so far this year in drug gang related murders.

That is nearly 50% more compared with the same period last year. This year's total includes 450 police officers and other government officials. Mr Mora said the use of the army was working and that the power of the cartels was being curbed. He said the violence was a sign the cartels were fighting for control of what he called a smaller pie.

But others are more sceptical and say the cartels are far from being controlled. This week seven more police officers were murdered. Two weeks ago the director of Mexico's federal police was killed.

BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Mexico extends army's drugs fight

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Big border security meet...

Border Governors Head to Mexico As Violence Rises
May 29, 2008 - Governors from both sides of the border are meeting in Mexico City to push for more crime-fighting and border security amid unprecedented violence in Mexico.

The governors of California, Texas and New Mexico planned to offer support to Mexican President Calderon on Thursday for his crackdown against the drug trade, in which he has deployed more than 20,000 federal troops across Mexico. Cartels have responded with increasingly bold attacks against police and other security officials. On Tuesday, seven federal officers were killed in a shootout at a suspected drug safe house.

Beyond policy talks, it's not clear what the U.S. governors and the governors of the six Mexican states will be able to accomplish, because many of the actions they are seeking require congressional approval. The coalition made a similar anti-crime appeal to President Bush in February, but progress has been slow. Still, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration says the partnership and continued pressure already have produced results.

Federal Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff has boosted the number of workers at key border crossings, reducing wait times, said Dan Dunmoyer, Schwarzenegger's cabinet secretary. However, the wait at some border crossings can drag on for hours -- slowing trade and adding to pollution as diesel trucks idle. Schwarzenegger is seeking a joint agreement aimed at cutting wait times in half by 2013.

The coalition also seeks a six-month extension of Operation Jump Start, Bush's initiative to place National Guard troops at the border to help local and federal authorities with immigration enforcement. The administration has been noncommittal about its plans for the initiative, which began in mid-2006. Bush has used the wave of violence in Mexico to further an anti-crime legislative package. He is urging Congress to approve the first $500 million installment of a proposed $1.4 billion law enforcement aid package known as the Merida Initiative to combat drug crime in Mexico.

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Wonder if there's any connection to the drug war going on in Mexico?...

Peru's Shining Path Guerrillas On The Rise Again
May. 31, 2008 - Peru's Shining Path Guerrillas Showing New Strength, Buoyed By Close Ties To Drug Traffickers

Matucana's mayor is a worried man. The Shining Path rebels who terrorized Peru decades ago are back, moving across the jungle-draped slopes near his remote village and recruiting young fighters to their born-again insurgency. And unlike before, the rebels have almost unlimited financial support. Earning cash by protecting coca fields and cocaine-smuggling routes, they are able to buy powerful weapons and pay salaries to men and women who take up arms against the government.

It is a nightmarish prospect for Peru, which saw nearly 70,000 people killed from 1980 to the mid-'90s in the Shining Path's brutal effort to impose a Maoist communist regime. Most of the victims were peasants, caught in the crossfire between guerrillas and security forces. The country has enjoyed more than a decade of political stability since the rebel threat was virtually eliminated by former President Alberto Fujimori, a democratically elected leader who ruled with an iron fist from 1990 until his regime ended in scandal in 2000.

Fujimori, 69, was extradited from Chile in September and is now on trial for human rights violations committed during his crackdown, including the killings of university students and the massacre of Lima tenement dwellers targeted as Shining Path collaborators by a military death squad. But Fujimori remains a hero in the isolated valleys where the rebels drew the most blood. Matucana Mayor Florencio Velasquez, military officers and anxious villagers all praise the tough measures of the 1990s and say the government now is underestimating the threat posed by the rebels' resurgence.

More Peru's Shining Path Guerrillas On The Rise Again, Peru's Shining Path Guerrillas Showing New Strength, Buoyed By Close Ties To Drug Traffickers - CBS News

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Must be open season on Americans south of the border...

US Can't Say if Mexico Has Prosecuted Killers of US Citizens
May 30, 2008 - Both the State and Justice Departments told Cybercast News Service this week that they have no information about whether Mexican authorities have arrested, prosecuted or convicted anyone for the murders of 128 Americans that the State Department reports took place in Mexico between Jan. 1, 2005 and December 31, 2007.

On April 14, the State Department issued an alert, which remains current, warning travelers that the "equivalent to military small-unit combat" was taking place across the southern U.S. border in Mexico. "Dozens of U.S. citizens were kidnapped and/or murdered in Tijuana in 2007," says the alert. "In some cases, assailants have worn full or partial police or military uniforms and have used vehicles that resemble police vehicles."

At a May 20 State Department press briefing, Cybercast News Service asked State Department Spokesman Sean McCormick how many Americans had in fact been murdered or kidnapped in the border region of Mexico in 2007. The department responded by posting a statement on its Web site and providing a link to its report of "non-natural deaths of Americans" around the world between Jan. 1, 2005 and Dec. 31, 2007.

The report, which the State Department said "is based solely on cases reported by American citizens to our posts abroad," listed the deaths by country and where in a particular country the deaths happened. It also gave a cause of death. But it did not list the names, ages, or occupations of the victims, or any information about whether the government of the country where the "non-natural death" of an American had taken place had taken legal action pursuant to that death.

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Mexicans not optimistic gov't. is winning drug war...

Mexicans believe drug gangs winning war with gov't
Sun Jun 1, 2008 - A majority of Mexicans believe violent drug gangs are winning a war with President Felipe Calderon's government after one of the worst months on record for killings, Reforma newspaper reported on Sunday.

According to a poll by the newspaper, 53 percent of Mexicans think that drug traffickers hold the upper hand against government forces which are trying to clamp down on cartels that ship drugs to the United States. Only 24 percent said they believed the government was winning the battle. The remaining 23 percent gave no opinion. May was one of the most violent months on record for drug killings, both between gangs and targeting federal forces. Calderon has sent thousands of troops onto the streets in a bid to stop cartels from operating.

Close to 500 people were slain in May -- including a wave against police chiefs -- the highest number of killings since Calderon took office in December 2006, according to a tally kept by Milenio newspaper. Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora said last month that 4,152 drug-related killings have been registered in Calderon's administration, 450 of them police, military or government officials.

Calderon, however, kept up his approval rating in the Reforma poll. Some 64 percent approved his work as president, up from 63 percent in March. A year ago his rating was 65 percent. The poll was carried out among 1,515 people nationwide on May 23-25 and had a margin or error of plus or minus 2.5 percent, Reforma said.

Mexicans believe drug gangs winning war with gov't | International | Reuters

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Congress not co-operatin' in war on drugs...

Mexico's Plan Merida in doubt
06 June 2008 - The US administration has accused Congress of blocking a three-year aid package to Mexico, intended to help stem the flow of drugs and arms across the mutual border.

United States Drug Policy Director John Walters on 3 June called on Congress to remove provisions hindering the acceptance of the US funding by Mexico, warning that this could derail the entire aid package.

The aid package, known as the Merida initiative, was originally planned to total USD500 million for the current fiscal year (ending in September) but has since been scaled down by Congress to between USD350 million and USD400 million.

FORECAST

The delay or potential cancellation of the Merida aid package would have negative consequences for both Mexico and the US. The plan was intended to provide military aid, which will be used by Mexico to strengthen border controls. The aim is to crack down on the current upswell of drug-related violence in Mexico's border areas, as well as to disrupt the flow of drugs into the US, the major destination market. It is the surging demand for drugs in the US that drives the market moves of Mexico's drug cartels. Without greater funding for border security, this drugs flow will continue unabated.

Mexico's Plan Merida in doubt - Jane's Security News