Escalating violence in Mexico's drug war

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I was intrigued when I came across discussion of increasing violence in Mexico in another thread, so I looked for information.

I had read something about it, but was horrified when I saw the extent...at least as it is written about in the media.

Here's an interesting ongoing feature about it in the LA Times:

http://projects.latimes.com/mexico-drug-war/#/its-a-war

(I think you hve to register)

Here is a very brief article:

Quote:

Soldiers wear ski masks in Morelia, the capital of Mexico's Michoacan state, so they cannot be identified by drug traffickers. Twenty-two months after Mexico launched a military offensive against drug gangs by sending troops into Michoacan, many Mexicans are wondering if the violence will ever end.

By Chris Hawley, USA TODAY

Violence escalates in Mexico's drug wars

MORELIA, Mexico " Angelica Bucio knows firsthand the mounting problems of President Felipe Calderón's nationwide war on drugs. She was among the thousands of revelers packed into this colonial city to celebrate Mexican Independence Day when two grenades exploded.

The blast slammed Bucio against a fountain. Her arms and legs burned with white-hot shrapnel. Smoke and screaming and blood were everywhere.

The Sept. 15th attack, which killed eight people and injured 108, demonstrates that Calderón's battle against drug cartels is still a struggle after nearly two years.

Instead of subsiding, drug-related murders are rising. Once-quiet border towns have become battlegrounds. Police-on-police clashes have left citizens wondering who the good guys are.

And the Morelia grenade attack, which the Mexican attorney general's office blamed on drug traffickers, raised fears that smugglers are moving into outright terrorism.

"They have crossed a line from recklessly endangering civilians in their attacks on law-enforcement officials and rival gangs, to deliberately targeting innocent men, women, and children," U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza says.

The turmoil is in stark contrast to the U.S. side of the border, where Calderón's crackdown looks like a success. The White House credits Mexico's efforts for a drop in the drug supply. Since 2006, methamphetamine use in the U.S. dropped 50%, and cocaine use decreased 19%, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Mass killings commonplace

But in Mexico, many people wonder if the crackdown on cartels is worth the loss of life. Marches and rallies are multiplying as Mexicans vent their frustration.

"I don't think the government is winning," Bucio says from her hospital bed. "The violence is getting worse."

Drug-related murders are soaring " 3,004 this year as of Sept. 3, compared to 2,673 in all of 2007, according to a tally by El Universal newspaper. In 2006 there were 1,410 drug-related killings.

And mass killings are commonplace. ......

Many Mexicans fear that Calderón's battle is turning into a quagmire, says Francisco García Cordero, editor of Criminalia, a criminal-justice journal. When the crackdown began, 53% of Mexicans approved of Calderón's anti-crime efforts, according to a poll commissioned by the Reforma newspaper. By Sept. 1, only 34% approved.

Calderón's offensive began in December 2006, just days after he took office. Prompted by a series of murders, the former economist surprised the country by dispatching 10,000 troops to patrol the streets of Morelia and other cities in his home state of Michoacán " a major producer of crystal meth, marijuana and heroin.

Within weeks, troops were also sent to Tijuana, Juárez, Nuevo Laredo, Monterrey and other drug-trafficking corridors. Stunned police officers were forced to hand over their weapons to the soldiers. Residents saw convoys of Humvees rolling past their houses.

Thousands of suspects were arrested in raids and at highway checkpoints. Dozens were extradited to the U.S. Calderón also asked the United States for help, a historic move in a country that is especially sensitive about U.S. meddling. The Bush administration pledged $1.1 billion in police and military aid.

Back in Morelia, at the Miguel Silva General Hospital, medical director María Soledad Castro says doctors now treat about 15 gunshot victims a month. "Before this all started, we rarely got even one gunshot a month," she says.

But the grenade explosions in downtown Morelia were shocking, because using explosives against a crowd of civilians is nearly unheard of in Mexico.

Cartels put on pressure

.......... The attorney general's office says the cartels are trying to demoralize the public and create pressure on the government to stop the battle.

Calderón, in at least five speeches after the Morelia attack, urged Mexicans to stand strong.

"Mexico is living through difficult times," he said. "This is a fundamental moment for the entire country to be united in the fight against crime."

.........

Hawley is Latin America correspondent for USA TODAY and The Arizona Republic.

Full story here:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-09-25-mexico_N.htm

So...this began from challenging the drug lords.

I wonder what the chances of success against them are?

Do Mexicans in general support this action, I wonder?

How much is normal life affected generally?

This is awful!!!!!

I would love to hear from those who know something about the situation.....

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It is escalating, despite all the dementi of some blue-eyed people.
In San Diego, the close proximity to the border and Tijuana on the other side,
gives a small, but grim picture of how out of control the country is.

Quote:

Tijuana, like Ciudad Juarez across the border from El Paso, has been hit particularly hard by the drug violence that has spread across Mexico. Tijuana saw its bloodiest year ever in 2008 with 843 killings, compared with 337 the previous year.

The violence in Tijuana grew toward the end of last year and continued this year with numerous execution-style slayings. Many of the bodies were found decapitated. The State Department has issued a travel alert for Americans going to Mexico.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2009-01-21-camp_N.htm

Drug related crimes even spilled over to areas in San Diego where Mexicans living on this side of the border were kidnapped for ransom, and held in
Mexico until the ransom as paid. There are many affluent families from Mexico City living in San Diego who were either afraid of kidnappings or
have experienced kidnappings with family members. Most of the kidnappings are drug related.

I have friends living in Guadalajara and they have seen an tremendous increase in crime. Even the powerful catholic clergy is at a loss and can't
stop the widespread violence.

Police corruption makes it almost impossible to fight organized crime,
and the military can stop them only temporary.

Here is another article on kidnappings and organized crime
http://guadalajara.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=96921

1 Reply

@CalamityJane,

Hmmmmm.....I am wondering if foreign media are focussing on the violence, and ignoring other things though?

Taking on the drug gangs appears, on the face of it, to be a worthy effort.

I do wonder how prepared the new government was for the results and the magnitude?

Is police corruption a big factor, (as it would appear to be in many countries re drugs), and, if so, is there much the government can do about it?

Is this a battle that can be won, or is the escalation killing people needlessly?

0 Replies

When I was in Mexico last fall, I spoke to people with two different opinions that, at least from my experience, seem to be determined by economic class.

The working class people I spoke to are pretty resigned to the corruption and violence. They are not politically active, or even invested at all- and don't feel that any change is possible.

The upper class people I spoke to are hopeful. One businessman I spoke with in Monterrey said something like-- "when you start to clean the kitchen, the cockroaches scurry out from where they were hiding". I think the educated classes support the government action and feel that things will get better because of what the government is doing.

Personally, I think two things need to happen.

First, the United States needs to accept its involvement in the problem (as the primary consumer of drugs and a major supplier of money and guns). Obama is doing the right things; offering support to the Mexican government and at least acknowledging the problem of illegal southbound activity over the border.

Second, the government needs to continue reacting strongly to violence and arresting corrupt police officials and drug lords.

It seems to me that both of these things are happening.

2 Replies

@ebrown p,

Sunny as I sound about Mexico, I do see corruption, within the context of poverty... and non-poverty, muy complicato, as a hell of a problem.

I also see weapons profligation as a horrific acceleration.

1 Reply

@ossobuco,

But, of course, we in the u.s. are largely the weapons suppliers.

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@ebrown p,

Cockroaches with big weapons...and there seem to be a lot of them.

Sigh.

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I beg to differ... somewhat.

Drug cartel related violence has grown exponentially in recent years. Over 10,000 deaths: 90% of them, traffickers, and mostly killed by their gang rivals.
Some of the violence is related to the Army taking over police functions in cities where there was a colusion between the local cops and the cartels. Some of it is related to the fact that some cartels have been beheaded and rival thugs fight to be the heirs. In some places, violence is quite nasty.
I don't think that the frontal combat strategy of Calderón will solve the problem. It will only cause more deaths.
There are only two ways to deal with this problem, IMHO. One is to legalize drugs, both in Mexico and the US. The other, more realistic, is a true cooperation between the two countries -which is possible now, as the Obama administration is less hypocritical than its predecessor and has at least (and at last) acknowledged that the US, so far, has been part of the problem and not part of the solution.

Here on A2K I've read posts by members talking freely about the price and quality of drugs in their home markets. The US has NEVER made any serious effort to halt consumption. Demand creates supply. Now at least US officials say that's their side of the problem. And the US has NEVER made any serious attempt to halt illegal trade of weapons to Mexico. 90% of weapons seized to the Mexican cartels are sold and manufactured in the US (in Mexico it's legal to own a gun, but you must have a permit, and assault weapons are a no-no). Now at least they're making some moves against that.
So Mexico sells illegal drugs (some produced locally, some imported) to the US, and the US sells illegal weapons. You get most of the addicts, we get most of the corpses.

All this said, I must add there is also a sort of media hype about the drug related violence in Mexico.
The homicide rate has soared so much, it is now similar to the homicide rate in the US in the 1990's. Only that a big bulk of the killings in Mexico are amongst the criminals.
Life in average Mexican cities and towns is no more dangerous than before. Relatives living in Culiacán -one of the most drug crime infested cities- feel perfectly safe there. It's not like you go out shopping and there are shootings all around. The last time I heard a real life bullet was err... shooting wabbits -and missing 'em- in Sinaloa in 1979.

2 Replies

@fbaezer,

Quote:

Relatives living in Culiacán -one of the most drug crime infested cities- feel perfectly safe there

Documentation please. The police are known to be corrupt, the police officials are being assassinated and those who are not are quiting, bodies are turning up hither and yon, and the Army has moved in to pick up the slack. Please explain how any human could feel safe in that environment.

1 Reply

@hawkeye10,

Because you go out, work, go to the park, to the movies, shop, visit friends and you see none of the killings.
Of course, there are a few neighborhoods considered "off limits" for any self-loving person.
I imagine it was like that in Chicago in the 1930s.

I myself lived in Culiacán in the late 70s, where a similar type of war against drug cartels was going on. I felt that the place was somewhat violent, did venture sometimes to friends' houses in a suposedly "off limits" neighborhood, but did not feel unsafe.

The first time I went to NYC, in the early 70s, I was afraid to go out at night, ("they'd mug me") and my hosts laughed at me. They were right.

I don't deny there has been a huge hike in drug related violence. And I think the other points of my previous posts are more worthy of discussion.

2 Replies

@fbaezer,

Quote:

. And I think the other points of my previous posts are more worthy of discussion.

you get exactly one vote on what is worthy of discussion. I find your claim that people can be fine with the traditional law and order forces breaking down and the military being call upon to fill in......extremely far fetched.

When crime got out of hand in NYC there was political hell to pay, and the police were reformed, because the break down was definitely NOT ok with the citizens. We never got so bad that called had to call in the military either.

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"you get exactly one vote on what is worthy of discussion."

I'll give him mine, that's two...

Zap, have you met hackey yet?

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@fbaezer,

Thanks, fb, you verify my estimate of the situation.

1 Reply

@ossobuco,

Quote:

MEXICO CITY (AP) " More than 100,000 frustrated Mexicans, many carrying pictures of kidnapped loved ones, marched across the country Saturday to demand government action against a relentless tide of killings, abductions and shootouts.
The mass candlelight protests were a challenge to the government of President Felipe Calderon, who has made fighting crime a priority and deployed more than 25,000 soldiers and federal police to wrest territory from powerful drug cartels.

Cries of "enough" and "long live Mexico" rose up from sea of white-clad demonstrators filling Mexico City's enormous Zocalo square.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-08-30-mexico-crime-march_N.htm

I can see now that the Mexicans feel fine about their security situation. Why should the tourists worry?? All that talk about safety problems in Mexico are made up from Biased reporting.

Thanks for setting us straight fbaezer

2 Replies

@hawkeye10,

I lived in gang heart-of-the-zone adjacent for decades, in LA; it is a truism to me that the vast majority of victims are other gang members.. very much mostly true. Yes, I know stray shots kill the innocent.

My husband was raised, and lived, until we got together, in the immediate area of the watts riots (he was playing baseball, white boy in watts, as that happened - and the later LA riot - his parents lived a block and a half from the secondary intersection episode stuff in the Rodney King related conflagration. At the time of that one, the place next door to the studio where I was a consultant went up in flames - we had left a couple of hours before. So I'm no dummy on this. Still - gangs go after gang rivals, that is the way of it.

I agree with ebrown re his experience in egypt, life is to live.. and know that fb knows what he is talking about.

1 Reply

@ossobuco,

Tangential comment - I haven't taken a "vacation" as such since the early seventies. I am interested in cities, and countries and the land and a lot else about those places. I can't now imagine just lolling on a beach - I did enough of that in my teens and early twenties. Not to knock it, but my scope is different now.

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@fbaezer,

Thank you fbaezer!!!

Exactly what I was wanting to get info about!

Do you think sale and consumption should be legalized?

And by legalized you are speaking of more than decriminalization? ie do you want to see government regulation and taxing, as with alcohol and tobacco?

1 Reply

@hawkeye10,

I suppose that was the second march.
My wife and daughter participated in the first march, in 2004.

This has little to do with drug related violence, but with city crime, which rose in the late 90s and during this decade. And there's a political twist about it.
The first march was organized by opposers of then mayor Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), a dangerous populist of the Chavez style. I should know, since several media, including the paper I am editor-in-chief of, took an important role in it.
We had a huge picture of the full Zocalo on our front page, with this headline: "¿Me estás oyendo, inútil?". ("Are you listening to me, useless one?").
We hoped AMLO would react as he would. He knew there was a political twist, but in his typical style, called the protesters "pirruris" (a derogative for upper class) and his party distributed comic-style leaflets in which a rich girl goes and buy new label white clothes to show off at the march. We made a fuss about the leaflets and tehy backfired on him. It was just another little grain of salt to stop him getting the Presidency (which we barely did).

The second march was organized by some of the right wing groups that organized the first one -though not all- and was stirred by the separate kidnap and killing of a 14 year old boy and a 19 year old girl... one set by his own bodyguard; the other, by her father's disgruntled former chauffeur. Even on that setting, it was not as gigantic as the one in 2004, mainly because the new major is not seen as an extremist.
When the news of the teenage killing died down, the same groups tried to organize a third march. It was a fiasco.

... Oh, and honestly hawkeye, I don't care if you go to Mexico City, Cincinatti or Dar es Salaam for your vacation.

1 Reply

@dlowan,

dlowan wrote:

Do you think sale and consumption should be legalized?

Yes, but if the bigger market, the US, does not legalize it, it would have no effect on drug cartel control.
And I don't see that either country is ready to do that (though a growing minority in both is arriving to the idea).

dlowan wrote:

And by legalized you are speaking of more than decriminalization? ie do you want to see government regulation and taxing, as with alcohol and tobacco?

Certainly. Plus some drugs just can't be legalized, since they're too dangerous.

So far, the best feasable strategy, in both sides of the border, is to strenghten the fight against drug and illegal weapon selling, to seize the assets of criminals (they do it for the money and riches) and to be serious about money laundering.

1 Reply

@fbaezer,

fbaezer wrote:

... Oh, and honestly hawkeye, I don't care if you go to Mexico City, Cincinatti or Dar es Salaam for your vacation.

Fair enough!!!

Although...while I don't know how much of Mexico's economy relies on tourism, one of the things I was wondering was if media focus on the violence might have an unnecessarily dampening effect on tourism.

1 Reply

Escalating violence in Mexico's drug war

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