mexico

Women Bring Fresh Blood to Drug War

jeremiah — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:45:31 -0800

Guillermina Castro Lopez, a mother of three, is serving 15 years in a Mexican prison for helping a trafficker smuggle 2 pounds of heroin. (Photo by Don Bartlett)In the story making the rounds here in Mexico's drug capital, the setting is a beauty parlor. A woman with wealth obtained legally criticizes a younger patron who is married to a trafficker. The "narco-wife" orders the hairdresser to shave the first woman's head. Terrified, the hairdresser complies.

Mexican Mayor Announces Death of Drug Boss Hours Before Body Found

jeremiah — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:51:42 -0800

Mauricio Fernandez, the mayor of San Pedro Garza GarciaMauricio Fernandez could have been forgiven for sounding triumphant when he announced that the drug boss who had threatened to assassinate him had been shot dead by police in Mexico City.

Fernandez, the mayor of San Pedro Garza Garcia, the country's wealthiest municipality, was applauded when he revealed that Hector 'Black' Saldaña, a cartel chief turned kidnapper, had been killed.

US Marijuana Growers Cutting Into Profits of Mexican Traffickers

jeremiah — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:28:39 -0700

[img_assist|nid=20132|title=|desc=A Mexican marine walks through a field of marijuana plants. In a field in the mountains of Sinaloa, Mexico, a pound of pot might earn a peasant farmer $25. The wholesale price for the same pound in Phoenix, Ariz., is $550. (Photo by Sarah L.

DESCRIMinalization: Decrim Myths, Decrim Facts

jeremiah — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:36:06 -0700

Click illustration to enlarge.CANNABIS CULTURE – Is marijuana decriminalization a step in the right direction or a crafty trick to widen the net of the Drug Warriors?

War on Drugs Conference: Legalize Marijuana, Participants Say

jeremiah — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:08:02 -0700

David Courtwright spoke about the history of drug abuse Tuesday at the Plaza Theatre. (Victor Calzada / El Paso Times)Legalizing marijuana in the United States would weaken Mexico's powerful drug cartels, panelists at a War on Drugs conference said Tuesday.

"If you take away half of their money, it will hurt them," said William Martin, a sociology professor at Rice University who studies drug abuse and government policy. "You are not going to break them, but you will hurt them."

The Main Problem With Mexican-Style Decriminalization: It Doesn't Go Far Enough

jeremiah — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:11:13 -0700

The range of opinion reflected in an online New York Times debate about the impact of Mexico's new drug law is revealing: Only two out of five participants are mainly critical of the change, which eliminates criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of illegal drugs, and one of them, former Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda, objects because he thinks the "decriminalization" is a crackdown in disguise:

Latin Americans Ready to Ditch US 'War on Drugs'

jeremiah — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:19:34 -0700

Amid a growing Latin American backlash against the US-sponsored 'war on drugs', some South American states are preparing to decriminalize drugs.

Following a landmark report published by the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy earlier in the year, many Latin American states are calling for a departure from the "war" which was first declared by the Nixon administration in the late 1960's

Drug Warriors Return To Racist Roots

jeremiah — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:45:55 -0700

This one is hard to believe: The US Forest Service issued a warning last week to beware of campers in national forests who eat tortillas, play Spanish music, and drink 'Tecate' beer because they might be armed and dangerous marijuana growers.

MSNBC reports:

Argentina Decriminalizes Marijuana

Loretta Nall — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:17:10 -0700

This is the third Latin American country to see the light this year. Brazil was first, followed by Mexico and now Argentina.

Argentina Court Ruling Allows for Personal Possession

They keep this up and they just may see white people streaming across the other way at the border. I doubt they would build walls to keep us out either.

Legalization The Only Way To Win Drug War

jeremiah — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:49:46 -0700

Mexico has decriminalized personal drug use, but the violence of cartels will not end until all drugs are legalized and regulated.The news last weekend that Mexico has moved quietly to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana and other currently illegal drugs has clearly been a hit with Metro Vancouver drug users.

Mexico Decriminalizes Small-Scale Drug Possession

jeremiah — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 08:55:57 -0700

Mexico decriminalized small amounts of marijuana, cocaine and heroin on Friday — a move that prosecutors say makes sense even in the midst of the government's grueling battle against drug traffickers.

Prosecutors said the new law sets clear limits that keep Mexico's corruption-prone police from shaking down casual users and offers addicts free treatment to keep growing domestic drug use in check.

Mexican Drug Cartels Movin' On Up

jeremiah — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:05:04 -0700

For years, the ridiculous War On Drugs in Mexico has been creating and feeding an out-of-control monster, but until now I didn't realize just how large that monster really is.

It's huge: Mexican drug cartels now have their own oil company.

U.S. refineries bought millions of dollars worth of oil stolen from Mexican government pipelines and smuggled across the border, the U.S. Justice Department told The Associated Press — illegal operations now led by Mexican drug cartels expanding their reach.

read more

Canada To Train Mexican Officers Fighting Drug Cartels

jeremiah — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:57:51 -0700

Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper shake hands during a summit of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. (Photo by Alfredo Guerrero)Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Sunday that Canada will train Mexican police officers to assist Mexico in its brutal war against rival drug cartels.

The announcement came as the prime minister touched down here for a two-day summit with Mexican President Felipe Calderon and U.S. President Barack Obama.

US Drug Aid To Mexico Faces Delay

jeremiah — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:08:09 -0700

Some 45,000 troops have been deployed to fight Mexico's drug gangs. (AP Photo)A key US senator has delayed the release of a report needed to free some $100m to help Mexico battle drug gangs, citing human rights concerns.

This aid is part of a much larger US package to help the Mexican police and army tackle the cartels that supply much of the illegal drugs in the US.

But Senator Patrick Leahy said it was not clear that Mexico's security forces were accountable to the rule of law.

Drug War Casualties

Kirk Tousaw — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 09:53:03 -0700

Very interesting column about two young men who have been subjected to the risk of kidnapping in Mexico because the parents are law enforcement.

CN BC: Column: The Drug War Has Many Casualties

Drug-Related Killings in Mexico on Course to Top Last Year's Numbers

jeremiah — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:54:57 -0700

Mexican marine stands guard as 7,000 kilograms of marijuana are incinerated in Mexico's Sonora state.Despite massive security efforts north and south of the border, the drug-fueled killing spree in Mexico is continuing and is on course to surpass last year's record toll, federal officials told Congress Thursday.

But there's little indication that significant cartel violence is spilling into U.S. border communities or elsewhere in the United States, they said.

US Training Mexican Drug War Torture Squads

jeremiah — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:33:22 -0700

The Mexican Army is using torturous tactics to fight the War on Drugs, and guess who's training them?

The Washington Post is reporting in a must-read article that the Mexican army "has carried out forced disappearances, acts of torture and illegal raids in pursuit of drug traffickers" according to court documents and interviews with victims, political leaders and human rights monitors.

Gunmen Attack Mexican Political Candidate, Kill 2 Aids

jeremiah — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:20:03 -0700

Two aids of Mexican politician Ernesto Cornejo were shot and killed in an attack on the candidate by drug cartels.Suspected drug hitmen attacked a candidate for Mexico's Congress and killed two of his aides, days before the July 5 mid-term election.

Gunmen shot at a vehicle carrying candidate Ernesto Cornejo from Mexico's ruling National Action Party, or PAN, in the town of Benito Juarez in the northern state of Sonora late on Thursday, the state attorney general's office said.

He was unharmed.

Mexico President Felipe Calderon Says Drug War Threatens Democracy

jeremiah — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:15:20 -0700

President Felipe Calderon said Wednesday the future of Mexican democracy is at stake in the government's fight against official corruption and organized crime, and he criticized politicians who he said want to return to the era when gangs were tolerated.

Calderon also called for making legislators more accountable to the public, including reducing the number of Congress members while allowing them to serve more than one term and face voters' judgment in re-election bids.

Mexican Cartels Lure American Teens as Killers

jeremiah — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:58:38 -0700

Rosalio Reta, 19, serving 70 years in a Texas prison, paid a fellow inmate to tattoo his face. Mr. Reta and his friend Gabriel Cardona, 22, are serving what amount to life terms.When he was finally caught, Rosalio Reta told detectives here that he had felt a thrill each time he killed. It was like being Superman or James Bond, he said.

“I like what I do,” he told the police in a videotaped confession. “I don’t deny it.”

Mexico Moves Quietly To Decriminalize Minor Drug Use

jeremiah — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:50:55 -0700

Mexican federal police have been fighting a continuous bloody war against drug cartels.Reporting from Mexico City -- Could Mexican cities become Latin Amsterdams, flooded by drug users seeking penalty-free tokes and toots?

That is the fear, if somewhat overstated, of some Mexican officials, especially in northern border states that serve as a mecca for underage drinkers from the United States.

Momentum Builds For Broad Debate on Legalizing Pot

jeremiah — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:34:53 -0700

The savage drug war in Mexico. Crumbling state budgets. Weariness with current drug policy. The election of a president who said, "Yes — I inhaled."

These developments and others are kindling unprecedented optimism among the many Americans who want to see marijuana legalized.

Drug Violence Cripples Two Countries’ Economies

jeremiah — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:30:41 -0700

As if the global economic downturn wasn’t enough, some countries are finding their tourism industries battered by negative portrayals that paint them as being contaminated, unsavory or just plain dangerous.

Stories of drug wars, widespread disease, robberies, homicides and hate crimes are rampant in two of the countries that, ironically, rely the heaviest on tourism, both in good economic times and bad.

Mexico

Mexico Detains 29 Police Officers For Drug Ties

jeremiah — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:14:20 -0700

Soldiers and federal agents detained 29 police officers in northern Mexico on Monday for alleged ties to drug traffickers.

It was Mexico's latest sweep to root out corruption among police and government officials, which has been a major impediment to President Felipe Calderon's battle against drug cartels. Last week, federal officials arrested 10 mayors and 20 other officials in the western state of Michoacan on suspicion of protecting the La Familia cartel.

How Mexico's Drug War Washed up on Canada's West Coast

jeremiah — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:21:35 -0700

Constables Phil Gomes, right, and Mike Clark of the Integrated Gang Task Force on patrol in Vancouver's club district with orders to "disrupt and dismantle" drug gangs.
VANCOUVER – Constables Phil Gomes and Mike Clark – a.k.a. Shake 'n' Bake – are 27 and 28, clean-cut and solidly built, and together form the newest and least-known front in Mexico's drug wars: Canada.