Mexican Drug Cartels Armed to the Hilt, Threatening National Security

Mexican Drug Cartels Armed to the Hilt, Threatening National Security

www.foxnews.com

"Americans are understandably focused on the flow of drugs and migrants into the U.S. from Mexico," says Andreas Peter, author of "Border Games: Policing the U.S.-Mexico Divide."

"But too often glossed over in the border security debate is the flow of weapons across the border into Mexico."


Last week Gen. Ángeles Dahuajare announced that more than 17,000 soldiers had deserted in 2008.

"The Mexican Army is becoming a revolving door for the enforcement arm of the drug cartels; they simply pay better," Stewart said.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Now The Top 10 Security threat list release this week makes more sense.

Violence in Mexico was listed as the US's #2 threat for the coming year. I guess if you have 17,000 members of your military desert to go work the drug cartels.. you would make anyone nervous. Even if only half of those joined the cartels.. that is a small army in and of itself.

I especially like the part where they talk about the use of sniper rifles by these cartels, which has apparently not really been seen before.

www.foxnews.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

This really isn't news, a lot of us have known this for a long time. Anytime I travel to Mexico I at least have two weapons on me when I travel to the dangerous parts of the country.

The Mexican military, police and the drug cartels work hand and hand. There's simply far too much corruption from drug money and it is far too tempting for many to handle.

Perhaps the solution isn't more militarization instead legalization with regulation? I doubt this would ever happen because the war on drugs is a fat cow and they'll loose billions in funding.

[edit on 4-2-2009 by oconnection]

This is just more propaganda by the media and the government to advertise the war on drugs as a needed program in the US.

Another cover for the CIA to import/export more drugs and weapons to arm the criminals who work for them.

IMO

~Keeper

Originally posted by oconnection
Anytime I travel to Mexico I at least have two weapons on me when I travel to the dangerous parts of the country.

[edit on 4-2-2009 by oconnection]

I must commend you on your bravery. Because if you get caught with those weapons you will be sent directly to jail. Didnt know if you knew that or not.

A: Does it still make sense that we want a special economic arrangement with this country (Strategic Partnership for Prosperity)? Is the government we are dealing with all that attractive?

B: There can be little doubt that the lax nature of the prior administrations in regards to the border security situation is baffling, a contradiction in policy and posture towards 'threats' to the people of this nation, no?

C: Send in Blackwater!

Corrupt from top to bottom. Only a complete reboot will do.

reply to post by oconnection

I must commend you on your bravery. Because if you get caught with those weapons you will be sent directly to jail. Didn’t know if you knew that or not.

Mexican jails have a very very bad reputation. Bad water. Broken plumbing. Fleas and lice are the best part of it. First, you need money to make it out ok. Maybe $50-$100 a day for someone on the outside who loves you to pay on your behalf on the inside. If you think Americans don't like Mexicans up here, you ain’t seen nothing yet how Mexicans don’t like Americans down there.

FACTS from the CIA World Factbook.
Mexico, area 731,500 sq miles
Length of Border with US, 1,947 miles
Water borders, 5,800 miles [US 13,000 miles]
3,700 miles of limited access roadway [US 65,000 miles]
110,000 miles of paved roads [US 2,600,000 miles]
109,995,000 est. pop. in 2008 by CIA.
34,000,000 males between 15 and 64. [US 102,000,000]
Median age for males, 24.9 years [US 35.4]
Fertility rate 2.37 [US 2.1] [Canada 1.57]
GDP per person, $14,400 [US $48,000] [$Canada 40,200] (2008)
Oil exports 2.2 mbd (2005) Most to the US
Cell phones 68,250,000 [US 225,000,000]
GINI Index 47.9 [US 45] [Canada 32.1] [France 28] [Germany 27]
Note: The GINI Index is a measure of the distribution of wealth in a country. 0 is perfect, everyone has an equal share. The higher the index the worse the distribution of wealth is. Low number GOOD, high number BAD.
Note: Numbers in brackets are US and other countries. [ ]


Economically speaking, Mexico has had two serious crises in the recent past. The first in 1986-7 and the second in 1994. In each instance the country could not meet its foreign debt obligations. In neither instance was the Mexican government able to collect enough taxes to fill its domestic needs and to repay foreign loans.

The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank along with the United Stats in 1994 as Mexico’s largest creditor, worked out arraignments to restore the county to a sound economic footing. Unfortunately for everyone, the first of many solutions was to consolidate the small lease-holds or farms into larger more efficiently operated farms.

The side-effect was the quick dislocation of 2 to 5 million families who had been eking out a subsistence living on the small plots of land they owned or rented. It was assumed by the IMF and WB those people would move to the cities and take factory jobs. Two problems. 1) There was no housing available for the families in the cities. And 2) there were no jobs available either. Not anywhere on the scale of millions over such a short period of time.

Many of those displaced people have migrated to the United States to get employment. I don’t know if anyone knows how many undocumented people there are in the United States. I have heard 12 and 20 million most often. A few say more but I’ve never heard anyone fewer than 12 million. Maybe if everyone tells everyone it is “12 million” then what was a wild guess becomes a fact! An urban fact!

Mexico is getting closer to the same problem it had in 1994. It’s domestic needs - housing, education, health care, security - are exceeding the government’s ability to raise tax revenues to service those needs and pay its foreign debts on time. But a new dimension has been added in 2009. The coc aine produced in Columbia and Peru is now being shipped into the United States via Mexico. Local policemen making $300 a week can be bribed to look away with $5,000 in cash. When you have 3-4 children at home to feed, and a junky 1988 Chevrolet to drive, the extra money is very tempting and good people will sometimes do bad things.

All the more is local law enforcement nearly helpless when you hear the Mexican Attorney General who was in charge of the anti drug program was himself arrested for being part of the smuggling game. Local chiefs of police have been subverted in amazing numbers. As the gangs get stronger, the good people are less well able to resist the terrorism the gangs practice and the money they have to distribute to higher ranking officers and officials.

In short, the American insistence on coc aine is KILLING Mexico as a free country! It is about to join Columbia and Afghanistan as the FAILED drug countries around the world. It's our habit, but it's their country. We may get to be more closely involved in Mexico's internal affairs than we intended.

[edit on 2/4/2009 by donwhite]

reply to post by donwhite


I understand that, and I do agree..

I just think it is odd, that now with this new director of the CIA saying "Mexico" is our #2 threat in the coming year.. that we get reports of large numbers of Mexican military deserters and hordes of weapons.

It is all very convenient timing. Not saying we have never heard of "drug cartels" before, but I have never heard of the large numbers of ex-military/deserters threatening our national security.

reply to post by TwitchHomatic

I understand that, and I do agree .. I just think it is odd, that now with this new director of the CIA saying "Mexico" is our #2 threat in the coming year .. that we get reports of large numbers of Mexican military deserters and hordes of weapons.

It is all very convenient timing. Not saying we have never heard of "drug cartels" before, but I have never heard of the large numbers of ex-military/deserters threatening our national security.

On the large number of military deserters, that is new to me too, OTOH, I have not been watching Mexico news. But I’m surprised to learn how many suicides the US Military had last year too.

I think we depend on the MSM - main stream media - to keep us informed. Obviously there are 10,000 stories out there every day and they have time for 12-15 a day. I’m just saying that YES, this is news to me. NO, it may be been going on a long time.

Regardless, it is getting serious. We have waged the War on Drugs since Nixon declared it in 1969 with no visible signs of success. Fits perfectly the definition of insanity. There is only ONE solution. We must pick 3-4 drugs, in varying strengths, and put them on the market LEGALLY.

We have to beat the prices for crack and meth. Otherwise we are tilting at windmills.

[edit on 2/4/2009 by donwhite]

reply to post by solarstorm


Bravery? No I just don't want to be robed, kidnapped, or killed. I might be brave if I didn't travel with a weapon.

I've been stopped a few times by the police but like we all know the police down there are pretty corrupt and can be paid off relatively cheaply.

reply to post by oconnection

Bravery? No I just don't want to be robed, kidnapped, or killed. I might be brave if I didn't travel with a weapon. I've been stopped a few times by the police but like we all know the police down there are pretty corrupt and can be paid off relatively cheaply.

Suppose you encounter a squad size patrol of ragtag Mexican Army types averaging about 16 or 17 years of age and a corporal 18 years of age is in charge. Suppose they think you have money and or drugs or both. They ask you for a bribe to let you pass and you inadvertency open your wallet to them which is in reality a ‘Texas’ bankroll - a stack of $1 bills flanked by a $100 bill.

They decide to kill you and your companion and take you money and whatever else of value you have. They shoot you, strip you naked, take your body 300 yards off the roadway, bury it about 6 inches deep - so the coyotes will eat you in a day or two - and then drive your car 10 miles down the road, strip it and put a torch to it and your clothes.

They divide the money, your trinkets and go on about their way. They never even knew your name (or names). Being smart soldiers, they give their sergeant HALF of what they stole off you. Case closed.

I would be TOO afraid to travel in Mexico - off road - even if I had a M16 and 1,000 rounds.


[edit on 2/7/2009 by donwhite]

How much of the Mexican Cartel profit would be completely demolished if the US government legalized and regulated marijuana?


Who would buy Mexican marijuana from dealers if they could get their cannabis from the licensed establishment downtown? There would be not enough demand to spend so much money and bloodshed in skipping the border.

Anytime I travel to Mexico I at least have two weapons on me when I travel to the dangerous parts of the country.

Not only do you stand a good chance of ending up in a Mexican jail for a long time.
But if US Customs finds them you could spend time in a US federal pen for gun smuggling/gun running.

You are just by your actions of taking guns into Mexico are giving the US government one more reason to try to ban guns in the US,
there already is a problem with illegals here in the US buying guns on the street and smuggling them into Mexico.

reply to post by reddupo

How much of the Mexican Cartel profit would be completely demolished if the US government legalized and regulated marijuana? Who would buy Mexican marijuana from dealers if they could get their cannabis from the licensed establishment downtown? There would be not enough demand to spend so much money and bloodshed in skipping the border.

Answer: No one! But it's got to happen. I regret to report that conditions are not yet bad enough for us to be able to make that kind of reversal of a failed policy so many have invested into. The DEA came out of Nixon's War on Drugs begun in 1969. Many high uppity-ups have pulled 30 years in the 'War' and are now retired on $75,000 a year plus free health care for life. You can be sure they have their own lobby!

Shucks! The 'War' was good for them and they got all the weed they could ever smoke! At no cost! And I'll bet a lot of "walking around money" too!

No police officer on any police force should ever serve more than 3 years on a drug squad, then they must pull 6 years on other jobs before going back for 3 more years in drug enforcement. It is too demanding and too tempting.


[edit on 2/7/2009 by donwhite]