'Here we are prisoners' (Extensive look at how Mexican drug cartels control our border)

NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico - The gunfire was deafening. Street corners all over the city were darkened by smoke from grenades and light artillery.

The dead lay in pools of blood flowing into the gutters that drain into the Rio Grande.

Men with automatic assault rifles stood stoic after the carnage. Then, one by one, they picked up the bodies of their victims, threw them into the back of pickup trucks and headed out of downtown.

Bystanders hid inside shops, behind trash bins - wherever they could find refuge from the explosive showdown between members of rival drug cartels.

"(I watched as) the men threw the bodies into the back of the trucks and SUVs," whispered Manuel, who was working at a parking garage that day. "This city is controlled from the inside out by the cartels. ... They are killing anyone who gets in their way."

The April street violence, witnessed by several residents interviewed by The Sun's sister newspaper, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin of Ontario, was but one recent example of how Mexico's cartels are fighting each other over the four major U.S. highway systems that provide transit routes into the United States.

Street violence has become a way of life for the nearly 380,000 residents of Mexico's most violent border city. According to law-enforcement officials in Mexico and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials, more than 500 people were assassinated in Nuevo Laredo in 2005. Official estimates, in news reports, put the 2005 death toll at 186.

This year, there have been nearly 500 assassinations, and the death toll continues to rise. Many of the dead either belonged to the cartels or were innocent victims of the carnage.

The violence has also changed the lives of American citizens living in Laredo, on the Texas side of the border, where kidnappings, narcotics trafficking and corruption have become common.

Laredo Police Officer James Boyd, who used to travel to Nuevo Laredo on archaeological projects, is now terrified to enter the city.

This year on a trip into Nuevo Laredo, he said he was chased by four SUVs and his car shot at several times by cartel members.

"People should know that the border has been taken hostage by the cartels," Boyd said. "So many officials try to cover up what's going on. Why? I guess they don't want the public to know the truth."

The World Trade Bridge between Nuevo Laredo and its sister city, Laredo, as well as Interstate 35 and highways 59, 359 and 83, are like veins feeding the Mexican syndicates, running from south Texas to as far north as Canada.

For Mexico's most powerful drug lords, controlling the routes and protecting the cargo sent along them - drugs, weapons and people - is worth the cost in lives.

It's also reason to focus U.S. border patrol efforts sharply on Nuevo Laredo, say law-enforcement officials, since the city is the largest inland port from Mexico into the United States and is a major point of origin for truck traffic into the U.S.

"Those who control Nuevo Laredo control the U.S. highways and the flow of narcotics into the United States," said Sheriff Rick Flores, whose Webb County territory runs along the Texas-Mexico border.

"This city is an open gateway for narcotics and terrorists," Flores said. "If the price is right, anyone - and I mean anyone - can move weapons of mass destruction, people and drugs into the United States."

Not one local Mexican or U.S. newspaper reported the April street violence. Reporters don't go into Nuevo Laredo's streets often, and when they do, they don't report on the cartels.

Not one Nuevo Laredo municipal police officer ever appeared at the scene, either.

Comandante Enrique Sanchez of the Nuevo Laredo Police Department said he couldn't recall the April shootings, although he compared the violence in Nuevo Laredo to that in Iraq.

His department has been plagued by trouble. President Vicente Fox's administration has described the city's police as corrupt, and residents said many police officers work for the Gulf Cartel, one of Mexico's most powerful narcotics-trafficking organizations.

"You never know when the bullets are going to come flying," Sanchez said during a recent tour of the city by pickup. His men, officers Roberto Zepeda, 23, and Jose Santos, 28, stood in the bed of the police vehicle, AR-15 rifles pointed toward the streets. "You never know when you're going to die."

The dead are often forgotten. The cartels dispose of bodies on the outskirts of the city in vats of acid, mutilate them in factory machines, feed them to animals or set them ablaze in gas containers until all evidence of their existence is gone.

Not one of the city's nearly 400 official murders since January 2005 has been solved.

"The attention that the assassinations have brought to the cartels has caused them to change their tactics," said Nacho, a resident who sometimes assists U.S. law enforcement with information. "The bodies are destroyed before people even realize someone's missing."

Although Colombian cartels control most of the world's production of cocaine and heroin, the most profitable part of the trade - transport to the U.S. - happens in Mexico, said Jorge Chabat, a drug expert at the Center for Economic Research and Teaching in Mexico City.

Distribution of narcotics has come under the control of various Mexican cartels, Chabat said, including Osiel Cardenas' Gulf Cartel; Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel; Francisco Javier Arellano Felix's organization in Tijuana; and the Juarez Cartel, said to be led by Vicente Carrillo.

A woman who asked to be called only Lupita for her protection, and who grew up with family members of several of the city's original narcotics organizations, remembers them all.

Lupita, who works with law enforcement, also remembers a time when Nuevo Laredo was at peace, and recalled the moment everything changed.

More than 10 years ago, the city was mainly controlled by two narcotics organizations, Flores Soto and Los Chachos, Lupita said. Mario Flores Soto, the leader of Flores Soto, joined forces with the Gulf Cartel to expand his revenue and power. The Gulf Cartel wanted control of Laredo's highway systems. Flores Soto shared the city's transit routes with the cartel, pulling narcotics revenue away from Dionicio "El Chacho" Ramon Garcia, the leader of Los Chachos.

Los Chachos members were enraged, Lupita said, and kidnapped and killed Mario Flores Soto's youngest brother, Roy, and 10 of his associates.

In retaliation for the kidnappings and murders, the Gulf Cartel's paramilitary arm, Los Zetas - a group of more than 30 special-operations soldiers, deserters from the Mexican military - assassinated many of the key members of Los Chachos. It wasn't long before the surviving members of the Chachos wanted revenge, Lupita said.

"They took Dionicio, the leader, murdered him and left him in women's underwear for everyone to see," she said.

El Chacho, who was assassinated in May 2002, was on his way back from Monterrey, a city reportedly under the control of the Sinaloa Cartel, another of Mexico's most powerful narcotics organizations.

"The violence kept growing, and the methods for killing just keep getting worse," Lupita said.

Osiel Cardenas, the leader of the Gulf Cartel, was arrested on March 14, 2003, in Matamoros, Mexico. Since then, Los Zetas has been running the organization, according to sources interviewed by the Daily Bulletin.

The Sinaloa Cartel is attempting to take control of the Gulf Cartel away from Los Zetas, and is said to have the backing of many politicians and federal law-enforcement officials within Mexico.

"The reason the government never intervened (to stop the violence) is because many of the government officials from Mexico City to Nuevo Laredo are in the pocket of the cartels," Lupita said.

"Once the killing began, it never stopped. The hatred between the narcos grew stronger and stronger."

Nacho, whose last name is being withheld for his safety, has lived in Nuevo Laredo most of his adult life. He is a father, husband and one of the few people willing to share the dark secrets of his city.

Although he has family in the United States, he refuses to cross the border illegally to escape the danger.

"I have applied for a visa," he said. "My family already lives in fear. We don't want to escape to live illegally as fugitives.

"People need to know the truth (about Nuevo Laredo)," he continued. "This used to be a good place. Now it is a danger to anyone who enters."

Nacho parked his car near a town square. It was once a lovers' walkway where he courted his wife. Now, only a handful of people frequent its winding sidewalks or sit on its iron benches.

"I remember it being so crowded with people, and the fresh fruit, taquitos and ice-cream vendors," Nacho recalled.

When the violence in Nuevo Laredo reached a peak in June, the Fox administration began Operation Secure Mexico, sending in Mexican military and other federal law-enforcement agencies.

"There are very clear signs of a relationship between elements of the Nuevo Laredo police and drug smuggling, hence the decisive action," government spokesman Ruben Aguilar told journalists in June.

Comandante Sanchez chuckled when asked what happened to the Mexican military who were supposed to be protecting the city.

"That's a good question," he said, a sardonic smile creasing his face. "Where are they?"

Sanchez explained that most of the troops were as afraid for their lives as Nuevo Laredo's police and citizens. Some simply left and didn't return. Others, already in the pockets of the cartels, made an early show of enforcement, then disappeared.

Nacho said the Mexican government sent the military to appease the U.S. government, "then pulled them out of the city just as fast."

While he was speaking, a man in shabby clothes stood in the middle of the street, watching Nacho's car. A Nextel phone hung from the man's waistband.

"All over the city, there are halcones or ventanas (falcons or windows)," Nacho said. "They are the eyes and the ears of the cartels."

"Never forget to tip," Nacho said as he handed a peseta to the man. "Never forget that everybody, no matter how nice they are or what they look like, could be working for the cartels.

"Silver or lead," said the middle-aged, white-haired man as he sipped a martini at a hotel bar in Laredo. "That's the code in Mexico. Either you pay up or you're killed."

James Kuykendall Sr., a former special agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration who now runs his own business in the city, knows Mexico well.

His friend and DEA partner, Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, was kidnapped, tortured and murdered by the drug cartels in 1985 while working undercover in Guadalajara. His death brought national attention to the Mexican drug war and the corruption that plagued the Mexican government.

Kuykendall's book, "O Plata O Plomo," ("Silver or Lead") published last year, focused on the events surrounding Camarena's death and how the Mexican government failed to cooperate with the DEA in the investigation.

"Kiki died a hero. He gave his life for his country. The tragedy is that the U.S. government gave up on the war on drugs decades ago. They choose to ignore the corruption that is deeply embedded in the Mexican government."

The arrests of some of Mexico's most notorious drug traffickers - the recent capture of reputed drug kingpin Francisco Javier Arellano Felix being one example - are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to cooperation, Kuykendall added.

"Every once in a while, Mexico throws us a bone," he said. "It gives the appearance of cooperation. It's a way of making everything look like it's OK. Well, it's not."

Nacho ran his palm over a wall in a home that had been blasted by a bazooka. Bullet holes riddled the interior of the house.

The cartels don't just use guns, he said. They have grenades, bombs and a variety of other weapons.

"This house was rented by a group of assassins with the Sinaloa Cartel," Nacho said. The assassins were sent to the city to kill members of Los Zetas, he added.

Old mattresses, cigarette boxes and empty beer bottles were the only traces of the gunmen's presence. A brick fence running alongside the house had been blown apart with such force that the bricks were nothing but crumbled dust.

Around the corner from the home, an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico's patron saint, loomed over the neighborhood. Fresh flowers and candles stood at the base of a portrait painted on the brick wall.

Just a few yards away, a group of young men with Nextel phones made it clear Nacho was in the wrong part of town. They only had to look at him.

"We better go," he said. "It's not good to stand around here for too long. There are many good people in this city, but you never know."

Hector cut some cilantro and dropped it into a small bowl. He is the only vendor left at a small placita near the center of town, and his 10-year-old business is barely surviving the violence.

"I remember when I couldn't keep up with the tourists," he said as he put freshly cooked carnitas into a tortilla. The smell of cilantro, onions and pork filled the air.

"I used to have a lot of competition. Now I'm the only one left at the square, and I make less than half of what I used to make."

Nuevo Laredo once was noted for its tourism, colorful street vendors and booming border economy. But the drug violence has made this city of 400,000 a wasteland of lost businesses and lost lives.

More than 100 businesses have moved from Nuevo Laredo to Laredo over the past three years. And while its Texas sister is reaping the rewards of the World Trade Bridge and a growing economy, Nuevo Laredo residents are struggling to make ends meet.

Roll-down security shutters cover the large display windows of shops in the artisan district near the border. Dental offices and pharmacies that once thrived off American consumers have closed because the violence is keeping those customers away. For Sale and For Rent signs posted on the closed doors are pointed reminders of what the city has become.

"In Laredo, life is different," Hector said. "Here we are prisoners. In our city, we learn to live with the devil."

Francisco Javier Arellano Felix: Was considered one of Mexico's most dangerous cartel leaders until he was captured off the coast of Baja California on Aug. 16, while on a fishing excursion. The Arellano-Felix family, which is extensive, is said to still control billions of dollars in cocaine, heroin and marijuana shipments to the United States.

Dionicio Ramon Garcia: Known as "El Chacho," Ramon Garcia was the leader of Los Chachos of Nuevo Laredo. He aligned himself with the Sinaloa Cartel, then was tortured and murdered by Sinaloa's rival, the Gulf Cartel, in May 2002. The Gulf Cartel dressed his dead body in women's undergarments to humiliate his family and the group.

Joaquin Guzman: Known as "El Chapo," he is considered one of Mexico's most powerful cartel leaders. Guzman heads the Sinaloa Cartel, which has been in a fierce battle with the Gulf Cartel for control of the Nuevo Laredo border. His organization has expanded and developed alliances with other drug lords across Mexico. Those alliances are known as the "Federation" or "Golden Triangle." Guzman is believed to have the support of corrupt Mexican government officials.

Vincente Carrillo Fuentes: Head of the Juarez Cartel, and the right-hand man to Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman of the Sinaloa Cartel. He is wanted for murder, money laundering, narcotics trafficking and a slew of other crimes. The U.S. State Department is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.

Osiel Cardenas Guillen: Leader of the Gulf Cartel, otherwise known as the Cardenas-Guillen family, which controls most of the Mexico-Texas border. The cartel is based in Nuevo Laredo. Cardenas Guillen was arrested on March 14, 2003. According to DEA intelligence officials, he continues to run his operation from his cell at the maximum-security Las Palmas prison outside Mexico City.

Arturo Martinez: "El Tejas" operates out of Nuevo Laredo. His cartel, Los Tejas, banded with the Gulf Cartel and forced his former partner, Dionicio "El Chacho" Garcia to align with Sinaloa. Martinez still controls large areas of Nuevo Laredo.

Gregorio Sauceda Gamboa: Part of the Gulf Cartel. Sauceda, known as "El Goyo," controls most of the Mexican border areas of Reynosa and Matamoros. Gamboa married into the Cardenas family. According to intelligence officials, a rift developed between him and Cardenas over his drug use and alcoholism. This month, he was demoted from deputy in the cartel.

Armando Valencia: Valencia, whose cartel is known as Los Valencias, was captured in 2003 in Mexico. Los Valencias still has strong ties to Colombian cocaine traffickers, and the organization has remained strong after aligning with the Sinaloa Cartel. The cartel uses the port of Lazaro Cardenas to move cocaine and other narcotics into Mexico. Members of the organization also are suspected of selling narcotics in the United States.

Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada: El Mayo's organization is based out of the resort city of Mazatlan, but has substantial control of the Mexican border state of Sonora. El Mayo is considered a powerful cartel leader, and his alliance with "El Chapo" Guzman has extended their power all along the U.S.-Mexico border. In 2003, his organization was a target of a U.S.-Mexico drug sting, Operation Trifecta, which lasted 19 months and led to 240 arrests. "El Mayo" was never found and is a fugitive wanted by both countries.

Amount Wal-Mart and Hutchison Port oldings Group, a Hong Kong-based importer, have invested in the port at Lazaro Cardenas.

Portion of the 6 million cargo containers entering the United States that are physically inspected.

Death toll by assassination in Nuevo Laredo in 2005, according to officials in Mexico and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Estimated per-person cost charged by Mexican criminal groups to smuggle someone into the United States. Price varies depending on the origin point of the person being smuggled.

And remember, it is illegal for the average mexican citizen to own a gun. Banning guns brings peace in the streets...

2 posted on 01/09/2007 7:40:49 AM PST by 2banana (My common ground with terrorists - they want to die for islam and we want to kill them)

The Illegal Drug Trade is a $300 Billion dollar industry. I'm not surprised an unregulated market that big attracts unsavory types.

4 posted on 01/09/2007 7:46:08 AM PST by Gritty (This country has lost control of its borders. No country can do that and survive.-Ronald Reagan)

5 posted on 01/09/2007 7:49:15 AM PST by Gritty (This country has lost control of its borders. No country can do that and survive.-Ronald Reagan)

If the cartels would stick to killing each other I wouldn't care. But it sounds like a lot of innocent people are caught in hell.

hey lets build a big limited access highway from the mexican border that stretches into every corner of North America. It will be good for trade and who knows what kind of gobment will come out of it. Hollywood stars rule.</sarcasm>

Guns are evil and they kill children. In Mexico you are safe because they are illegal. If only someone would act here and end the wild west attitude so many have toward guns. It's for the children.

Nuevo Laredo: "This used to be a good place." It was indeed. When, years ago, my wife and I lived in San Antonio, Texas, we would often drive the 150 miles to Nuevo Laredo to shop and eat in the restaurants. We still have some beautiful hand-made furniture she bought and had shipped from there. Now the place is a hell hole, rightfully compared to Baghdad. If the Administration doesn't secure the border (fat chance), there is going to be a big explosion on this side of it.

11 posted on 01/09/2007 8:12:18 AM PST by taxed2death (A few billion here, a few trillion there...we're all friends right?)

Apparently you have your head somewhere else than the fresh air. It's also apparent that you didn't read a word of this article.

"Men with automatic assault rifles stood stoic after the carnage. Then, one by one, they picked up the bodies of their victims, threw them into the back of pickup trucks and headed out of downtown."

That is reminiscent of the St Valentine's Day massacre. Funny, since Prohibition was discontinued, we haven't have any alcohol-related incidents like that. Just a coincidence, probably.

"The violence has also changed the lives of American citizens living in Laredo, on the Texas side of the border, where kidnappings, narcotics trafficking and corruption have become common"

This sentence is saying that Laredo, US city, has had kidnappings. I expect the other two to be true. Has Laredo had a lot of kidnappings?

And my wife wonders why I don't want to go to Mexico even though I have family there.

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