Posted on 12/13/2009 9:05:31 AM PST by AtlasStalled
The Mexican drug cartels have established supply lines, distribution network and operating cells in 230 American cities, and smuggle their drugs and cash back-and-forth over the border with relative impugnity. Of course, organized crime cannot exist without public corruption, and Diana Washington Valdez reports for the El Paso Times that the drug cartels are not simply buying off border officials and law enforcement but more fundamentally "helping elect and influence politicians in U.S. communities to advance their criminal activities":
"Richard Valdemar, a retired California law enforcement officer, said authorities in California gathered intelligence showing that the cartels are corrupting American politicians to gain a foothold in the Southwestern United States. Previous investigations showed that the Carrillo Fuentes, Arellano Felix and Sinaloan drug cartels targeted Southern California cities including South Gate, Hawaiian Gardens and Bell Gardens. 'Their efforts to influence and control these communities began in the 1980s, but investigators did not detect the trend until the 1990s,' said Valdemar, who retired from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department after 33 years in 2004. He was also on a multi-agency investigative task force for 12 years."
Moreover, increasing evidence shows that the drug cartels have had some success in infiltrating the United States military as reported by Angela Kocherga for KHOU in El Paso, TX.
Meanwhile, last Friday Carlos Pascual, the U.S. Ambassador Carlos Pascual, stated that the insurgency against the Mexican government by the narco terrorists is "an increasingly grave threat" to the national security of America as reported by Alfredo Corchado for The Dallas Morning News: "'The big challenge here isn't just the challenge of the U.S. border cities, but the linkages between hundreds of cities across the United States and Mexican cartels, and that is what we have to interrupt and block,' he said."
(Excerpt) Read more at bitterqueen.typepad.com ...
What good is winning a war against terrorists in Afghanistan if we lose our country to drug cartels from Mexico? Just asking.
Good Lord, this is awful. Money buys a great deal as is being proven in Mexico. Pretty soon no one will take on the job of defeating the drug cartels, many are dead already that tried.
Yeh...like since the 1920’s.....
Gotta keep those naughty vegetables away from folks who make bad decisions for themselves.
I wonder what’s the use of a well armed citizenry if we all sit on our butts and do nothing anyway.
On the subject of drug cartels intimidating and buying political power, Killing Pablo, is an excellent read (the story of the rise and eventual fall of Pablo Escobar in Columbia.)
The simplest, fastest and cheapest way to kill the crime syndicates and take all their money and win the war on drugs is to legalize them. The war was lost when the first law was passed.
Just a question,
If marijuana was legal to be grown here in the U.S. by private individuals as is tobacco, would that hurt the cartels?
I know the lawyers, counselors and such would be hurt but would the cartels?
Yes. It would also clear-out the National Parks of Naughty Vegetable growers who usually pack heat and leave a mess.
But the big bucks are in coca processing - why cant we grow that here? Is there something geographical about coca? I am sure Boulder CO or Aspen has the same geo weather as does Peru?
Allow individuals to grow their own naughty vegetables and the cartels are toast.
Not going to happen.
Lots of lawyers, drug counselors, prison guards etc derive their income off the illegal trade.
But I would think it better to let the folks grow their own and keep the money here.
They are going to do it regardless of where it comes from.
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