Gang violence has left its mark on Nuevo Laredo
Posted on 08/14/2005 2:45:51 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch
Gang violence has left its mark on Nuevo Laredo Raul Llamas inspects the gaping holes gouged in the wall of a house in Nuevo Laredo by a rocket-propelled grenade.
"It's like Iraq, isn't it? We are in the middle of a war here. Two narco-trafficking gangs are trying to get control," the Mexican radio journalist says.
He used to report on the cartels for a local radio station. But one of his colleagues was killed earlier this year.
Now he does different stories. "It's very difficult to be a reporter here," he says. "People are too scared."
Police deaths
The violence stems from a turf war between the powerful Gulf and Sinaloa cartels.
Mexico is like the ham in the sandwich, between the supplier, which is Colombia, and the consumer, which is the US
Jose Luis Santiago Vasconcelos Organised crime investigation unit They both want to control Nuevo Laredo - the busiest port of entry into the US, just over the border from Texas.
An estimated 110 people have been killed this year, including 15 members of the police force. The most recent was a female police officer, killed last Wednesday.
The US recently had to close its consulate for a period, after the warring cartels attacked each other using bazookas and machine-guns.
'Sad situation'
The bridges which cross the Rio Grande from Nuevo Laredo to Laredo, Texas, tell the story.
Web hunt for border missing
The stream of people seeking a better life flows one way only.
The US side is still relatively free from trouble, while on the Mexican side, there are almost daily kidnappings and assassinations.
Jack Suneson runs one of Nuevo Laredo's most well-established arts and crafts shop.
"It's a very sad situation right now. It's never been this bad," he says.
"The impunity with which these people are operating is very scary. We need the Mexican government to come here and clean this up."
Criminal control
Nuevo Laredo's last police chief was gunned down just seven hours after starting the job.
Police chief Omar Pimentel (right) is optimistic about his task Omar Pimentel has just replaced him in what must be one of the most difficult jobs in law enforcement.
But he is upbeat about the future.
"We are going through a difficult time for our city, but our will to go forward is stronger than the problems we face," he says.
Mexico has paid a high price in blood for its geographical location, according to the deputy head of its organised crime investigation unit, Jose Luis Santiago Vasconcelos.
Can't they capture anyone? Can't they arrest someone?
Mother of kidnap victim "Mexico is like the ham in the sandwich, between the supplier, which is Colombia, and the consumer, which is the US," he says.
American officials see Nuevo Laredo as a dangerous hotspot.
"The level of violence is just incredible, and the level of corruption in the local law enforcement is significant, so local criminal groups pretty much control what is going on," says Patrick Patterson, the regional FBI agent in charge in San Antonio, Texas.
'Narco Laredo'
In a story which has entered local legend, one of Mexico's most wanted men recently had supper in a smart downtown restaurant.
Alleged Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" (Shorty) Guzman arrived with about 30 of his armed henchmen, and announced that they didn't want any trouble.
Many crossing the border into the US hope to flee rising crime
The mobile phones of other diners were collected to ensure "security" for the group.
The gangsters then ate their meal and left - paying for everyone else in the restaurant.
This impunity brings much pain for the victims.
"In Nuevo Laredo there are terrible shoot-outs, and there are people who kill in broad daylight," says Priscilla Cisneros, whose 23-year-old daughter Brenda was kidnapped 10 months ago.
"Can't they capture anyone? Can't they arrest someone?"
But Nuevo Laredo is also known as Narco Laredo.
Its inhabitants are now eerily accustomed to killing. One jingle on a popular local music station is the sound of machine-gun fire, with a voice saying cheerfully: "We'll be back in a bullet."
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off this South Texas/Mexico ping list.
Let them come here illegally. That will permit quiet on the Mexican side of the border at least.. or air drop thousands of 9MM rounds and pistols; then come back in a year and arrest the survivor.
That's because most all drugs come into the country on trucks crossing at official border ports of entry, not carried by peopple crossiong the deserts who can barely carry enough water to survive the trip.
They've become much more efficient. Yesterday there was an article that noted how many drugs were being brought on horseback across the border. And in the past few years the drug cartels are just growing the stuff in your national forests, when they're not brewing meth in your rental.
Pot Bust Takes Violent Turn - One Wounded, Another Killed San Jose Mercury News ^ | August 6, 2005 | Ken McLaughlin and Brandon Bailey Bay Area pot farming is taking a frightening new turn. A state Fish and Game warden was shot in both legs and a man was killed Friday during an early morning raid on a huge marijuana garden near Mount Umunhum in a rugged, remote area of Santa Clara County. The operation had the hallmark of aggressive Mexican drug cartels, which in recent years have cornered California's marijuana-growing market, state drug agents say. (snip) http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/12319275.htm
I guess it would be too much to expect the gang wars to disrupt the drug supply and flood of illegals coming here. Surely if that were the case our government would intercede to protect our interest in maintaining normal "trade" with Mexico.
The appropriate thing would be for Mexico to cede this land to the US. The US could put down this violence in one month.
"Mexico is like the ham in the sandwich, between the supplier, which is Colombia, and the consumer, which is the US," he says.
This guy is right. Without the increasing demand for pot and coke here in the US, these drug gangs would likely be nothing.
No doubt about it...we need to make sure these gangs get no influence or foothold on our side of the border.
OTOH, it's up to us collectively to try to do all we can do to reduce demand.
Contact Governor Perry here:
http://www.governor.state.tx.us/contact
Now is not the time to play politics. We need a strong bipartisan coalition.
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