Posted on 02/07/2009 7:53:00 AM PST by AuntB
Mexicans who can afford it go to great lengths to protect themselves from criminals.
Inside of 10 seconds, the microchip -- no bigger than a grain of rice -- can be injected under the skin.
From that moment on, workers in a high-tech monitoring room in Queretaro, Mexico track the recipient's movements.
No names are on the screens, just numbers. And for that service, the recipient pays roughly $5,000 a year to feel safe while living in a country wracked by violence.
Mexico's widespread drug-related crimes and soaring kidnapping rate have severely eroded citizens' trust in the government's capacity to deal with the country's growing violence.
The country is currently classified by international groups as the riskiest Latin American country for kidnappings. Things have gotten so bad that some are asking Mexican lawmakers to consider reinstating the death penalty.
In an effort to keep safe, many citizens who can afford it have invested an estimated $18 billion in private security measures, including the microchip, according to a 2008 report from the Center for Economic Studies.
Inserting the chip under the skin shows how far many middle-class Mexicans are willing to go to ensure their safety, said Francisco González, a sales manager for Xega, the only high-tech security company in the country that sells satellite-tracking microchips for humans.
Xega's VIP satellite tracking microchip is just one security method. There are others. Consider:
• Some are taking out loans to buy or lease armored vehicles.
• Some are investing in bodyguards-for-hire to go to the ATM, or run weekend errands.
• Watchdog groups such as Mexico United Against Crime have grown substantially.
''Mexico has changed,'' said María Elena Morera de Galindo, president of the watchdog group. ``The lifestyle of Mexicans has changed.''
She joined in 2001, after her husband was kidnapped and his captors mutilated four fingers.
Some 3,000 people use the chip device nationwide, and the number is rapidly growing.
''[The device] has become very popular,'' said González. ``Our number of clients is increasing.''
The VIP device operates like a GPS receiver in a car. The client presses a button on a watch, a cellular phone or key chain with a matching chip, which activates an alarm warning elite forces working with Xega when a client feels threatened. González, the sales manager, uses the satellite tracking device himself.
The kidnapping trend is so prevalent in Mexico that people know kidnappers believe they can collect between $15,000 and $22,400 within a week.
In one of the worst cases reported in Mexico City, a 5-year-old boy from a poor family also from Iztapalapa was kidnapped from a flea market. The boy's kidnappers requested the equivalent of about $22,400 in ransom, but killed the child by injecting acid into his heart before any money could be exchanged. They feared getting caught.
''We are not living in fear, these are days of terror,'' said González. ``People today feel more at risk, and they want to protect their families, their children.''.
STAB-PROOF JACKETS
Miguel Caballero, the Colombian producer of ''designer bulletproof fashion,'' has such high-profile clients as King Abdullah of Jordan, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and actor Stephen Segal, among others.
In 2007, his company, which operates in 16 countries, including Mexico, made $9 million.
In the first seven months of 2008, he matched that figure.
Caballero said sales are so strong among middle class clients that he has not ruled out selling his new collection to Mexican department stores.
The protective wardrobe includes jackets with stab-proof linings, and protection from .38-caliber bullets. He also offers a polo shirt priced at $7,500 that is supposed to deflect 9 mm bullets.
''It's not about bulletproofing with style anymore,'' Caballero said at his Polanco boutique. ``Bulletproofing is becoming a style.''
ARMOR FOR CARS
Also scattered across the country are armored vehicle body shops.
In 2008, the country had an estimated 1,700 to 1,800 new armored cars, said Ernesto Mizrahi Haiat, president of one of five armored vehicle companies.
''Everyday, more and more people want to armor their vehicles,'' said Pedro Lara Cruz, a mechanic at a Mexico City body shop. ''We receive an average of three vehicles a day with requests to adapt them for Level 3 protection'' -- bulletproofing against light weapons, such as a .44 magnum gun. The cost is about $35,000.
Other orders include pepper gas sprays for the rearview mirrors, heavy-duty Level 5 protection against AR-15 assault rifles, bulletproof crystals for windows, special sirens with police speakers, or bulletproofed tires so that vehicles can continue to drive even after being hit with bullets. Many clients opt for the Level 5 armored vehicle, which costs $85,000.
CALL TO REGULATE
With the protection business booming in the face of rising crime, those providing the service are lobbying lawmakers for more regulation.
''The government realized the importance of regulating the industry when they faced criminals that were highly protected,'' said Mauricio Natale, president of the Mexican Association of Armor Vehicles. ``Somebody is obviously selling them the equipment and that's what [the government] needs to tackle.''
Professional bodyguards also are seeking tougher regulations and certifications.
Julio César García, president of the Mexican Society of Bodyguards, said authorities must take bodyguard training seriously and pass new laws making certification mandatory, which includes a criminal background check. García, who charges $50 per hour, keeps a busy schedule, especially on weekends with requests to escort clients to do errands or to pick up teens at clubs and parties.
''It's our busiest time,'' he said.
Sounds to like they are talking about Southern California. Not to far removed.
What the Mexicans need are the Magnificent 7
When tens of thousands are killed, the problem will be solved. Massive death is the only solution.
No, not a microchip. The 'beast' is how God sees the system, not how the majority of peoples see the beast. The mark is in the mind, what one believes, and the majority are said to believe in the 'beast' system. Got to know who the 'beast' is to know what the 'mark' symbolizes.... We have been given a type in the flood of deception spewed out by liberals and the majority of American voters believed in Bama.
Never truer words were spoken
Just 2 combat teams can do it with correct intel. Set traps and blow up a few houses. And not be seen or heard. About 3AM.
So far from God and so close to Mexico.
What a perfect description of America. The scary thing is, we are daily getting further from God and closer to Mexico.
All it takes is one hacker to get into the system and find anyone his bosses want.
Mexicans better realize their country is in a state of terror.
We need to chip all of the detainees at Gitmo. When Obama releases them and they return home, they get to be Reaper bait.
I'm guessing that if you are about to be car-jacked you hit the button to blind and incupacitate yourself rendering you helpless. Then the assailant knows you are no danger to him and sort of pities you. He rolls you out of your car knowing you have suffered enough without shooting or stabbing you.
They probably mean side-view "wing" mirrors though.
The Camp Gitmo problem is they don’t want to go home. Or their home country doesn’t want them back.
Whatever happened to CN teargas? That’s what they should use. I was required to take a whiff of it. Bad stuff that will disable anybody stupid enough to hang around.
Sorry, the rice sized transmitter is an April Fools joke from a few years ago. Google it.
“Sorry, the rice sized transmitter is an April Fools joke from a few years ago. Google it.”
You’ve made the claim against the article. Give us a reference.
Okay, I googled it. Found thousands of articles about this chip...none of them said it was an april fools joke.
Reference please!
Hey, Hello!
You signed up today,made ONE post to post some nonsense, now get yourself back here and defend it!
The article mentions pushing a button on a watch-like device if they think they are in trouble. I’m guessing the watch is the transmitter and is linked to the rice sized ID capsule under their skin by short range radio wave. Just a guess though.
see my #39 for the probable explanation.
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