Echoing much the same sentiment, Samuelson (1999) has argued that we in America cannot "refashion the rest of the world in our image," and that it is the height of arrogance to suggest otherwise. what I can see they do have the area on lockdown. Blustein, Paul, "Mexico to pay back U.S. loan early," Washington Post, 3/16/97, p. E3. Diaz's observation proved to be tragically profound. 3. Less than 200 miles are currently fenced, and that fencing is literally full of holes. Three American Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) inspectors in the San Diego area have been convicted or brought to trial on charges of conspiracy and taking bribes. Garcia-Abrego's replacement, Oscar Malherve, allied himself with Fuentes, making Carrillo Fuentes Mexico's drug kingpin. The Mexican military, however, has the military force to move throughout the country with impunity thus rendering moot the need to mask the odor. With only one party to please, and without opposition party whistle-blowers to contend with, the drug cartels have been able to quietly pay-off government officials at all levels with little fear of public reprisal. They are better armed than the Colombian military, and appear ready to take on the government in full-pitch battles (Hammer and Isikoff, 8/9/99). As El Paso border liaison police officer Jesus Torrones indicated, "the criminals have always relied on the border to stop us, but that's not the case anymore" (Christian Science Monitor, 2/3/98). Peniche was quoted as saying, "Donations of this kind were normal in MexicoIt was part of the system between businessman and politicians. American law enforcement agents have been strictly forbidden from carrying/using firearms in Mexico. The Sonora Cartel was founded by Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, who although imprisoned, appears to still be a major player in the new formed Federation, in part because he is the uncle of the Felix-Arellano brothers. The Calexico area was once a relatively easy target for smugglers with only 81 agents assigned to patrol the area in 1996, and only a small handful of those 81 agents worked any given night shift. Cooperative law enforcement efforts surface as another option to consider. Police and military officials are paid an extraordinarily low wage roughly 3,000 pesos ($300) a month (AFP, 8/4/99). The United States has repeatedly called for Mexico to end the traditional impunity for high level officials. Just this week, El 01 pled guilty to heroin trafficking charges in a federal court in Chicago, Illinois. From the long-term perspective, the Cartels can certainly take the hit of a leader or two going to prison, and they can easily absorb the loss of a portion of its stockpile; even a 50 percent commodity loss in the cocaine trade will yield a profit. When all the invitees had gathered at the hospital, Mayor Enrquez Herrera introduced them to his friend, Gerardo Soberanes Ortiz, alias El G1. Mexico's banks have historically been basically un-monitored and very poorly regulated. Mario Villanueva, a prominent member of the PRI and the former governor of the state of Quintana Roo, is wanted on drug trafficking charges and on charges of accepting a share of $300 million embezzled by the fugitive Mexican banker, Carlos Cabal Peniche. When asked by Mexican officials to put a stop to this illegal arms trade, American officials have indicated that the demand for the weapons is on the Mexican end, so they, the Mexicans, should stop it - an interesting bit of international diplomatic hypocrisy that the United States can engage in, because at present it has the biggest stick. Foreign Relations Committee and several Congressional appropriation subcommittees. UPI, "California man convicted in largest meth conspiracy ever," 4/23/97, internet. These numbers would suggest that the flow is far beyond what the Beta Group can handle. There he fought to expand Sinaloa Cartels territory in Gomez Palacio, Lerdo, Torren, and places as far as Matamoros. Without political corruption, organized crime loses its protection. Even if legitimate efforts were to begin, it would take generations to completely eradicate Mexican military involvement in the drug trade. In turn, parliaments, then the people, and today, I would suggest, multi-national corporations have taken their turn as the sovereigns of primary power. He had left the Colombians in the dust. AFP, "Congress members slam U.S. decision to certify Mexico's anti-drug efforts," 2/26/98, internet. Headlines were articulated by government leaders, and "news" stories towed the party line. a year. They must have some serious underground tunnels / infrastructure below that Attorney General's office in Mexico City. The Mexican cartels set up their own cocaine distribution networks in cities such as Houston, Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Denver. In a minor blow to Fuentes in the spring of 1997, this relationship was uncovered, and Rebollo was forced to resign (Brant, 1997), and was eventually sentenced to 13 years and nine months in prison (Reuters, 3/3/97). Enjoy spending hours looking at satellite images to find your home or remembering places in a village? Most of the Original cartel de durango guys are retired or dead.. most herreras sided with cartel de juarez in the 2000s and got kicked out by CDS around 2011. Just a big name coincidence. By 1997, many new, small organizations were jumping into the cocaine market in Colombia. This meant that the Mexican cartels now had almost complete control of the cocaine trade in the United States, the largest cocaine market in the world. All of the Mexican cartels do need to cooperate to some degree in the annual certification process, even those that the government turns on, if they want to survive in the long run. (Constantine, 2/27/97) The Mexican drug cartels have become the dominant force in the United States methamphetamine trafficking. The President. These murders brought the total number of senior police officials executed in Northern Mexico in 1996 to seven. El 03 took over leading the group. AFP, "Mexican Congress files suit to force Zedillo to disclose financial deals," 9/9/99, internet. In the early 1990s, the head of the Gulf Cartel (the most powerful Mexican cartel at the time) Garcia-Abrego, secured a major deal with the Colombian cartels that increased the Gulf Cartel's power even more. And because they are in complete control, they can keep 100 percent of the profits." AFP, "Mexican government announces new anti-drug strategy," 2/4/99, internet. Only now, at the close of the 20th century, with memories of the decade of violence confined to the history books, have democratic interests begun to again stir in the Mexican populous. Reuters, "U.S., Mexico sign agreements," 5/6/97, internet. A third Amezcua brother, Luis, still faces drug-trafficking charges in the U.S. On May 21, 1999 the extradition of Oscar Malherve to the U.S. was also denied. Consider the following account: "For many Mexicans, migrating north in search of work is not a criminal act but an annual rite born of economic necessity. The Hank family - A second family syndicate, the Hank Family, has been emerging of late as a powerful player in the drug trade. Associated Press, "Mexico head urges lower oil prices," 10/6/00, internet. GLOBAL PRESS one that popped into my head. A12, A14. People in Sinaloa were saying that this dude was a tweaker!!! UPI, "U.S., Mexico outline drug strategy," UPI, 2/6/98, internet. Robinson, Linda, "Mexican mayhem," U.S. News and World Report, July 12, 1999, p. 39. AFP, "Chiapas police fire on pro-rebel protesters," 1/12/98, internet. The right wing vigilante groups have the potential to be an even greater risk to the sovereign government of Colombia than do the left-wing organizations. According to the same government report, there are now approximately 20,000 drug dealers in Mexico who sell their products in more than 8,000 schools just in Mexico City alone. While covert operations most certainly continue, the U.S. does run the risk of international embarrassment when and if they become publically uncovered. Brutality and calloused disregard for life became the norm for rebel and soldier alike. Clearly one of the reasons that the Colombian cartels lost power in the early and mid-1990s was because the multi-party political system in Colombia began to assert itself. The soldiers arrived at the residential neighborhood of Cortijo, inside three helicopters and a convoy of vehicles. Reuters, "Mexican says U.S. drug certification unacceptable," 2/4/98, internet. Possession of American currency has national security implications in Colombia - if you have lots of American cash it is surely drug money, and you may be working with our enemies - FARC and/or the ELN. Due to a disastrous string of bank failures, Mexico is now beginning to modernize its banking laws and grant its regulatory agencies concrete enforcement powers (AFP, 9/21/99). An important Sinaloa Cartel - Los Cabreras figure named Gerardo Soberanes Ortiz, alias El G1, was arrested in Durango. Usually meth by-products are dumped near the facility. It costs an average of $25,000 to clean up a meth production lab site. THE MEXICAN POLITICAL SCENE: AN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE As has been noted, Mexico has been governed by one political party, the PRI (Partido Revolucionario Institucional or Institutional Revolutionary Party), for 70 years. It is being carried out in coordination with the federal Attorney General's Office and other government agencies. The United States had never formally accepted the fact that American consumption of drugs was the main problem until March of 1998. (14) Seeing a huge profit margin as a result of the new immigration law, Mexican syndicates have been moving into the people smuggling trade in a more systematic and organized fashion, either taking over "coyote" operations or forcing them into a business arrangement. The Army and the National Guard had launched a joint operation to capture Gerardo Soberanes Ortiz, alias El G1, in the dark of night hours in the northern part of Durango City. How will the cartels respond to what appears to be a continuing decline in cocaine use in America? At the 11th hour however, Mexico capitulated. Pequeo, the amount of the drug to be introduced would reach more than two According to Eduardo How will the cartels in Mexico and the rest of Latin American respond to this initiative? Mexico is now the major producer, though it is thought that the Mexican cartels still use the American motorcycle gangs to transship the basic ingredients into the United States, where labs convert those ingredients into meth. External attempts to control the cartels will be ineffective unless they are supported by the populous, the body politic. O'Day (2000) provides numerous case studies of Mexican military operating north of the border. With significant effort, the coalition hammered out a seven-point political platform, though many of those points have remained vaguely defined. The Mexicans began by-passing the Colombians and going directly to Bolivian and Peruvian suppliers during the summer of 1997. AFP, "Opposition alliance would win Mexican election in 2000: survey," 7/29/99, internet. United States, and in 1997 began as a producer of drugs in Culiacan, until Sinaloa drug cartel run by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. El 02 was later released from prison under what some might characterize as suspicious circumstances. for chemical input costs and paying the salaries of the workers who produced Among other functions, they select their successors to the Office of President, approve legislative and state gubernatorial candidates (de-facto appointments), select the attorney general, select high-ranking military officials, select supreme court justices, select the head of the PRI Central Executive Committee (the de-facto ruling body of Mexico), and regularly by-pass the legislature and issue executive decrees or orders ("reglamentos") that have the effect of law. Only in the past few years has the PRI experienced any challenge of consequence, most particularly being the 2000 Presidential victory of PRI-opposition leader Vicente Fox. AFP, "Former police chief arrested on drug charges," 2/27/99, internet. The Mexican Attorney General's office announced the arrests of seven members of the Juarez Cartel in May of 1997. In 1997, some 3,500 vehicles were stolen in El Paso and smuggled into Mexico, many ending up in the hands of corporate executives and government officials. Associated Press, "Mexico paper struggles to survive," 10/31/00, internet. More careful investigations have revealed that Stanley maintained long, on-going relationships with known drug dealers, including the infamous Amado Carrillo Fuentes, the notorious "Lord of the Skies." opium poppy plants, processed and packaged heroin in Mexico, and transported it Three trucks speeding from the airstrip were caught, accounting for 2.5 tons of cocaine. The Cali Cartel, although down, still had an intelligence operation in tact. AFP, "Mexican president-elect defies IMF," 9/25/00, internet. I felt badly throwing the tiny bit of info up there this AM but that was all there was. Smith, Elliot Blair, "Incoming Mexican Leader Adopts World View," USA Today, October 4, 2000, p. 14A. According to the indictment filed by the Justice Department against four high-profile members of the CJNG, belonging to a criminal cell identified as 'Los Cabos', they had their base of operations in Baja California. the Herrera organization imported 746 pounds of pure heroin into the United Despite an abundance of evidence, no illegal or unethical activity was found to be present by an investigative panel of Mexican authorities. Fuentes arranged for eight multi-ton shipments to be flown from Bolivia straight to Mexico. its jus da calculations dats hard, it seems like they're starting to crack down on the sinaloa cartel alot more now than before. Only time will tell if this is indeed a shift in American public policy, and perhaps more importantly, if this shift has the desired impact upon the drug trade in particular and the cartels in general. In the last year of his presidency, Clinton requested an additional $500 million for drug interdiction efforts, including the funding of 1,000 additional DEA agents to specifically be placed along the Mexican border (UPI, 2/6/98). There is a third component that also must be in place. @Dwel you are right, now that El Viejo got arrested they already call me back, I have to return to Mexico and take over the productions of medicine for all of the sick people out there. According to a federal press release, the Cabrera brothers started out initially focused on marijuana planting and cultivation in the mountainous area of the state of Durango. They quickly began working under Joaquin Guzman, El Chapo, and Ismael Zambada, El Mayo, of the Sinaloa Cartel. $1.3 billion in $20 bills weights roughly 14,300 pounds; obviously a massive logistics efforts would be required to count, store, move and eventually deposit this amount of money. That time arrived in they year 2000 when then president Ernesto Zedillo stated that he would not participate in the process of designating his own successor; effectively amputating the finger (AFP, 2/27/99). Consider this parallel example from another Meso-American nation. Peniche himself has admitted to contributing $25 million to the PRI party, with $5 million specifically going specifically to Zedillo's campaign. it isn't hard to make meth. Anderson, John W. and Molly Moore, "Mexican cartels diversify," Washington Post Foreign Service, 8/12/96. Its credibility all but destroyed. He made the announcement during one of the daily presidential press conferences. El G1 had successfully managed the plazas of San Dimas, Pueblo Nuevo and Otaez in Durango for the brothers for the last couple of years, so in mid-2012 they decided to send him to Comarca Lagunera, a region marked in map below. The Cabrera brothers waged a bloody war against Los Ms, which was led by Mario Nuez Meza, alias M10. The same way Ovidio got caught, did ovidio ratted on him? Jones, Mark, "The certification process and the drug war," Criminal Organizations, May 1999, pp. Some are artistic photos and others are simply panoramic photos taken by amateurs and friends who simply like Los Herrera.See more photos . Reuters, "Alleged drug kingpin held in killing of Cardinal," 12/6/93, internet. Reuters, "Mexicans migrate north to work, for decades," 4/17/97, internet. Armando corral (head of Herrera clan and brother of poncho. With the kindlier and gentler attitude in place, the drug lords began to return their "coca-bucks" to the Mexican economy. Are the Mexican people, with a paternalistic-aristocratic political tradition that pre-dates the Spanish, truly ready to handle the increased responsibility of a viable two party/multi-party political system? On February 11, 2013, El 02 was arrested in Culiacan, Sinaloa. The United States and Mexico have entered into a number of so-called side agreements with respect to NAFTA. American policy makers have used airborne surveillance as a primary component in its drug war efforts. by Chris Eskridge University of Nebraska. In a recent highly publicized case, the wife of U.S. Army Colonel James Hiett has been charged with smuggling cocaine out of Colombia into the United States (Watson, 1999). There is another interesting market seeing tremendous growth along the Mexican-American border - people smuggling. Auto theft fell about 20 percent in 1997 due to these efforts. controlled the entire heroin process from top to bottom. A political party with no opposition is accountable to no one. The "coyote" is generally the head of the operation. According to the background the 'JH' was arrested Chapter 8 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, with its many amendments, requires the President to annually inform Congress as to whether or not major drug producing and drug transit countries are cooperating with the United States in the drug war, or have taken adequate steps on their own to meet the goals of the 1988 United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. The Caribbean routes were used, but so were routes through Mexico. Reuters, "Drug kingpin flown to U.S. after capture in Mexico," 1/15/96, internet. The key component in any battle against organized crime is the collective political will of the people. Two left-wing terrorist groups, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN), have picked up the drug trade gavel dropped by the Colombian cartels, and are now running the show. This point warrants reiteration. The current Mexican model of federal executive leadership is the outgrowth of policies put in place by President Calles in response to two decades of extreme unrest. This outraged the Mexican leadership and resulted in a 1998 agreement that limits the ability of U.S. agents to work in Mexico. From Jerez, most immigrants gravitate toward Los Angeles, Chicago and San Antonio. 'You can't knock on a door in this city (Jerez) without finding one of us who has a cousin, an uncle, a friend, a brother we all have someone there. This criminal cell - they accuse - was led by Edgar Herrera Pardo, known as El Caimn, and operated mainly in Tijuana and Tecate. Jaimes sons are still in DGO and are well off. Drug enforcement is not a central concern of the Mexican people, and as long as the cartels resist the temptation to market drugs to their own people, there will be no populous movement to rid the country of the cartels due to the simple fact that they are such a valuable economic asset to the nation. Many American officials and political observers recognize that there are no objective certification standards, that the process is extremely arbitrary, and has more to do with political winds than substantive effort and progress (AFP, 2/27/98). Former Gulf Cartel king-pin Garcia-Abrego, for example, even publically noted the audacity of the Salinas administration coming after him after he arranged with Raul Salinas to have two anti-Salinas candidates killed. The 2000 certification also had its foes on Capital Hill. Mayo and the rest form. (4) He was allegedly worth around $15 billion at the time of his arrest. In May 1999, he did venture a brief 3-day return visit to Mexico for the first time since fleeing the country. AFP, "Zapatista's demand permanent inquiry commission be established," 1/13/98, internet. At present, it does not seem to be playing well in the Washington, D.C. political marketplace. The role of the printed press in contemporary Mexico is also undergoing a significant shift. Zarembo, Alan, "Soda Pop to Vox Populi," Newsweek, July 17, 2000, p. 36. But the cartels also flourish in Mexico because the Mexican people lack the collective moral will to challenge their power. meeting held at the request of ' El Mayo' Zambada, also Javier Torres Felix Associated Press, "Zedillo faces cat calls during talk," 9/1/99, internet. He proposed a new plan for business with Colombia. Herrera organization ran a farm-to-the-arm heroin operation that cultivated Use these stars ("0" you like little, "5" you like a lot) to rate with your opinion. "Coyotes," generally operating with a small independent organization, have historically had a monopoly on people trafficking. The nation encompasses 756,000 square miles and has a population of nearly 100,000,000. AFP, "Mexico denounces backlash in Costa Rica over Hank affair: ambassador," 6/10/99, internet. They are a left wing organization that seeks more rights for Mexico's 10 million Indian population. They have many operations in Mexico itself. Not only would their political careers be ruined, but they would likely face life threatening opposition from both the cartels and the government. The Herreras were considered the largest heroin trafficking A Federal Judicial Police officer was among the suspects arrested for the crime (Bulita, 1997). AFP, "Mexican president calls for a 'national crusade' against corruption," 12/4/97, internet. Travelers' Choice. Their very possession in any significant amount now brings law enforcement attention. 6. International extradition treaties need to be developed among countries that lack such agreements. Herrera-Nevares was the patriarch of a huge criminal syndicate based in the Feeding off of this virtual uproar emanating from the Mexican populous, President Fox has issued several calls for the opening of the border, though to date the notion has not played well in the U.S., even among his American political allies. Reuters, "Smugglers caught in Salvador linked to major cartels," 6/12/93, internet. During the next five years, there are plans to fence the entire 2,000 Mexican/American border. AFP, "Mexico's reviled ex-president Salinas back from exile," 10/3/00, internet. Unless substantive efforts are undertaken on both sides of the border, the Mexican cartels will continue to grow in strength and influence. The prospect of regular border delays present significant problems, and thus has significant political implications. Assured of winning the election after being "fingered" by then President Carlos Salinas, Colosio made the error of espousing the need to move toward democracy and suggesting a need to help the poor. Once nominated in this party-state system, the PRI candidate is all but elected. His "escape" had actually taken place the day before, but was not announced until several hours after re-certification was confirmed. Whether it be for the elections, opportunity or a shift in Mexico's government, as long as these guys continue to fall, it makes no difference. AFP, "Mexican judge slashes jail sentence of brother of ex-president," 7/16/99, internet. A bodyguard of El G1 was said to have been shot in the arm during the ensuing confrontation however the soldier managed to get G1 to surrender. Another recent high profile case of note involves former AeroMexico official Gerardo de Prevoisin. and Gary, Indiana, arrested 120 traffickers (of the 132 indicted) connected to These new laws reorganization efforts have come much too late to avert the present crisis however. As the Panama Canal changes ownership in the coming months, American military presence and the accompanying airborne surveillance efforts in Central America will become diminished. The shear amount of money involved makes it possible to undermine virtually all law enforcement efforts in such a poor country. General Jorge Mariano Maldonado's arrest was the fifth arrest of a general in Mexico since the arrest of Gutierrez Rebollo in February of 1997 (AFP, 1/23/98). AFP, "Mexico's PRD rejects PRI win in Tabasco, call for civil disobedience," 10/18/00, internet. As United States Customs officials watched, Mexican army personnel proceeded to kill all seven Mexican police officers as they attempt to seize the drugs. Even if the citizenry were to vote an opposition party member into office, the Senate, with the Constitutional power to ratify elections, has been known to place the "appropriate" PRI candidates in office, regardless of the actual vote. Marijuana is grown year-round in Mexico and the army has literally tons of harvested marijuana at its disposal, and even oversees the production and crop security end of the process in some regions. Though the Constitution of 1917 divided power between the executive, legislative and judicial branches, in practice the country is perhaps more accurately classified as an autocratic party-state system. Economic need also serves as a powerful factor in explaining institutionalized corruption. We are still in the process of carrying out this operation. Again, the September 1999 arrests by U.S. officials of 93 Juarez cartel associates mentioned previously, along with the loss of drug supplies and millions in currency will surely serve to weaken the Juarez cartel and further strengthen the Gulf Cartel and The Federation. They left the business or they are well protected as Jaime Herrera Nevarez was on his old good days? An important Sinaloa Cartel - Los Cabreras figure named Gerardo Soberanes Ortiz, alias "El G1", was arrested in Durango. One estimate places over 1,000 Herrera family cocaine and heroin dealers in the United States (AFP, 12/6/97). The average annual temperature is 24C and average annual precipitation is 500 mm. The World Court needs to enhance its political capital, substance, and strength. Mexico experienced 40 to 50 gangland slayings in the following six months (Reuters, 2/13/98). He had undergone plastic surgery in the past, and was attempting to further alter his appearance to conceal his identity from American government authorities. Some experts suggest the Self Defense Force now ironically generates more revenue from the drug business than does FARC and ELN combined (Frontline, 4/20/00). But Mexican leadership also benefit from this charade, for they use it as a smoke screen to help the cartels with which they have become aligned. AFP, "Mexico City deploys 'swans' in bid to curb police corruption," 8/4/99, internet. Drug use in Mexico has risen from an estimated 1.5 million users in 1988 to 2.5 million users in 1998, with the largest increase occurring among children (AFP, 7/4/99). It should be emphasized that United States officials are certainly not immune, and have also been corrupted in numerous instances as well. In March of 1994, the leading presidential candidate, Luis Donaldo Colosio, was assassinated in Tijuana. LaFranchi, Howard, "Keeping Mexican Migrants Safer," Latinos Unidos, Julio 2000, p. 2. This blow could have brought the cartels into an all out war, and it would have, if not for the wisdom of Carrillo Fuentes. dont worry another meth maker will take overget puffed out, http://www.informador.com.mx/mexico/2012/357271/6/detienen-a-productor-de-metanfetaminas-del-cartel-del-pacifico.htm, yah i noe. The end result of this new drug war is that the Mexican drug problem has now been placed on the proverbial back burner. They grew up in the small town of Vasco Gil, in the state of Durango. Mexican officials, in reaction to Clinton's threat of de-certification in 1997, lashed back, accusing the world's biggest drug consumer of hypocrisy. Another similar incident occurred in August of 1994, when a jet believed by intelligence to be carrying 10 tons of cocaine landed at Sombrerete, Zacatecas. As previously noted, however, one of the major tools currently used in the drug war, the certification process, seems only to aggravate the rift between the two countries.
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