Mexico Increasing The Drug Fight

[ImWithStupid]

I hope that this is truly a large scale effort on the part of the Mexican government to fight the drug trafficing, cartels and corruption in the military and police forces and not just a short lived attempt to make it look as if they are trying.

If this is truly an honest fight, kudos to the Mexican government and Felipe Calderon.

Here is a portion of the article. The rest is found with the link provided.

Drug Gangs Fight Back
February 10, 2008: The Army had a big week in its war on the cartelistas (drug gangs). The army conducted an operation in Tamaulipas state that led to the capture of five men and a large weapons cache. The cache was found on a ranch and included plastic explosive, hand grenades, bullet-proof protective vests, 80 sets of military uniforms, 89 rifles and 83,000 rounds of ammunition. The army also found nine tons of marijuana on the ranch and several vehicles, one equipped with bullet-proof glass. The troops found what amounts to a supply dump for a company-sized unit capable of launching limited mobile operations. A police station in a small town would be quickly overrun by a force of this size and this well-armed.

February 9, 2008: A Mexican Army senior officer commanding troops in Baja California state confirmed that the drug cartels are trying to bribe Mexican soldiers. The officer said that drug gang members are trying buy-off the military so they can continue shipping drugs. Soldiers reported that they are offered money, drugs, and prostitutes. The government raised military pay in early 2007, in part to reward integrity in the armed services. The military has reported that it has arrested a number of gang members who had city and state police radios. That was another indicator that the gangs had corrupted local police forces. The army is now running several police departments in Baja California.

February 6, 2008: President Felipe Calderon said that the government will eventually reduce the military's role in the war on drug cartels. The key is reform of police forces so that the participation of the army in the fight against crime will become less and less necessary. The president was responding to increasing international criticism of his administrations reliance on the Army in its battle with heavily armed drug gangs. The UN (U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights) has criticized Calderon's use of the military, arguing that the use of the military increases the possibility of human rights violations.

Mexico: Drug Gangs Fight Back

 

[snafu]

Human rights violations? You just can't win I swear. Your damned if you do and damned if you don't.

 

[Old Salt]

If you look at the reports of the drug gangs, they are the ones with absolutely no regard for human rights.

 

[snafu]

We want you to stop the drug trade but you can't use violence. You can't use ease dropping techniques. Just ask real politely.

 

[Old Salt]

We want you to stop the drug trade but you can't use violence. You can't use ease dropping techniques. Just ask real politely.

That's called diplomacy.

 

[ImWithStupid]

I like this part.

The UN (U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights) has criticized Calderon's use of the military, arguing that the use of the military increases the possibility of human rights violations.

Maybe they should save their criticizm for when or if we actually have a problem not a possibility of a problem.

He should probably speak out against all prisons, as in any prison there is an increase in the "possibility" of human rights violations.

 

[phreakwars]

The Mexican gangs are a bit harder to crack because of how we perceive organized crime. What you more then likely end up with are relatives who work with each other, which makes things like snitching them out next to impossible. In some cases, an entire family's survival depends on the activity they engage in. The Mexican government is fully aware of this, this is why the push hasn't really been made, but talked about.

However, Mexico's (law of the land, shall we call it) is really alot more strict then the US. Hearing of or witnessing law breakers or law enforcement officers get executed is pretty common. We don't really hear that story in America, what we hear is "Gangs" and that's about it. From there, the stage is set for very poor misunderstanding of what or whom a gang is... In Mexico, yes even the law is part of the "GANGS".

The only way to fight the fight is with diplomacy.
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[Old Salt]

The only way to fight the fight is with diplomacy.
.
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But first you have to make the other team WANT to talk. If they have nothing to gain, why would they?

 

[snafu]

The Mexican drug cartels are mostly family orientated like you say. And Mexico is defiantly more in tune with using violence but they have holes like the UN butting in. No I think the strong arm approach like they did with Noriega and Pablo Escobar is the only option.
Deplomacy will never work. Never! Not with drug cartel.

 

[ImWithStupid]

I think the breeding ground for corruption is the biggest obsticle. If you have a job where you can't even do right by your family, and someone offers you more money then your employer can come close to, and you see other people in your job accepting the money, it makes if easier to justify the decision, for your family and because everyone else does it.

I think that Calderon's act of increasing the pay to the military is a very good stratagy to help with success.

If someone is able to provide for their family, even if they aren't getting rich, they would be less tempted to take the bribe.

 

[phreakwars]

But first you have to make the other team WANT to talk. If they have nothing to gain, why would they?

Inside deals... Our department will keep away from your small time business if you give up Mr. big time business. Small time business can very easliy mean smuggling a few pounds of weed or meth or other contraband into the US pipeline via relatives and associates. Something the Mexican government really doesn't care about anyway, they only say they do. You screw up and arrest some villager growing pot, you may find the entire village is probably going to make you disappear. It's better to have the backing of the village and go after the big guys... trouble is, if the big guys are supporting the village, and possibly even the very very corrupt law, don't count on hearing about a big bust.
.
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[ImWithStupid]

The Mexican drug cartels are mostly family orientated like you say. And Mexico is defiantly more in tune with using violence but they have holes like the UN butting in. No I think the strong arm approach like they did with Noriega and Pablo Escobar is the only option.
Deplomacy will never work. Never! Not with drug cartel.

Getting rid of Pablo Escobar, did nothing to reduce the drug cartels in Columbia. The power and profit just shifted to Escobar's rivals.

Columbia is still considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world because of the cartels there.

Diplomacy is best, but a country should be given the opportunity to take care of their own house before anyone should intervene with anything but diplomacy, support and offers of help.

 

[snafu]

Inside deals... Our department will keep away from your small time business if you give up Mr. big time business. Small time business can very easliy mean smuggling a few pounds of weed or meth or other contraband into the US pipeline via relatives and associates. Something the Mexican government really doesn't care about anyway, they only say they do. You screw up and arrest some villager growing pot, you may find the entire village is probably going to make you disappear. It's better to have the backing of the village and go after the big guys... trouble is, if the big guys are supporting the village, and possibly even the very very corrupt law, don't count on hearing about a big bust.
.
.

You know that will never work. Catching the big fish and letting the little ones back only means the little fish grow up to be big fish.

 

[snafu]

Getting rid of Pablo Escobar, did nothing to reduce the drug cartels in Columbia. The power and profit just shifted to Escobar's rivals.

Columbia is still considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world because of the cartels there.

Diplomacy is best, but a country should be given the opportunity to take care of their own house before anyone should intervene with anything but diplomacy, support and offers of help.

Because they didn't stay on top of it.
And yes it did for quite a while.