BajaNomad - Will Trump Take On The Cartels?

Make Baja Great Again

Leave it to JZ to ignore the "No, I didn’t create this topic to see how fast it gets sent to OT so let’s try to keep things reasonably professional here" and invoke MAGA-based slogans.

[Edited on 1-21-2025 by surabi]

Tioloco - 1-21-2025 at 11:29 AM

surabi- Have you an actual opinion on topic?

Lee - 1-21-2025 at 03:16 PM

Make Baja Great Again

Think JZ is saying the bad boys in Baja suck and MX can't do anything to stop them from making drugs and shipping it to the US. Don't think MX is capable of stopping the drug activity.

Think the US is fully capable of taking apart the bad boy factories one by one. Obviously not at the border -- but by going in and engaging them.

I could be wrong.

Tioloco - 1-21-2025 at 03:22 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Lee

Make Baja Great Again

I think you are right. Will be very interesting to see how this goes.

JZ - 1-21-2025 at 03:38 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Lee

Make Baja Great Again

Bingo.

SFandH - 1-21-2025 at 03:39 PM

Oh, just great, more blood, more murders. A never-ending war....again. If the US military participates, and if it's a success, as soon as victory is declared and the troops leave, the cartels will be right back at it, feeding American drug users.

I'm totally against having US "boots on the ground" in Mexico, killing Mexicans. Totally. Totally. Totally.

JZ - 1-21-2025 at 03:41 PM

Oh, just great, more blood, more murders. A never-ending war....again. If the US military participates, and if it's a success, as soon as victory is declared and the troops leave, the cartels will be right back at it, feeding American drug users.

I'm totally against having US "boots on the ground" in Mexico, killing Mexicans. Totally. Totally. Totally.

But you're okay with 100,000 young Americans dying every year from Fentanyl?

SFandH - 1-21-2025 at 03:52 PM

But you're okay with 100,000 young Americans dying every year from Fentanyl?

No.

Where did you get that idea?

mtgoat666 - 1-21-2025 at 04:15 PM

But you're okay with 100,000 young Americans dying every year from Fentanyl?

99.999% of the overdoses are in people that choose to take the drug. I don’t see a reason to invade a foreign country because druggies do stupid stuff at here in usa.

Selling black market drugs is illegal, and gang activities are criminal, but it is not terrorism. Violent crime organizations are guilty of violence and racketeering, but their crimes are not intended as terrorism, defined as violence against noncombatants to pursue political or ideological goals. To compare a recent example from the news, the Jan 6 defendants appear more like terrorists than the Mexico-based cartels, eh?

[Edited on 1-21-2025 by mtgoat666]

SFandH - 1-21-2025 at 04:24 PM

Besides, if you take out the Mexican producers, they'll just move to El Salvador or some other place. It will be whack-a-mole and go on forever. It's billions of dollars a year.

Tioloco - 1-21-2025 at 04:27 PM

Besides, if you take out the Mexican producers, they'll just move to El Salvador or some other place. It will be whack-a-mole and go on forever. It's billions of dollars a year.

Drug trade transferring to El Salvador will certainly lead to less c-ckroaches killing or robbing tourists camping on Baja beaches. Sounds like a win win.

surabi - 1-21-2025 at 05:05 PM

Win-win does not mean sending one's problems somewhere else. Baja does not exist for the entitlement and pleasure of tourists camping on beaches.
And anyone who thinks the "war on drugs" works is incredibly naive. It has never worked and never will as long as there are buyers for drugs. And there always will be. If it's not fentanyl, it will be something else.

Just like you don't cure obesity by withholding food, but by education, resources for people who want to lose weight, exercise, forming good eating habits, and the overweight person's own committment to losing weight, you don't get rid of drug addiction by trying to get rid of the drugs. Drug addictswill always find ways to get their fix and there will always be providers.

Sending American military and law enforcement into Mexico is illegal and a declaration of war.

stillnbaja - 1-21-2025 at 06:21 PM

But you're okay with 100,000 young Americans dying every year from Fentanyl?

No.

Where did you get that idea?

don't expect a response, you're in pee-wee's world now.....

surabi - 1-21-2025 at 06:59 PM

Trump just pardoned an online drug dealer who was sentenced to life in prison for running a darknet site that sold $200 million of illegal narcotics, which led directly to at least 6 overdose deaths.
But yeah, US, invade Mexico to take out those drug dealers. Brown drug dealers are so much worse than white ones.

https://www.rawstory.com/silk-road/

JDCanuck - 1-21-2025 at 07:28 PM

Hopefully this will help stop the continued flood of drugs trucked from Mexico through the US and into Canada. This was just the latest massive bust that came from Jalisco New Generation Cartel. I'm sure the Canadian Police can provide the US authorities info on where they let them in on the southern border:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-police-cocain...
This follows this one from just 3 weeks ago:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/crime-border-alberta-...

[Edited on 1-22-2025 by JDCanuck]

wilderone - 1-22-2025 at 09:13 AM

Many tentacles, many victims. I don't want this in my city. IDed as a terrorist organization might prove effective. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4JEFNxKdaY

Biden pardoned almost 2,500 drug criminals. I'm sure many of those were reduced sentences, plea bargained for lesser crimes. They are now on the streets - I don't expect them to get jobs at McDonalds now. No - back to their criminal enterprise with more gangs, drugs, illegals willing to do business with them. Surabi - you're counting overdose deaths? Don't cherry-pick one instance and point a finger - you know where the drugs come from? who's making them? how much is crossing the border every day? the network?

JZ - 1-22-2025 at 10:54 AM

Leave it to the good old NYT's:

Lee - 1-22-2025 at 11:07 AM

Think you're right about cartels being ''right back at it,'' but don't read what you think the solution is.

Aren't US addicts the real problem? The US can't help them?

Tioloco - 1-22-2025 at 11:31 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Lee

Think you're right about cartels being ''right back at it,'' but don't read what you think the solution is.

Aren't US addicts the real problem? The US can't help them?

Too few offer solutions here. Just same old complaining unfortunately

cupcake - 1-22-2025 at 04:08 PM

An invasion of Mexico? I think the chance of that happening is about zero. President Trump will work well with the Mexican government, just like he did with the last Mexican government. The 'remain in Mexico' policy will be reinstated for prospective immigrants. Designating the cartels as terrorist organizations will allow the authorities in the US to go after the cartel assets more easily, among other things. It will also allow the US to provide more aid to Mexico so that they can fight the cartels. My view, after seeing the cartels operate over many years, is that they are indeed terrorist organizations. The Mexican nationals I have gotten to know, simply see the cartels as being evil.

I have been reading online that Mexicans who have been personally victimized by cartel violence have welcomed the new terrorist designation by the US, in hopes of it leading to a change for the better in Mexico.

[Edited on 1-23-2025 by cupcake]

mtgoat666 - 1-22-2025 at 04:56 PM

You cant eliminate organiz3d crime and drugs. As long as Americans seek drugs, suppliers will fill the demand.
Whack down the mexican cartels, they will be replaced by american or chinese crime organizations. Endless game of whack a mole.

The designation is really all just theatrics by trump admin. RFK Jr is a former heroin dealer who today promotes cooky antivax fringe ideas, and trump is appointing him health czar. Go figure. RFK Jr appointment indicates Trump admin does not care about health or drug deaths of Americans.

[Edited on 1-22-2025 by mtgoat666]

cupcake - 1-22-2025 at 06:45 PM

Eliminate it? Probably not. History seems to indicate this is true. Still, I think a good improvement could be made. I look back at 1920s Chicago as an example. Crime, violence, murder were out of control. Innocent bystanders were being hit and killed in crossfire. Numerous bombings. Organized crime controlled police and justice to a terrifying extent. Enter 'the untouchables', a relatively small group determined to make things better. They succeeded, and so can Mexico. Sure, there is still crime, and over the decades there has been the ebb and flow of good and bad; seemingly one of the hallmarks of the human race. Was 1930s and later Chicago better off by the efforts of those who tried? I think yes.

[Edited on 1-23-2025 by cupcake]

Tioloco - 1-22-2025 at 06:52 PM

Eliminate it? Probably not. History seems to indicate this is true. Still, I think a good improvement could be made. I look back at 1920s Chicago as an example. Crime, violence, murder were out of control. Innocent bystanders were being hit and killed in crossfire. Numerous bombings. Organized crime controlled police and justice to a terrifying extent. Enter 'the untouchables', a relatively small group determined to make things better. They succeeded, and so can Mexico. Sure, there is still crime, and over the decades there has been the ebb and flow of good and bad; seemingly one of the hallmarks of the human race. Was 1930s and later Chicago better off by the efforts of those who tried? I think yes.

[Edited on 1-23-2025 by cupcake]

Some prefer to throw their hands up and quit. You are right, hard work and effort would definitely pay off.

cupcake - 1-22-2025 at 08:05 PM

Something really struck me during the last major election in Mexico (the election that included the office of President). The candidates that were murdered before election day. Most, if not all of them knowing the danger they were subjecting themselves to by running for office. And yet, they still ran. Those are some incredibly courageous people. Like those that changed Chicago (and really the entire US by example) in the 1920s and 1930s.

[Edited on 1-23-2025 by cupcake]

mjs - 1-22-2025 at 08:18 PM

Well Trump did pardon Ross Ulbricht who ran one of the worlds largest illegal drug market places (silk road). So he's obviously going to be hard on the drug trade. Or not. Action v as words. The future is still TBD.

cupcake - 1-22-2025 at 08:54 PM

Quote: Originally posted by mjs

Well Trump did pardon Ross Ulbricht who ran one of the worlds largest illegal drug market places

I believe it was not a pardon, but rather his sentence was commuted to time served. If true, that is a significant difference.

I don't know exactly what Ulbricht was guilty of, as there are reports online that his website was used by others to sell drugs, and that he was a fall guy for them. Apparently, Trump felt that 10 years was enough time for what he had done.

[Edited on 1-23-2025 by cupcake]

JDCanuck - 1-22-2025 at 08:55 PM

I'd prefer having someone with those talents to create a fully encrypted dark web site out and working for law authorities than spending his life in jail continuing to work for the dark side. Maybe after serving twelve years in jail he can be flipped to work for the CIA or NSA. Its been known to happen before.

But two life sentences plus 40 years did seem a bit overdone.

[Edited on 1-23-2025 by JDCanuck]

cupcake - 1-23-2025 at 11:03 AM

Quote: Originally posted by JDCanuck

But two life sentences plus 40 years did seem a bit overdone.

From what I am reading, it looks like Ulbricht just created the website which allowed the registered users to deal amongst themselves. Ulbricht may have had no knowledge of the individual deals that were going on.

I don't know if Ulbricht received a commutation of sentence or a full pardon, but the original sentence might have been too harsh. Trump thought it was "ridiculous".

https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/21/politics/silk-road-ross-ulbri...
"The now-defunct marketplace allowed users to anonymously trade drugs and other illegal goods and services in near-total secrecy using bitcoin. According to the indictment, Silk Road acquired nearly a million registered users worldwide, about 30% of whom were based in the US."

JDCanuck - 1-23-2025 at 12:25 PM

I wonder if Telegraph and Signal will receive similar treatment. The fully encrypted messaging programs seem to be under attack because criminals can hide in them. Whatsapp, and Messenger are already broken encryptions so are home free. There was one developed in Canada that was used by drug dealers and following breaking the encryptions by Interpol a lot of drug operations were busted. The developer is now facing charges too.

[Edited on 1-23-2025 by JDCanuck]

mtgoat666 - 1-23-2025 at 08:00 PM

Some hikers in jacumba by the border (east county san diego) were shot at yesterday. They were hiking in mtns near the border, shot by some coyotes or smugglers encountered on usa side of border. news called them cartel members and terrorists. One hiker shot in leg.

cupcake - 1-23-2025 at 08:45 PM

Thanks for the heads-up.

American hikers come under cartel fire near border
https://fox5sandiego.com/news/border-report/american-hikers-...

Tioloco - 1-23-2025 at 09:15 PM

Thanks for the heads-up.

American hikers come under cartel fire near border
https://fox5sandiego.com/news/border-report/american-hikers-...

Will further bolster Trump's decision to send troops to the border.

surabi - 1-23-2025 at 10:05 PM

Thanks for the heads-up.

American hikers come under cartel fire near border
https://fox5sandiego.com/news/border-report/american-hikers-...

Typical Fox "news" report. How do they know it was cartel? It doesn't say anything about identifying the attackers, only about the victims, says an investigation is underway.
Coulda been some trigger-happy MAGA thinking the hikers were illegal migrants.

JDCanuck - 1-24-2025 at 03:05 AM

The source was of the report here:
https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/american-ci...

BORTAC and BORSTAR agents maintained a secure perimeter and tracked the assailants back to the border where they returned to Mexico

[Edited on 1-24-2025 by JDCanuck]

SFandH - 1-24-2025 at 06:35 AM

People or drug smugglers on their way back to Mexico. That's a mountainous area that is difficult to police, especially at night. There are few roads and it's a hard place to build effective barriers.

And the smugglers aren't necessarily cartel members, just common criminals from TJ.

Tough to stop spending any amount of money

[Edited on 1-24-2025 by SFandH]

baja-chris1 - 1-24-2025 at 08:29 AM

If americans stopped consuming drugs somehow, the organized crime would not go away. They already have tenacles into argiculture, energy, transportation, etc. Until Mexico deals with the corruption, both on the law enforcement side and on the justice side, things will never change. Imagine drugs are gone over night. Now what? Ban avocados? Fuel? It never ends until corruption is reeled in.

Regarding Trump, best to judge by what he DOES and not what he SAYS. I believe much of what he says is just an effort to influence people, not what he will actually do. Very dangerous IMHO but it is what it is.

War on drugs is proven to be hopeless and a massive waste of money but the problems with organized crime run MUCH deeper than drugs.

Tioloco - 1-24-2025 at 09:20 AM

Quote: Originally posted by baja-chris1

If americans stopped consuming drugs somehow, the organized crime would not go away. They already have tenacles into argiculture, energy, transportation, etc. Until Mexico deals with the corruption, both on the law enforcement side and on the justice side, things will never change. Imagine drugs are gone over night. Now what? Ban avocados? Fuel? It never ends until corruption is reeled in.

Regarding Trump, best to judge by what he DOES and not what he SAYS. I believe much of what he says is just an effort to influence people, not what he will actually do. Very dangerous IMHO but it is what it is.

War on drugs is proven to be hopeless and a massive waste of money but the problems with organized crime run MUCH deeper than drugs.

Valid points. Seems like attacking the scourge of organized crime is necessary.

Tioloco - 1-24-2025 at 09:44 AM

Quote: Originally posted by JDCanuck

Most Americans do believe what he says about tariffs, unfortunately. USD is now declining again, consumer sentiment falling amidst expectations of higher inflation and higher interest rates. But I agree, best to just ride it out and see how much is bluster. No need to panic...yet

The real panic was averted in the first week of November. Akin to pulling out of a death spiral. Expectations of higher inflation? Kinda have to expect that after such a drunken spending spree.

cupcake - 1-24-2025 at 10:04 AM

Quote: Originally posted by surabi