BajaNomad - US Corruption Fuels Drug Trade: Calderon

US Corruption Fuels Drug Trade: Calderon

BajaGringo - 3-5-2009 at 04:14 PM

US Corruption Fuels Drug Trade: Calderon

MEXICO CITY (AFP) — Mexican President Felipe Calderon hit back at accusations his government is failing in the fight against violent drug cartels, saying that corruption in the United States is also to blame.

With murders among feuding Mexican drug cartels on the rise and continued ravenous demand for cocaine and other illegal drugs north of the border, Calderon said the United States should take a hard look at itself before pointing the finger at anyone else.

"The main cause of the problems associated with organized crime is having the world's biggest consumer next to us," Calderon said in an interview with AFP.

"Drug trafficking in the United States is fueled by the phenomenon of corruption on the part of the American authorities," he said, calling on US President Barack Obama to step up the fight against drugs in his own country.

Calderon admitted some Mexican officials had helped cartels, but urged the United States to consider how many of its officials have been implicated.

"I want to know how many American officials have been prosecuted for this," he said, listing a string of prosecutions made against Mexican police officers and government officials during his administration.

"It is not an exclusively Mexican problem, it is a common problem between Mexico and the United States," he said.

Although cocaine is largely produced in South America, Mexican cartels control much of the multi-billion-dollar trade, transporting the drug to consumers in the United States.

Since taking office in late 2006, Calderon has launched a wide-ranging crackdown on drug cartels, often with bloody repercussions, as cartels hit back with ever-higher levels of violence and intimidation.

Mexican cities on the US border have suffered the brunt of the violence, prompting concerns in Washington that the killings and attacks could spill over the border.

Some 5,300 people were murdered in drug violence across Mexico in 2008. Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, was worst hit, with more than 1,600 drug-related deaths reported.

Top US military official Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is due in Mexico later this week as Washington prepares to step up military and other assistance to tackle the heavily armed cartels.

"One of the things he expects to talk to his counterparts in Mexico and other officials about is the growing violence and growing threat with regard to narco-trafficking and the drug cartels," Captain John Kirby, spokesman for Mullen, also told AFP on Wednesday.

Mexico's ill-equipped police and security forces are often out-gunned by the well-armed gangs.

The administration of George W. Bush pledged 1.6 billion dollars over three years in security assistance to Mexico and Central America, primarily aimed at better equipping Mexico's security forces.

To even the playing field further, Calderon called on US officials to do more to stem the flow of weapons from the United States to Mexico, a route often used by traffickers to acquire arms.

"The biggest empowerment of organized crime are the weapons that arrive from the United States," the president said.

"Since 2006 we have decommissioned 27,000 arms, everything from missile launchers to 2,500 grenades. We have also found uniforms and arms belonging to the US Army."

But he said recent talks with Washington had offered hope: "I have spoken to Obama about this subject.... We now have a clearer, more decisive response (from the current administration), one which matches the magnitude of the problem which we face.

In late February, US Attorney General Eric Holder said US and Mexican authorities had arrested 750 people over 21 months in an anti-drug sweep, including 52 members of Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel.

That announcement came as Calderon said an additional 5,000 troops and 1,000 police would be deployed to the border region.

While the United States has played down calls for its own troop deployment, recently appointed Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has said contingency plans to deal with violence spilling over the frontier are being reassessed.

DENNIS - 3-5-2009 at 04:29 PM

"Calderon admitted some Mexican officials had helped cartels, but urged the United States to consider how many of its officials have been implicated."
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Well....That probably won't be happening so, why doesn't he just let the gato out of the bolsa and tell us all about it. Names, please. Let's hear some names.

mulegemichael - 3-5-2009 at 04:46 PM

names, yeah, names...sure...i'm waiting for the list...i'm sure it will be long and shocking!

CaboRon - 3-5-2009 at 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS
"Calderon admitted some Mexican officials had helped cartels, but urged the United States to consider how many of its officials have been implicated."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well....That probably won't be happening so, why doesn't he just let the gato out of the bolsa and tell us all about it. Names, please. Let's hear some names.

He is just blowing smoke .......

He has no names .....

Grasping at straws .......

Has his head up his a......

Is just like every other corrupt mexican politician who can't take any responsibility .....

Thought he was a good guy at first, but now his true colors are showing through .....

Take some responsibility .

As I have said before , when you blame others for your problems, you are giving up your power to others ....

Maybe it is time to send the US Marines across the border to handle this crap ....

These are counter statements that are made all too often by the denizens of Mexican government.

CaboRon

[Edited on 3-5-2009 by CaboRon]

bajacowboy - 3-5-2009 at 05:07 PM

Is'nt it obvious that CaldCABRON is a narco-president. If he was not he would be dead by now.

lizard lips - 3-5-2009 at 05:38 PM

Same o'l CACA----Different day

Bajahowodd - 3-5-2009 at 05:39 PM

Marines across the border??? Only if you advocate our total takeover of Mexico. Mission accomplished.

DENNIS - 3-5-2009 at 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Marines across the border??? Only if you advocate our total takeover of Mexico. Mission accomplished.

An invasion is out of the question. After all, Mexico is our friend and neighbor. Instead, we just put around 200,000 Marine guards in each embassy.

Bajahowodd - 3-5-2009 at 05:48 PM

:lol:

CaboRon - 3-5-2009 at 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS

Quote:

Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Marines across the border??? Only if you advocate our total takeover of Mexico. Mission accomplished.

An invasion is out of the question. After all, Mexico is our friend and neighbor. Instead, we just put around 200,000 Marine guards in each embassy.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood,
A beautiful day to be neighbors,
Won't you be mine,
Won't you be mine,
Won't you be my neighbor ?

ckiefer - 3-5-2009 at 08:52 PM

With the impending pull out of marines in iraq, we just may have the troops to pull this off, unless of course they have some other plan in mind?

p.s. I had no idea Mr. Roger's was a Marine!

CaboRon - 3-5-2009 at 10:15 PM

I just checked out Fred Roger's snoop entries, and contrary to what I had heard, he never was a Navy Seal or sniper, in fact has no military service history.

CaboRon

DENNIS - 3-5-2009 at 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by CaboRon
I just checked out Fred Roger's snoop entries, and contrary to what I had heard, he never was a Navy Seal or sniper, in fact has no military service history.

CaboRon

Right-on Ron. There was a story drifting around a while back about his heroics but, Snopes said BS.
On the other hand, Lee Marvin and Capt, Kangaroo [what's his real name] earned all sorts of medals for valor.

Woooosh - 3-5-2009 at 11:27 PM

What else can he say really? He has ordered everyone to put on a happy face and take the offensive. It's all they have left. The narco money fuels their economy. They can't pull the plug and the narcos know it.

We'll see how the full military control of Juarez goes. I think that city is decisive.

tjBill - 3-6-2009 at 11:00 AM

The FBI has a division to investigate police corruption. A met an agent who worked for it. He said the low pay results in corruption. Hence, the problem in New Orleans.

Pescador - 3-6-2009 at 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by CaboRon
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Well....That probably won't be happening so, why doesn't he just let the gato out of the bolsa and tell us all about it. Names, please. Let's hear some names.

Your bitter dissapointment in Baja is running over your attitude and objectivity. I am sure that getting mad because Baja was not your dream destination for retirment has nothing to do with your lack of knowledge or understanding.

During prohibition there was so much money being produced by the alcohol trade and organized crime that it was common knowledge at the time that certain law enforcement succumbed to the pressure of large amonts of money in the form of bribes, payments, or whatever which actually greased the wheels of distribution.
To think that there is not some level of penetration into local law enforcement in the United States is naive and uninformed. The cartels have become very effecient and well organized operations with almost unlimited amounts of money. Perhaps you would rather classify the interaction as lobbying in their best interest of the cartels.
This is a big industry and the last I heard there are no bailouts from failed revenues. Check out this info:

http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs27/27513/27513p.pdf

rpleger - 3-6-2009 at 11:36 AM

It seems that when an American lights up a doobie, a Mexican has to die.
Who is at fault for that?

ELINVESTIG8R - 3-6-2009 at 11:49 AM

The only way you will be able to clean up Mexico now that it has gotten this far is to mete out brute force and I mean brutal brute force to the drug cartels.

President Calderon needs to invoke Article 29 of the Mexican Constitution to go along with a massive injection of federal officers and federal troops starting at one end of Mexico and go into a lock down of the country establishing martial law and curfew.

The federals can then move through the country until they have completely covered it from one end to the other searching every person, every rancho, every house, every building block by block and either capturing or killing each and every one of these Narcos.

Once the government has cleaned out an area they can restore democracy. During the cleanup they can prepare "Clean" Municipal, State, and Federal Police to keep the ground they cleaned out. This is the only way it can be stopped.

The Mexican government also needs to update their laws to include at the bare minimum the death penalty for drug related murders. Then carry out the sentences once handed down.

Simplified yes, but it would be a start!

AND WHOLLY GUANO DO NOT KID YOURSELVES AND CAVE IN BY TALKING ABOUT LEGALIZATION OF DRUGS BECAUSE IT WILL NOT STOP THE VIOLENCE.

Dave - 3-6-2009 at 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by rpleger
It seems that when an American lights up a doobie, a Mexican has to die.
Who is at fault for that?

Obviously, The Americans don't care. :rolleyes:

djh - 3-6-2009 at 12:40 PM

again.... from a recent thread...

"The Power of the Dog" by Don Winslow (@ 2005 , Vintage Books (Vintage Crime / Black Lizard) a division of Random House.

Good read. Suspensful, violent, graphic, etc.

Fiction, but seems to have many interesting parallels / similarities to the "drug wars".

Set in Baja, Sinaloa, Mx., S. Cal, NYC (and other Latin America "hot spots"), etc.

A good read ~ hard to put down if you like this style...

NONE of the book really touches on those beautiful things we LOVE about Baja.... It does fictionalize many of those things we dread about Baja (and the US), crime, drugs, and connections with intl' politics & crime. Might be a fun read for some of my fellow Nomads.

k-rico - 3-6-2009 at 08:42 PM

Former San Jose, California, police chief Joseph McNamara told the Times, "It's going on all over the country, and corruption ranges from chiefs and sheriffs on down to officers. Every week we read of another police scandal related to the drug war -- corruption, brutality and even armed robbery by cops in uniform."

http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle-old/148/overabarrel.shtm...

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Illegal Drug Scene Spurs Rise in Police Corruption

10 year old article, I'm sure things are better now. :?:

http://articles.latimes.com/1998/jun/13/news/mn-59493

DENNIS - 3-6-2009 at 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pescador
To think that there is not some level of penetration into local law enforcement in the United States is naive and uninformed. The cartels have become very effecient and well organized operations with almost unlimited amounts of money. Perhaps you would rather classify the interaction as lobbying in their best interest of the cartels.

Well... since Calderon won't give up all these evil U.S. participants, maybe you with all your intrinsic knowledge will. Between you and the president of Mexico, we have learned that there are U.S. officials complicit in the drug trade. Can you tell us WHO? Can Calderon tell us WHO?
No... YOU can't and your butt-buddy Calderon won't.
It's shameful that you would side with a system that houses a drug industry in the process of feeding our, and the world's problem and has the power to overturn its government in the process.
Why would you give justification to this illicit industry by guessing that our officials are involved? If you think they are, you must know they are. Who are they? Tell us. Tell the world of what you know for a fact.

[Edited on 3-7-2009 by DENNIS]

robrt8 - 3-6-2009 at 10:21 PM

You're right Dennis. But how much is the retail/street value of those drugs crossing the border? I'm guessing 10-100 times the billions that it's bringing to Mexico. Someone's corrupt somewhere.

DENNIS - 3-6-2009 at 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by robrt8
You're right Dennis. But how much is the retail/street value of those drugs crossing the border? I'm guessing 10-100 times the billions that it's bringing to Mexico. Someone's corrupt somewhere.

It goes back into the streets in its billions of ways. What does that have to do with corrupt officials? What do they have to do with the distribution of wealth from street drug sales? Who is the corrupt official involved in these transactions that Calderon alludes to?
I want names or I want shut up.

ckiefer - 3-6-2009 at 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dave

Quote:

Originally posted by rpleger
It seems that when an American lights up a doobie, a Mexican has to die.
Who is at fault for that?

Obviously, The Americans don't care. :rolleyes:

On the contrary. Alot of american's DO care, and insist on purchasing their "doobies" with the label MADE IN THE USA. Not all doobies are imported. Alot of it is homegrown, grow house etc. all in the USA I think if more american's knew the extent of the violence involved in their "lighting up" they would think twice about where they purchase their stash! Ok, maybe only responsible americans. See also:

Get Up, Stand Up: Ammiano Introduces Marijuana Legalization Bill to the Press

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2009/02/get_up_stand_up_ammiano_introd.php

Bajahowodd - 3-7-2009 at 12:44 AM

Holy guano, if I may. Legalization of weed would go a long way toward destroying the cartels in MX. Domestic cultivation of this ubiquitous weed, combined with the fact that many, many addicts who use other drugs, would opt for a legal high, would seem to nail the coffin shut on the cartels.

That being said, I have no allusions that these criminals would not turn to other illegal activities to make dinero. But the good news would be that their illegal activities would be within the ambit of the mexican government, and be wholly distinct from any "demand factor" from the U.S.

JESSE - 3-7-2009 at 01:00 AM

All i will say is this, a huge portion of the drugs going into the US, does not get smuggled as most people think. Vans full of drugs get waived across borders all the time, we know it, they know it, so make your conclusions.

DENNIS - 3-7-2009 at 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by JESSE
All i will say is this, a huge portion of the drugs going into the US, does not get smuggled as most people think. Vans full of drugs get waived across borders all the time, we know it, they know it, so make your conclusions.

I've been told by some pretty dirty people that the bulk of smuggled drugs goes across in containers on ships. I've heard that for twenty years.

LancairDriver - 3-7-2009 at 09:34 AM

It doesn't necessarily take corrupt cops or officials in the US to perpetuate the drug problem.
How many prison guards want to see their jobs go away with fewer users imprisoned?

How about the number of cops whose jobs and livelihood depend on chasing down the users and drug related crimes?

How many lawyers are making money defending the thousands of drug related cases?

Lets face it- This is a multi billion dollar industry that will not go away and we are all paying the price one way or the other. The big difference is we in the US pay in tax dollars and Mexico pays in blood.

tigerdog - 3-8-2009 at 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS

Quote:

Dennis, are you talking about high level officials or low level officials? I ask because over the last few years there have been several publicized arrests of low level US officials, mostly Border Agents, who were corrupt as all get out. Drug smuggling, illegal immigrant smuggling-- whatever, when that kind of money is involved there is bound to be corruption somewhere.

I guess I don't understand why you're so hot about the subject. Saying that some "officials" in the US might be corrupt and contributing to the problem is very likely to be true.

Here's an article from May 2008 about the subject: Border Agents, Lured by the Other Side
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/27/us/27border.html?n=Top/

And then there's this, from Feb.1 this year:

Quote:

Deming US Border Patrol agent arrested on bribery charges
FBI agents have arrested a U.S. Border Patrol agent assigned to Deming who is accused of accepting bribes in exchange for allowing narcotics to pass through his patrol area. The FBI says Wednesday that Agent Eric Raymond Macias turned himself in to FBI agents Friday at their Las Cruces offices. Macias' arrest follows a 2-year investigation by the FBI, the Homeland Security Department's Office of Inspector General and the internal affairs office at the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. Court records show Macias allegedly accepted $39,000 in bribes from a witness who was cooperating with investigators. Border Patrol spokesman Doug Mosier says such cases are isolated incidents and don't reflect the professionalism of Border Patrol agents.
http://thewesterner.blogspot.com/2009/02/deming-us-border-pa...

A quick google search turns up all kinds of incidents and names over a period of several years, so to assume that US officials are somehow blameless just because they're "ours" seems unrealistic. :?:

[Edited on 3-8-2009 by tigerdog]

DENNIS - 3-8-2009 at 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tigerdog
A quick google search turns up all kinds of incidents and names over a period of several years, so to assume that US officials are somehow blameless just because they're "ours" seems unrealistic. :?:

I guess we have to define "officials." My reference is to management, not labor.