Posted on 07/15/2009 3:16:58 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
MEXICO CITY (AFP) – The powerful "La Familia" drug cartel has unleashed one of the most spectacular murder offensives in recent years against Mexican authorities, boldly targeting President Felipe Calderon's home state.
No drug cartel has ever gone so far or dealt such a harsh blow to the federal police -- not even in the country's northern reaches near the US border, often the scene of unspeakable violence, or in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico's crime capital.
La Familia has claimed responsibility for the killing of 12 federal police officers, including one woman, whose bodies were found Monday piled atop one another along a road in the western state of Michoacan.
The cartel left death threats close to the bodies that read "La Familia, join its ranks or leave" or "let's see if you try to arrest another one."
Last weekend, the group launched a series of attacks against police posts in Michoacan that left four people dead, including three members of the security forces and one suspected cartel hitman, in retaliation for security agents having detained La Familia kingpin Arnoldo Rueda.
Authorities say that Rueda, nicknamed "La Minsa" and allegedly La Familia's second in command, is a key cartel operative in charge of managing synthetic drug production and shipping cocaine and marijuana to the United States, the world's top consumer of cocaine.
Michoacan, Calderon's home state, has seen the deployment of some of the 36,000 troops and police the president has dispatched following his election in late 2006 as part of a nationwide crackdown against drug cartels fighting for control of lucrative cocaine trafficking to the United States.
More than 7,700 people have been killed in drug violence in Mexico since 2008, according to government figures.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Mexican governor asks brother to turn himself in
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090715/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_drug_war_mexico_corruption_1
MEXICO CITY – The governor of the western Mexican state of Michoacan is asking his half brother to turn himself in to authorities investigating him for alleged links to drug traffickers.
Has Obama apologized for the U.S. to them for this yet?
Too many cops killed and not enough narco dealers killed.
Sounds like a civil war. Obama got a plan?
Obviously not if he’s busy attacking the CIA, ignoring Iran, and buddying up to every latin marxist he can.
This sounds like a clear a present danger just beyond our borders.
The PROBLEM with Mexico is its CORRUPTION. Until that is rooted out, there will be no real progress.
I have a good friend who has owned a house in Morelia for years. It was an incrdibly beautiful and friendly oasis in Mexixo, with lots of american ex pats living there,.
My friend has rented his house out and is afraid to travel there now because of the narco terrorists. It is a very sad commentary on how much Mexico has slid into chaos.
My cousin just sold their beautiful home on Mexico's Pacific coast and moved to Texas. She tells me many older Americans are doing the same because of the increasing violence.
A wise FReeper long ago said “ To see America’s future, look south to Mexico..”
Americans generally don’t know, but when Mexico had its civil war, which unofficially ran from the 1860s and only ended in the 1930s, they had impressive amounts of barbarism and bloodshed.
By the time of the revolution, in 1910, mutual genocide was common. A group of armed men on horseback would meet a group of unarmed peasants. They would ask them which side they were on, and if they answered incorrectly, they would be murdered on the spot.
The countryside was dominated by bandits, with the most powerful bandit vying to become the next ruler. This went on for years, and only when the bandit Poncho Villa raided into the United States and sacked the town of Columbus, New Mexico, did the US government finally put its foot down.
I better get to work making more assault rifles and hand grenades. Looks like La Familia is going to need them.
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