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Inside Mexico's drug war, Americans allege abuse
The Wall Street Journal / online.wsj.com ^ | JULY 17, 2010 | By NICHOLAS CASEY

Posted on 07/17/2010 10:20:48 AM PDT by thecodont

(via The Drudge Report)

CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Mexico—Two Americans were driving back to El Paso, Texas, last December after an afternoon across the border in Ciudad Juárez. A few blocks from the border, they were surrounded by Mexican army trucks and pulled from their Dodge Ram.

Mexico's military says it found two suitcases full of marijuana in the cab of the pickup truck. Two soldiers later testified that they drove the two Americans to a military compound on the outskirts of town, questioned them briefly, then turned them over to civilian authorities. The Americans were charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell.

Those two men—Shohn Huckabee, 23 years old, and Carlos Quijas, 36—are being held in a Ciudad Juárez jail. They tell a different story about what happened that night. They say Mexican soldiers planted the marijuana in their truck. When they arrived at the military base, they say, they were blindfolded, tied up, hit with rifle butts, shocked with electricity and threatened with death.

Mexico's military is leading President Felipe Calderón's war against the nation's drug cartels, and Ciudad Juárez has emerged as one of the bloodiest battlegrounds. Nationwide, drug violence has claimed more than 25,000 lives since 2006—with government security forces accounting for an estimated 7% of the dead. In June alone, 103 police and soldiers were killed.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Mexico
KEYWORDS: felipecalderon; illegalimmigration; mexicandrugcartels; mexicanmilitary
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[Juarez] Julian Cardona for The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Huckabee, left, and Carlos Quijas, right, say Mexican soldiers planted two suitcases of marijuana in their truck, then abused them during interrogation, allegations denied by the army.


1 posted on 07/17/2010 10:20:52 AM PDT by thecodont
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To: thecodont

Any civilized person who voluntarily sets foot anywhere in Mexico deserves everything he/she gets....for sheer stupidity.


2 posted on 07/17/2010 10:24:02 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (''I don't regret setting bombs,I feel we didn't do enough.'' ->Bill Ayers,Hussein's mentor,9/11/01)
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To: Gay State Conservative

I wouldn’t say that but it’s awfully easy to say, “They planted the drugs.” I guess it’s also awfully easy for the corrupt Mexican government to plant some drugs on some gringos too. It is very very stupid to go to Mexico right now if you don’t have a good reason to be there.


3 posted on 07/17/2010 10:26:12 AM PDT by demshateGod (The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.)
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To: Gay State Conservative

My thoughts exactly.


4 posted on 07/17/2010 10:26:58 AM PDT by aliquando (A Scout is T, L, H, F, C, K, O, C, T, B, C, and R.)
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To: thecodont

Shit, guys in jail who claim that they were framed...get Ripley’s Believe it or Not on the phone...has this ever happened before? They must be innocent! Probably went for a tuck and roll in their truck...


5 posted on 07/17/2010 10:27:10 AM PDT by jessduntno ("Conservatism is the antidote to tyranny...its principles are the founding principles." - Levin)
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To: Gay State Conservative

If it turns out the drugs were planted, that should make every American angry.


6 posted on 07/17/2010 10:27:44 AM PDT by demshateGod (The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.)
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To: thecodont

If they actually did go down there to buy 2 suitcases full of weed and bring them back, would their story be any different?


7 posted on 07/17/2010 10:28:22 AM PDT by Tex-Con-Man
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To: thecodont

I wonder if they have learned the definition of “profiling”...


8 posted on 07/17/2010 10:29:22 AM PDT by phockthis
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To: Gay State Conservative

Yes lets condemn a couple of young people who have never had to take responsibility for anything before in their lives, for not acting responsibly.

That said, this excuse is older than the book.


9 posted on 07/17/2010 10:31:26 AM PDT by ronnietherocket2
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To: demshateGod
I wouldn’t say that but it’s awfully easy to say, “They planted the drugs.”

That's true.So in *this* case my attitude is that if they're truly guilty (certainly possible) then they deserve what they get for being criminal bums.And if they are,in fact,telling the truth then all I'd say to them is "hey,excrement happens when you're in a violent,corrupt,Fourth World country".

10 posted on 07/17/2010 10:33:36 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (''I don't regret setting bombs,I feel we didn't do enough.'' ->Bill Ayers,Hussein's mentor,9/11/01)
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To: thecodont

Can’t tell who is telling the truth. Regardless, it is INSANE to enter Mexico these days!


11 posted on 07/17/2010 10:34:57 AM PDT by piytar (Re: AlGore's latest - Karl Rove, you magnificent #######!)
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To: ronnietherocket2
That said, this excuse is older than the book.

See post #10.

12 posted on 07/17/2010 10:35:08 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (''I don't regret setting bombs,I feel we didn't do enough.'' ->Bill Ayers,Hussein's mentor,9/11/01)
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To: demshateGod

And if it turns out the drugs weren’t planted, I have no problem with whatever the Mexican army did/does to them to extract intel and/or punish them.


13 posted on 07/17/2010 10:37:10 AM PDT by piytar (Re: AlGore's latest - Karl Rove, you magnificent #######!)
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To: Gay State Conservative
“Any civilized person who voluntarily sets foot anywhere in Mexico deserves everything he/she gets....for sheer stupidity.”

MASSIVE DITTO! I live 150 miles from the border and haven't set foot in Mexico since the 1970’s. Nor is there ANY reason on earth I would, unless it was because I was recalled into the service and we were invading the place. (And believe me, it will take an invasion to straighten that screwed-up country out).

14 posted on 07/17/2010 10:42:06 AM PDT by I cannot think of a name
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To: demshateGod

Why?

Why should I be angry over the stupid, reckless foolishness of two idiots who walked into a trap?


15 posted on 07/17/2010 10:54:11 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd (PALIN/MCCAIN IN 2012 - barf alert? sarc tag? -- can't decide)
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To: thecodont
Why would anybody be stupid enough to go into Mexico if they absolutely didn't have to? This is akin to going hiking in Iran.
16 posted on 07/17/2010 11:06:44 AM PDT by Gritty (I've been a little amused at people at these rallies who complain about taxes-B. Hussein Obama)
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To: thecodont

I am sorry, but I simply don’t believe this. The cartels are setting off car bombs in Cd. Juarez, there are shootouts in public places, people are getting killed on the streets daily, public officials are assassinated, there is chaos and mayhem, and the Mexican Army takes time out of its busy schedule to go after and set up two guys from the US who are obviously not big time cartel members? I don’t think so. I think they did a very dumb thing, and now it is going to cost their families some bucks to get them out of there. Unless the Mexicans decide to make an example of them, which I really doubt they will do because they have bigger, nastier fish to fry.


17 posted on 07/17/2010 11:20:45 AM PDT by La Lydia
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To: Gay State Conservative

That post still offers no explanation as to why this should happen to someone.


18 posted on 07/17/2010 1:05:36 PM PDT by ronnietherocket2
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To: ronnietherocket2
That post still offers no explanation as to why this should happen to someone.

It can happen because Mexico is,as I suggested earlier,a violent,corrupt Fourth World country.And that corruption isn't restricted to the civilian population...cops,judges and politicians are all tempted by bribes as well.

19 posted on 07/17/2010 1:15:08 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (''I don't regret setting bombs,I feel we didn't do enough.'' ->Bill Ayers,Hussein's mentor,9/11/01)
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To: thecodont

Mexico is so corrupt it is possible the drugs were planted as a means to get whatever they had- vehicle, etc.

If they were smuggling drugs they are incredibly lucky to have landed in jail instead of dead as most Americans that try to compete with the cartels end up.

Either way they are burned up with stupid for being there to begin with.


20 posted on 07/17/2010 1:24:01 PM PDT by Tammy8 (~Secure the border and deport all illegals- do it now! ~ Support our Troops!~)
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