New year, new death count for Mexico
After experiencing over 5,000 killings in 2008 due to organized crime and drug trafficking, Mexico has already started the new count for 2009.
From CNN:
The discovery of a man’s bullet-riddled body this week in Ciudad Juarez added grim proof that drug-fueled violence is continuing in Mexico where it left off last year — with more slayings [...]
Drug war in Mexico to continue in 2009
Intelligence and law enforcement officials are forecasting the drug war in Mexico to continue into the new year.
From the Dallas Morning News:
Drug-related violence in Mexico, already at unprecedented levels, is expected to escalate further this year, with targets likely to include top Mexican politicians and law enforcement agents and possibly even U.S. officials, according to [...]
Repeal of Assault Weapons Ban leads to stockpiling of guns in Mexico
The repeal of a Assault Weapons ban has allowed drug cartels in Mexico to stockpile arms, according to law enforcement officials.
From the Houston Chronicle:
A senior U.S. law enforcement official said Friday the Bush administration never assessed whether a decade-long assault weapon ban had reduced the flow of high-powered guns into the hands of Mexican drug [...]
Gruesome drug hitman difficult to find
A mystery man has been committing gruesome killings in the drug war in Mexico.
From the Los Angeles Times:
He is said to love the ladies, fast horses and dissolving enemies in lye.
Teodoro Garcia Simental is among the best known but least identifiable villains in Mexico’s drug war, blamed for a trail of terror across Baja California.
His [...]
Gun shops in Texas arming Mexican drug cartels
Gun shops in the state of Texas are providing the guns that are used by the Mexican drug cartels in their ongoing war.
From the Houston Chronicle:
Texas is serving as the armory of Mexico’s bloody drug cartels that are ruthlessly killing the guilty and innocent in their battles for dominance of the drug trade routes from [...]
Outrage in Mexico over kidnapping and killing
The kidnapping and killing of a 18 year old girl in Mexico has created an uproar over the tactics of drug cartels and organized crime.
From the Washington Post:
The abduction and killing of the 18-year-old student, whose fresh young face had been ubiquitous in the news media here for months, have stoked outrage and revulsion in [...]
Drug Cartel Assassins become experts at killing
Drug cartel hitmen who conduct operations for the cartels are becoming experts at killing.
From the Washington Post:
In Mexico’s chaotic drug war, attacks are no longer the work of desperate amateurs with bad aim. Increasingly, the killings are being carried out by professionals, often hooded and gloved, who trap their targets in coordinated ambushes, strike with [...]
Mexican Drug Museum expanding
In a sign of the times, a drug museum meant to educate soldiers in the drug war is expanding rapidly in Mexico as authorities acquire more and more resources to display.
From the AFP (via Google News):
Gold-incrusted weapons, children’s clothes decorated with LSD-laced stickers, and religious paintings packed with cocaine offer a glimpse into Mexico’s growing [...]
Official death toll in Mexico for 2008: 5,376
The official death toll for 2008 as released by the Attorney General of Mexico lists the number of dead at 5,376.
From the AFP (via Yahoo News:)
Drug gang-related killings have risen 117 percent in Mexico so far in 2008, compared with the same period last year, the country’s top prosecutor has said.
“A total of 5,376 murders [...]
Breakdown of a drug hit in Mexico
The Los Angeles Times has a report on a 23 second attack in a jewelry store in Mexico that was a part of the ongoing drug war.
From the LA Times:
Twenty-three seconds after they came, the gunmen disappeared into the traffic of busy Francisco Madero Avenue, lined with hardware and lighting shops, taco vendors and newsstands. [...]
