EXCLUSIVE: 100,000 foot soldiers in Mexican cartels-Numbers rival country's army

[babylonsister]

I know, Moonie Times, but this is scary if it's true.

EXCLUSIVE: 100,000 foot soldiers in Mexican cartels
Numbers rival country's army
Sara A. Carter (Contact)
Tuesday, March 3, 2009


CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico

The U.S. Defense Department thinks Mexico's two most deadly drug cartels together have fielded more than 100,000 foot soldiers - an army that rivals Mexico's armed forces and threatens to turn the country into a narco-state.

"It's moving to crisis proportions," a senior U.S. defense official told The Washington Times. The official, who spoke on the condition that he not be named because of the sensitive nature of his work, said the cartels' "foot soldiers" are on a par with Mexico's army of about 130,000.

The disclosure underlines the enormity of the challenge Mexico and the United States face as they struggle to contain what is increasingly looking like a civil war or an insurgency along the U.S.-Mexico border. In the past year, about 7,000 people have died - more than 1,000 in January alone. The conflict has become increasingly brutal, with victims beheaded and bodies dissolved in vats of acid.

The death toll dwarfs that in Afghanistan, where about 200 fatalities, including 29 U.S. troops, were reported in the first two months of 2009. About 400 people, including 31 U.S. military personnel, died in Iraq during the same period.

more...

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/mar/03/100000-foot-soldiers-in-cartels/

[ReliantJ]

1. When is/did this become an "official" war?

Yikes.

[Occulus]

22. Allow me to distill the emotion:

OOOOOOOOOO FUCK

Observation: Legalization of cannabis would take the wind out of the cartels' sails in a hurry.

Discuss.

[ContinentalOp]

33. Not necessarily.

First of all we should just decriminalize drugs anyway regardless of what's going on with Mexico. But others have pointed out in previous threads that this goes beyond drugs. These guys aren't going to give up their power easily just because we legalize pot. Look at how the mob went "legit" in Vegas and such after prohibition was repealed.

[dionysus]

44. no, i think these are coke and heroin cartels.

btw, i am for leagalization of the herb.

[seemslikeadream]

32. "IT'S A WAR"

[CatWoman]

2. Scary. Just scary.

60 Minutes did a piece on Mexico's drug war this past Sunday:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/26/60minutes/main4831806.shtml

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. It is real... remember I saw some of the early operations

one of the shootouts I got to go to, one of the early army interventions

The bad guys even had a shoulder launched missile, (remember Afghanistan? Probably came from there)

The army, yes the army, was outgunned

[LSdemocrat]

4. To get rid of this crap alone is a good enough reason to legalize drugs

[Royal Sloan 09]

5. War on Drugs = FAILURE

solution = Legalize

60 minutes never asked the right questions, and was rather misleading with it's propaganda.




Yes, WE Cannabis!

:hi: :smoke: :thumbsup:

[EFerrari]

6. Not to mention, any story that identifies CIA and DEA as the good guys

is already profoundly flawed.

[clu]

21. in my opinion

the role of the feds and DEA should be something like a policing and taxing body.... checking out licensed growers making sure everything's above the table. they always wanna be in everyone's business anyways...

[anonymous171]

10. Too late now.

:(

[Mr. Hyde]

20. This is bigger than pot or the legalization issue.

I don't know about anyone else but I feel threatened by 100,000+ armed thugs coiled up like a snake within marching distance of this country. Obama needs to move on this now.

[chrisa]

7. There won't be a "spill over."

The Mexican Army is so corrupt that I can see why it can't combat the cartels.

The National Guard / improvised militia / the FBI would wipe the floor with them though. That's why there's been no big shootouts on US soil.


We need to legalize pot. That's half the battle.

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. Hmm I guess some of the Chula Vista PD officers here in San Diego

would like a second opinion on that

Free clue... I know some of those officers from when I was a medic in Tijuana.. the stories they are starting to tell are VERY SIMILAR to what I personally experienced twenty years ago

You do the math.

I don't have to... been there, done that, got the T-Shit didn't like it one bit

[AngryAmish]

25. The mexican Army is the drug traffickers

Las Zetas. Trained at the School of the Americas. (Actually more complicated than that but ...)

[nadinbrzezinski]

28. Wrong, the Zetas detachment is a FEDERAL POLICE detachment

not an Army detachment

Try again

IN fact, a Judicial Federal Police Detachment, assigned to the border region, northern border region

Could even tell you their mission statement, (far from reality) but that is besides the point

[AngryAmish]

42. At the risk of quoting wikipedia...

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Zetas>

(And they are "Los Zetas" but my schoolboy spanish is bad)

Anyway, "The Zetas were originally members of the Mexican Army’s elite Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales, trained in locating and apprehending drug cartel members. It is believed that they were originally trained at the military School of the Americas in the United States.<6><7> Also, they were trained by foreign specialists, including Americans, French, and Israelis, in rapid deployment, aerial assaults, marksmanship, ambushes, small-group tactics, intelligence collection, counter-surveillance techniques, prisoner rescues and sophisticated communications.

In the late 1990s, the drug Gulf Cartel leader Osiel Cardenas Guillen, began to recruit GAFE members to provide protection and perform other vital functions. His top recruit, Lieutenant Arturo Guzmán Decena, brought with him approximately 30 other deserters enticed by salaries substantially higher than those paid by the Mexican government."

[cliffordu]

40. You might want to get educated about the new drug gangs.

You now have a well trained heavily armed well financed army routinely running every drug you can think of all over the US with impunity.

When they decide to run stinger missles and 50 cal sniper rifles into denver with the same impunity they are currently sending tons of coke, you got real big trouble, and it's probably going to take falluja type tactics to root the fuckers out.

[Renew Deal]

8. Bring the troops home!

And then send them to Mexico. :shrug:

It seems like that's where we're headed after Holders tough talk.

[cobalt1999]

9. How long before their currency collapses?

If the government stability is questioned, then the peso isn't far behind.

[ConcernedCanuk]

11. You could ask the same questions of the USA methinks . .

.
.
.

something to ponder

[chrisa]

12. US government is pretty stable.

One of the most stable in the world.

Mexico, on the other hand, is soaking in corruption.

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. Tell me exactly what happened here over the last eight years?

we have corruption, just as bad, in different levels of government, that's all

[chrisa]

23. No way.

If you devoted your political career here to putting narcotraffickers in jail, US cartels and gangs wouldn't cut your head off with help from the police force and military.

To say that the US is just as corrupt as Mexico is a ridiculous statement.

[nadinbrzezinski]

27. You are right, mexico is now hiring blackwater

:sarcasm: <---- forgot this

and loosing billions of dollars, aka misplacing them

Yes, we are as corrupt, just at different levels

Yes way

Try opening those eyes

[TheWatcher]

35. "To say that the US is just as corrupt as Mexico is a ridiculous statement."

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Naivety thy name is Chrisa.

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. Has been in somewhat of a free fall

and I love the concept of a failed state on the southern border, I really do NOT

[deaniac21]

13. The Pittsburgh Steelers could rival Mexico's army.

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. Funny, really NOT

the Pittsburgh steelers would be easy for the army

By the way, that's the same army that sent disaster relief specialists during Katrina to Texas... the US army has an MOS for that, Civil Affairs

But I am sure you knew that

(And this is a classic racist statement by the way)

[deaniac21]

26. The way the Steelers would defeat the Mexican Army is already

used by the cartels. I believe the word for it is bribe.

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. You mean the way we have carried on business in the US for the last eight years

Just at different levels

Now here is the future

Open your eyes, realize what is going on

What you are seeing RIGHT NOW happening down there, is our future... unless a lot changes here, and that includes legalization

Aka NOT pressuring an allied government to keep drugs illegal, like the bushies did in the last days of the Fox administration

You knew that RIGHT?

RIGHT

:sarcasm:

[deaniac21]

38. The last eight? How 'bout since the beginning of time, including

now.

[nadinbrzezinski]

41. Good at least you admit we have oodles of corruption here

GOOD

[Sinistrous]

14. 100,000 foot soldiers! I didn't know people could grow that tall!

[leftstreet]

19. ...

:spray:

[chrisa]

24. Someone had to say it. :-D n/t

[ContinentalOp]

34. Eh they're no match for our 900 foot Jesus though. -nt-

[seemslikeadream]

29. I hear we have "advisers" headed there

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=5166155

[nadinbrzezinski]

31. we do and the first SEAL killed and this is known

oh boy, Reforma will be fun... NOT

[Joe the Liberal]

36. Lol well so much for the war on drugs...........

War on Drugs = EPIC FAIL!

[Oak2004]

37. Well hey, the politicians wanted a War on Drugs

and they seem to be getting their war. Literally.

Is there anyone who thinks even a little clearly, is not naive about human nature, and who knows a little history who could not have seen that something really bad would come out of the War on Drugs?

[FudaFuda]

39. Let's draft all the 'drug task force' cops in local US police dept's and

send them to Mexico to fight the cartels. That'll keep them in a job when we legalize marijuana. :party:

[MadHound]

43. Gee, and this army could be defeated, this war could be won with one simple law

Legalize all drugs in this country. Take away the underground profit motive and these cartels, these thugs, this army goes away.

Sadly this probably isn't going to happen and this war will spread into the US, endangering us all.

[Gold Metal Flake]

45. Legalize, regulate, tax.

Pot is open to hobbyists (long, boring conversations amongst growers break out all over), but not H or cocaine or meth or X. Government production and distribution of hard drugs with treatment available for free. Severe penalties for private redistribution to people under the age of (18-21, must be decided). Hemp legalized for farmers. Seizure laws repealed.

No advertising. Advertising for alcohol and tobacco likewise prohibited.

That would be a start.