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Subscribe to RSSRichard Engel writes: I just returned to New York from Mexico. The drug war in Mexico is truly an amazing story with major implications for the United States. When seen from the ground it is clear that this is a battle for control of Mexico, a war for the rule of law, as the Mexican government struggles to take power back from seven main drug cartels. The United States and Mexico are intertwined in this struggle. The cross-border smuggling goes both ways, with drugs flowing north to American consumers, and weapons and money traveling south to the cartels. Officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Department of Homeland Security have repeatedly confirmed this two-way street. Perhaps Billy Hoover, a senior ATF official said it best. In an article in US News & World Report last year Hoover is quoted as saying, “No trucker wants to waste a trip by traveling with an empty load, and, likewise, the people who bring narcotics north simply put weapons into their cars for the trip south.”
Several viewers, however, wrote in to point out that I erred when describing the exact kind of weapons moving to Mexico. I said assault rifles and .50 caliber "machine guns.” According to a veteran ATF official, it would have been more accurate to say “.50 caliber rifles -- bolt action or semi-automatic.” Thank you for the sharp ears. I apologize for any confusion. More stories on Mexico are coming up. Hope you keep watching.
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Do we have enough troops to put them on our borders with Mexico and New York? OK well let Mexico slide a little longer, more serious threats to deal with. bahahahaha
Good Evening Richard, Nice to know you are safe and sound back in New York City! Your reporting from Mexico showed how terrible the drug wars with so many killings. The drug cartels attempting to take over the region and the authorities trying desperately to stop them. The people living in the area must be so afraid everyday because of the fierce fighting.
The smuggling of drugs and weapons is fueling these wars and it has to be stopped, but it is an extremely dangerous job. One hopes the drug cartels can be stopped.
Time will tell.
Thank You Richard for bringing this story to the forefront. You always do an excellent job!
Wonderful you are safe and sound in New York!
Looking forward to more of your reports!
Stay Extra,Extra Safe and Well Always!
Peace to You and to All!
Lisa
Richard Mexico is much different then either Iraq or Afghanistan. Mexico has an deep roots of crime in the US. IT's guns and drugs that rule and it's just to much money to stop. Guns come from the US as their freely sold at a high price. Now drugs are used by those who can afford the high price. When I was young some black leaders said drugs were injected in the black areas to decrease the population of that race. Well I got older and drug use got bigger. I saw drugs in areas that were families of upper class. I worked in a court and even a Judge smoked pot. I lived in California where celebrities have open parties with drugs. I watched how people wait for the drug buyer to leave before arresting the seller from the inter city. In short I learned drugs make wealthy people alot of money and that as long as it's controlled from the Top nothing will change. Once a old friend said American can go to the Moon but can't end drugs, why?
hola, richard, for many years, the german banks did money-laundering for the mexican/central and south american druglords. so, who really won wwii? here in sierra vista, they have arrested 49 at last count in some kind of an illegal ring. it must really stink out there, my plumbing is backed up into my bath tub, dumped clorox on it, and tim came over to look at it and said it is the trailer park's (moonglow park) main line, so i have to wait until tomorrow morning. so, i'll make good use of the situation and pretend they're working on baghdad's and other iraqi cities' sewer systems. and my morning glories are still open again tonight, i must be in the time when the sun was a binary star system. but afghanistan probably knows more about that, husseini (' the kite runner') also wrote 'a thousand splendid suns'. i gave the book to my nephew for christmas that year. he is a dps officer now. i read on an apod link some years ago that trinary star systems were actually more common than single star systems. maybe that was the time of the voynitch manuscript, all that flora thriving in the light of the three suns . . . . . take good care, blessings, anna martina
Richard: Great reporting from Mexico! We are experiencing a major drug war just across our border. These incidences have been spilling into our country for quite some time. There are weapons and drugs going back and forth between our borders endangering U.S. citizens. Our government has agents and military personnel in Mexico to help defeat the cartels, but it's not enough to stop the turmoil. President Fellipe Calderon is doing his part in the fight, but perhaps we should send in a limited number of Special Forces troops to help eradicate these criminals. Any violent danger to our country involves taking hardened steps. I hope we don't have to resort to such tactics, but if the violence keeps escalating we will have no other choice!
"Officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Department of Homeland Security have repeatedly confirmed this two-way street."
Maybe the ATFE should re-word their title and call themselves the Bureau of Firearms, Explosives, Tobacco and Alcohol. Then they could abbreviate it as FETA.
Richard,
Back to the world and now your going to Mexico? Is this our next war? Will the U.S. stand still and allow the drug cartels to take over, or will we move in a blow the whole thing ourselves? That would certainly get us out of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Which of the drug cartels should we support? The least evil or the one that buys the most American guns. Maybe this will be hot copy in the next political cycle. It does not appear to be so in this one, except for immigration.
With spineless US leadership unwilling to employ the Monroe Doctrine, and thwart narco-trafficers from causing more violence and chaos across Central and South America, perhaps Latin America ought to take the lead and legalize all drugs.
Apparently the Federales are not backing up local Mexican Police. The United States has a similar problem of the federal government refusing to aid county and state law enforcement. Agencies in both countries need a need a new legal capitan.
A different strategy is needed. Ending drug prohibition would pull the cash carpet that make criminal organizations possible. The overnight disappearance of the black market would help stem corruption on both sides of the border. We can not ask Mexico to stem corruption until we sufficiently address this situation here.
In the meantime, with no international leadership to this pressing problem, perhaps local Mexican police might strike up a mutual aid agreement with police officers from US states with similar problems. Like firemen helping firemen from neighboring states, maybe recruiting policemen from the states of Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California. However order is restored, it should be done under the auspices absolute application of respective national laws, due process and respect of sovereignty. The Obama Administration is not providing critical leadership when needed.