The Mexican city of Culiacan lived under drug cartel terror for 12 hours as gang members forced the government to free a drug lord's son, but in many parts of Mexico, the government ceded the battle to the gangs long ago.
The Mexican city of Culiacan lived under drug cartel terror for 12 hours as gang members forced the government to free a drug lord's son, but in many parts of Mexico, the government ceded the battle to the gangs long ago.
When a convoy of Michoacan state police did make a rare appearance in El Aguaje last Monday, they were ambushed and slaughtered by Jalisco cartel gunmen. Thirteen state police officers were shot or burned to death in their vehicles. For example, in the Michoacan town of Tepalcatepec, police line up every day to man a checkpoint at a highway leading into Jalisco state to prevent an armed incursion by Jalisco cartel gunmen. The problem is that the government force is working in coordination with a vigilante group allied with a drug cartel. The vigilantes are posted on a nearby hilltop where they can watch over the highway, armed with .50 caliber sniper rifles.
The cartel grip in Tamaulipas was so firm by 2011 that Zetas gunmen were able to kidnap almost 200 people from passing buses and kill them even as the passengers' unclaimed luggage kept piling up at local bus stations. Nobody reported the crimes for months. The message to soldiers in the Mexican army is also pretty clear: The Defense Department blamed a military squad for the"rushed" operation to arrest Ovidio Guzmán that set off the Culiacan gun battles and pledged to investigate and punish the leaders of the squad.
And the message to the cartels is clear."Of course this is a victory for the Sinaloa Cartel, and a defeat for everyone," said Ismael Bojorquez, the director of the Sinaloa newspaper Rio Doce."In practical terms, Lopez Obrador decreed a truce with the narcos, and they are happy, they can move freely ... the narcos can grow and grow and become more dangerous."
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
In many parts of Mexico, government ceded battle to cartelsA massive gunbattle in the Mexican city of Culiacan that forced the government to free a drug lord’s son was shocking in some ways. But in many parts of Mexico, the government ceded the battle to the gangs long ago.
Read more »
Immigration Cases, Judicial Vacancies Tax New Mexico CourtsWith three of New Mexico’s seven federal district judgeships vacant, the court system was already in danger of being overwhelmed. The situation is worsening, judges and lawyers say, as hundreds of migrants charged with entering the U.S. illegally add to caseloads.
Read more »
Failed raid against El Chapo's son leaves 8 dead in MexicoMexican security forces aborted an attempt to capture a son of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman after finding themselves outgunned in a ferocious shootout with cartel henchmen that left at least eight people dead and more than 20 wounded, authorities said Friday. The gunbattle
Read more »
Tropical Storm Nestor forms in Gulf of Mexico, threatening Gulf CoastForecasters said the system was approximately 195 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River as of 1 p.m. Friday with top sustained winds of 60 mph.
Read more »
Eight killed in Mexico as cartel gunmen force authorities to release El Chapo's sonIn a surreal turn of events, lawyers held a televised news conference where they thanked the Mexican President for freeing the cartel boss.
Read more »
Chaos in Mexico as El Chapo's son, a leader of the Sinaloa cartel, is reportedly capturedGun battles erupted across the northern Mexican city of Culiacan amid reports that the federal government had captured Ovidio Guzman Lopez. Warnings spread urging people to stay indoors.
Read more »