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Secretaria De La Defensa Nacional Official Homepage
If you can read Spanish, here is an interesting site, detailing the Mexican military's efforts to combat drugs, from the Mexican military itself.
Gephardt Opposes Decision To Recertify Mexico As A Drug Fighting Partner
1997 press release from US Congressman Richard Gephardt, detailing why he was opposed to the recertifying of Mexico. Unfortunately, the North American Free Trade Agreement was in full swing, so no one paid the slightest attention.
Barr Joins Effort To Block Mexico Certification
This happens every year. The president will certify Mexico, after much opposition from various congressmen and women. Someone told me after a recent Drug Legalization hearing in Washington DC that it is good to remember that this is all political theater, that the politician wants the vote, bottom line.
Mexico Won't Back Off Refusal To Allow US Agents To Carry Guns
To do the job they are being required to do, US agents would have to be even more nuts than I already think they are for taking the job in the first place, to not carry a gun or two or three, especially after what happened to Enrique "Kiki" Camerena, one of the DEA's top agents in Mexico in the mid-Eighties. Camerena was kidnapped off a day-lit street, right outside of the US consulate, where his office was. Both Camerena, and his pilot, also kidnapped, were taken to a remote ranch, most probably quite similar to the ones that US and Mexican officials and are digging in right now, 15 years later. They were beaten for 30 hours or so, given repeated injections of amphetamines to keep them awake, to try and find out just how much the DEA and other agencies knew about their operations, while their captures videotaped, and recorded it all for posterity. Camerena died with a Phillips-head screwdriver shoved through his ear into his brain. Mexican Federal Judicial Police caught up to one of the men behind the kidnapping soon after, but let him board his plane after he promised to pay US$300,000 to the police commander at the scene. Witnesses said the kidnappers appeared to be DFS agents - Mexican officials in other words.
Mexican Drug Trafficking To America Has Got To Stop
Rep. Jim Traficant's August 1996 press release saying that the trafficking has to stop. This was over four years ago, and it has only gotten ever so much worse since then.
Mexico Announces New Drug War Strategy As Crucial US Vote Draws Near
Another article on the frantic scrambling and conniving Mexico pulled to guarantee US Certification, and financial assistance to the tune of mega-bucks for another year, in 1999. In February 2000 Clinton is going to look at the situation one more time. Will he or won't he recertify?
McCain States Why He Is Against De-certifying Mexico
A must read for anyone insane or non-knowledgeable enough about this guy to vote for him to be the US President. This is the guy who says he would vote against medical marijuana, choosing instead to continue to lock up everyone he can every chance he can. This guy is dangerous, and should not be President. Who is he protecting by insuring that Mexico continues to receive anti-drug intelligence, cash, and training? We should continue to assist Mexico is her corruption, even though our own cops tell us it is utterly riddled with corruption, is basically his message here. Read for yourself please.
US-Mexico Bi-National Drug Strategy
Here is the current official strategy the two countries are using to combat the evil drug scourge, driven onwards ever onwards by the continued prohibitionist stance. Keep the drugs illegal, keep the murderous, corrupting criminal cartels in power. This maxim is so blatantly true, it makes one wonder what the guys in charge of this quite obviously failing strategy must be smoking, and how much cash they must be making.
Mexico Police, Army Officials Involved In Theft Of Cocaine
A 1997 report from Mexico City of "state police, public magistrates, and at least one soldier," being behind the stealing of a half a ton of cocaine from a police station. This is a problem that infests all police agencies more and more, in every country where the drug war is all pervasive, such as Mexico and the US, both places locked into a manufactured war.
Certification Of Drug Producing Countries
The White House approved 22 countries in this report, dated February 26, 1999. This is the latest in the line of certifications that include Mexico, wherein it was felt a qualification was needed to justify Mexico's inclusion. Disinformation is the operating phrase here. Thomas Constantine testified at the hearing held after Mexico was recertified in 1999, saying that the US gets no cooperation with Mexico for US agents, that Mexico is corrupt, that the machinery that drives the very system itself is completely corrupt. Rep. John Mica of Florida asked Constantine point blank if there was any evidence that Mexico was cooperating with US efforts at all, to which Constantine replied with a simple, straightforward, painfully honest "NO."
Mexican Military Rife with Corruption, Reports Mexican Newspaper Procesco
August 1997 report on 34 military personnel accused of drug related crime during 1997. Also gets into documents that were leaked to the press detailing wide-spread corruption within the military.
NAFTA Trade Gives Big Boost to Drug Traffickers, Report Says
A US Customs report, released by Operation Alliance (a customs task-force) titled "Drug Trafficking, Commercial Trade, and NAFTA on the Southwest border," says that the Mexican traffickers were so enthusiastic about NAFTA, "they began to study its intricacies" even before it was implemented on January 1st 1994, to figure out the easiest ways to take advantage of the relaxed trade regulations.
Mexico As A Narco-Democracy
An article detailing just how riddled the system was up to 1995. The situation is only growing worse. Details political assassinations, and other heinous crimes. Ben Nelson, of the US General Accounting Office, in testimony before the House in March 1999, said that at least US$6 Billion a year is spent by the Mexican cartels to corrupt officials. If the drugs make it over the border as easily as they do, does it not stand to reason that so too does the corruption and bribery?
Drug Dealers Donate To The Church, Says Mexican Priest
This report illustrates how pervasive the influence of drugs has become, in all walks of life. This would not be possible if prohibition were ended. The continued power of the cartels comes completely through the continued illegality of their wares.
Texas Rangers Accuse Military Of Obstructing Investigation Of Hernandez Killing
Armed US Marines were being used along the US-Mexican border for drug interdiction, which led to the shooting of 18 year old Esquiel Hernandez in 1997. Now the military only carries out engineering projects, aerial reconnaissance, and other aid, as opposed to armed patrols, except in those instances when the military has permission from the Secretary of Defense, or his deputy. Other countries have had such a terrible track record of involving the military in the Drug War, why should the US do it to them-selves now? Haven't they learned anything while involving all these other country's militaries, while funding, supporting, training, all these drug- producing countries' corrupt, repressive, abusive militaries?
Former Whitewater Counsel Defends Against Mexican Drug Link Charges
Sounding eerily similar to charges floating around the Internet in winter 1999 about New York City banks laundering massive amounts of Russian mob money, this article briefly outlines the hiring of Robert Fiske by Citibank of New York to defend it against these charges of laundering Mexican drug profits. Friske successfully defended Clark Gifford, who was involved with BCCI, in another US bank scandal involving drug money laundering.
House GOP To Fight Mexico Certification
Light fare on the March 1999 GOP reaction to evidence that Mexico has not actually been so very cooperative in helping the US fight it's Drug War. Though they talked a good talk at first, the GOPers only suggested de-certifying, but without the accompanying economic penalties that would normally necessitate. It did not even get that far.
Thomas Constantine's Testimony Before The Senate Committee On Banking, Housing, And Urban Affairs, On Drug Trafficking I
This is old now, but still is interesting for historical research purposes. Constantine circa December 1999 is apparently not very happy with the Clinton Administration, and its handling of the Drug War.
Mexico Unveils $400 Million Plan To Beef Up Anti-Drug Campaign
A short news-brief from the 'Washington Post' newspaper on the February 1999 reporting of this new multi-million dollar campaign, of which the paper said that, "while there were no details provided, the four agencies (Mexico's Interior Secretary, Attorney General, and chiefs of both the Navy and the Army) would commit their entire strength to the effort and begin working together under a cooperative umbrella." Just in time for the recent certification process this year. How will Mexico deal with the question this next time?
Drug Barons At The Door
Undated article from 'US News and World Report' magazine outlining various corruption scandals related to political figures of such stature as the former Mexican President's brother, now in prison on drug and murder charges, as well as other cases of a similar nature.
Senate Vote Expected To Overturn President's Drug Certification For Mexico
This document is from 1997, and this did not happen. There was no overturning of the President's certification of Mexico, not in 1997, 1998, nor 1999. But some in Congress are aware that there is something wrong with the situation, yet have not been able to affect any change.
Mexican Drug Policy - Big Bucks For Someone
Specifically mentions the proposal in Congress two years back to de-certify Mexico, asking why this did not come to pass. This article is dated May 1999, from the number one on-line survival magazine in America. Not sure what that means, but the article is spot on.
Failure Of Drug War Has Deep And Intricate Roots
Here is an article pointing out that Mexicans themselves are not happy with the US Drug War strategy. "Indeed, it is fair to say that people in general believe that the best organized, and most dangerous criminals of all are the authorities," this piece states. From 'La Prensa San Diego,' February 1999.
Clinton Calls Arrest of Drug Czar "Troubling"
From 'LatinoLink,' a great site detailing Latin American news. This article comes from 1997, just days after the arrest of their Drug Czar for corruption.
Mexico Probing Anti-Drug Troops
Discusses how the military in Mexico is over-run with corruption, and specifically mentions the helicopters the US gave to Mexico in the mid 1990s, the same ones the Mexicans disgustedly returned to the US back in October-November 1999 as junk and garbage that did not ever work. Shades of the 'Iran-Contra' scandal in that story, with surplus military equipment being sold under shady circumstances.
DEA Agent Is Accused in Murder For Hire Plot
This DEA agent tried to hire someone to kill the killer of one of his cousins.
Officials To Delay Hunt For Bodies At Mexican Ranches In Drug Case
US Police are backing off claims that there are quite as many bodies as originally alleged to be buried on the a ranch just south of the border. Some claim this is the tactic that the Mexican officials will use to convince the media and the masses that they are cooperating in stopping rather than increasing drug flow.
Experts Slam 'Inflammatory' U.S-China Spy Report
Article on five Stanford University experts who issued a damning statement on the 'Cox Committee' report (which had claimed that China had stolen the neutron bomb and other design information). The Stanford University experts claim that the report's allegations about China-US spying is generally unproven and hurts Chinese visitors.
Estimate Of Bodies In Juarez Graves Overstated
'Los Angeles Times' article detailing the fact that the number of bodies that finally turned up after all the hoopla in Juarez is not anywhere near the numbers that were being bandied about as the story first broke. A grand total of nine dead, rotten corpses have now been found, and look to have been dead for years. Was the initial news story a disinformation ploy by someone trying to draw attention away from something going on elsewhere? Hmm . . .
Mexican Soldiers Fire At US Agents
US Border Patrol agents stopped two Humvees full of Mexican soldiers that had crossed over into the US side of the border (March 15th, 2000), when shots were fired from one Mexican vehicle, which then split for Mexico. The other vehicle and its occupants were taken into custody for a short while then released. The incident is under investigation.
Mexicans Targeted Agents, Union Says
The US Border Patrol agents official union is alleging (March 21st, 2000) that the firing incident by Mexican soldiers at US Border Patrol agents "was no accident," even though the US government is insisting that it was merely an 'accident'. This is a very brief reminder that there is a US$200 000 bounty on the head of individual US Border Patrol agents. Ok, this is getting way out of control. What is the standard of victory in this so-called Drug War, prohibition by any other name?
Mexican Troops Enter New Mexico, Shoot, Go Free
This 'Arizona Daily Star' report (March 27th, 2000) is about the March 2000 cross border incursion by Mexican troops who fired on US Border patrol agents. Although one of the two Mexican vehicles was stopped by US agents, and soldiers were taken into custody, the Mexican soldiers were released after just a few hours. Why? Diplomacy. Can't upset NAFTA agreements probably!
Border Accident Or Bounty Hunting?
This 'World Net Daily' article (March 28th, 2000) speculaties that the Juarez Cartel, one of Mexico's more bloodthirsty drug cartels, has placed a US$200 000 bounty on the head of any and all US law enforcement officers. This has lead to the suspicion that the recent pursuit of US Border patrol agent by two humvees full of heavily harmed Mexican soldiers was meant to end with a dead American officer, and a reward to the soldiers.
I Was Ignored Says Ex-DEA Chief
Article from the 'Media Awareness Project' on how former DEA Chief Thomas Constantine says that he was not listened to when he tried to make the administration aware of the severity of the problem in Mexico.
US Agents Talk Their Way Out Of Execution
Another 'Media Awareness Project' posting illustrating the dangers for the regular Joe-cop, out trying to do some good cutting down the drug flow by hitting the kingpins. This can get one killed in the blink of an eye in Mexico, as these gentlemen came close to finding out first-hand.
Mexican Cops Burn Flour Instead Of Cocaine
Illustrative of the continuing problem in the military. The US has been training selected, specially vetted soldiers from Mexico since 1996. There have been numerous stories of how some of these same trainees have then turned around and used their new training to facilitate drug smuggling into the US. While it is not clear apparently if there were any of these US trained soldiers involved in this incident, the article how deeply rooted the problem remains today.
Letter From Barry McCaffrey
Here are some blatant twisting of the facts, in terms of McCaffrey's stated "end of impunity, and the best opportunity yet for the destruction of major trafficking organizations." This letter was written in September 1997, and since then drug trafficking has done nothing but become even more profitable, with rampant corruption, bribery, murder, torture, kidnapping, extortion, and other sins just par for the course.
North America
This is from the guys and gals at 'Observatoire Geopolitiques Drogues' (OGD), who keep up with the global illicit drug trade. These reports come out a couple of years behind the times to be honest, but still, this is a must read for anyone who really wants to know a lot of finite details about the overwhelmingly horrid situation in Mexico, and the US blindness to it, wilful or not. How it could be anything but wilful, when the evidence is out in plain sight for the entire world to see, is beyond me.
US Customs Service Admits Corruption, Immigration Inspectors Indicted For Drug Corruption
January-February 1999 article about how the US Customs is especially "vulnerable to drug-related corruption." A report released by US Customs, titled "An Assessment of Vulnerability to Corruption and the Effectiveness of the Office of Internal Affairs, US Customs Service," (February 1999), outlines the problem. Due to the large amounts of drugs that pass over US borders every day, and the large amounts of money available for the traffickers to bribe and corrupt officers of the law, US Customs employees are placed at great risk of corruption. The report cannot even pin down the whole scope of the problem, only that acts of corruption have happened, and that corruption continues to take place now. This article also details the same problems within the US 'Immigration and Naturalization Service' (INS).
NAFTA And Drugs
The North American Free Trade Agreement has facilitated the trafficking of massive quantities of drugs over the Mexican border into the US, and massive amounts of precursor materials needed to make the drugs across the border INTO Mexico from the US. The 'US Teamsters' are not happy with NAFTA, and it shows at their site here.
Swiss Police Says Salinas Horde Is Drug Money
Raul Salinas, the former President of Mexico's brother, had US$100 000 000 stashed in Swiss accounts that now are believed to have come from his protection of drug shipments and cartels. Although no charges have were ever been filed against him, his brother is now living in exile in Ireland. Citibank's New York City division took Raul on as a client, even though there seems to have been suspicions, as Chase Manhattan turned him down flat, refusing to do business.
Politician Turns Fugitive: Not a First in Mexico
The saga of Mario Villanueva Madrid, former governor of Quintana Roo, the Mexican State in the Yucatan Peninsula. He had been under investigation for at least a year, with very public accusations being spread, yet was allowed to escape. Could it be because he knew where all the skeletons were and are buried?
Summary Of Information Regarding US Military Involvement In Mexico And Chiapas
The beginning of the 'Helicopter Donations Made To Mexico' saga, that ended in 1999 so ignominiously . . .
Mexico Sends Junk Choppers Back To US
The miserable end to this ridiculous scam perpetrated upon both the US and the Mexican peoples, by the US government so excited and proud of itself for sending these choppers in 1996, lying through it's teeth about how this was such a glorious day for (evil) drug warriors when they sent them originally. It was a glorious day only for whomever made the money that had to have been made on this deal.
Pox On Parachute Journalists Invading Texas Border
A very perceptive article showing that not all of Mexico, nor Mexicans, are dealing drugs, murdering DEA agents, or paying off corrupt government officials. The people of this town are victims of the US Drug War like so many others, just trying to survive day to day.
DEA Agent, Accused Of Seeking Contract Slaying, Posts Bond
Another of this agent's cousins, one still alive, is Phil Jordan, former head of the 'El Paso Intelligence Center', "a multi-agency task force assembled to combat drug trafficking." Not that Phil had anything to do with this, but still, it is interesting. Phil does suspect that the whole thing could be a set up, perpetrated by someone on the Mexican side of the law.
Bonded Thru Injustice
This book by John Waters purports to detail evidence that the DEA, and others in both US and Mexican Law enforcement knew about the cartels responsible for the recent mass graves 'discovered' in Mexico, and even knew about the graves themselves as long ago as 1993. This is a must read for anyone interested in evidence of corruption involving US law enforcers in drug trafficking.
Baja California: Mexican Tale Of Absolute Drug Corruption
This is a front-page 'New York Times' article on the new government being as corrupt, if not more, than the last, in Baja California, Mexico. Drug corruption is rampant, and unstoppable as long as drugs are illegal. Is the solution too hard for many to see?
Mexico: What Mass Graves?
Turns out that the reports of 'mass graves' just weren't accurate in November 1999, when various officials in both US and Mexican governments, including Clinton himself spouting off in the White House about the "excesses of drug-dealing cartels in Mexico," spoke of up to one hundred bodies potentially buried on ranches in Juarez.
Mexico's Growing Missing List
This 'LA Times' article update (February 17th, 2000) reveals that no one knows if these missing people are rotting in shallow graves, or held in some dank prison somewhere still, but all fingers point towards the Mexican police and army as the ones to blame. The situation is apparently growing close to the infamous slaughter by Mexican forces during the 1970s of suspected Leftist guerillas.
US Certifies Colombia And Mexico In Drug War
Regardless of the obvious rampant corruption and crime, the overwhelming amounts of drug flowing across the borders from both Colombia and Mexico in the eager, waiting hands of the consumerist Americans, Clinton hails each counties' efforts in fighting the evil scourge of drugs. What a crock. Here's Drug Czar McCaffrey, putting his foot in it again: "'If this is a charade,' he said, referring to Mexico's counter-drug efforts, 'it's the most expensive one I've ever seen.'" And he should know!
Mexico, Colombia Pass Test For Drug Fighting Efforts
The list of all the countries the US gives money to and 'certifies' as cooperating partners in the Drug War, thereby qualifying them for all kinds of assistance, financial, and military. But the crops just keep growing, the drugs keep flowing, and the prisons just keep getting built.
Drug Bloodshed Threatens To Flow Over The Border
Now that the 'USA Today' newspaper has reported a US$200 000 bounty placed on the heads of US drug warriors (March 15th, 2000), and other US law enforcers by Mexican drug gangsters, it will be even easier for the Congressional "hard-on crime, soft in the head" money spenders and rights takers to pass more draconian measures, even to the extent of involving our military in domestic anti-drug border operations. What are we doing?
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