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Lately there have been battles among different Drug Cartels about the places they control, they seem to be advancing and controlling more of the towns in different States of Mexico, many of these advancements made by the Drug Cartels are not known mainly for two reasons, first the government and the military won’t like to make public this progress the Cartels are having in controlling more locations, and second the same Drug Cartels don’t want to make public we they are working at, and the way they do this is by treating reporters or anyone trying to make this information public.
Many of these Cartels once they decide the place they want to take over, they will go to the local police and tell them their intentions, and at the same time they will offer a bribe that will allow them to work in peace, it the local police doesn’t accept the bride, well the consequences are not desirable for them. So the only choice they have is to take the bribe or run away and live.
The control they have is so big they even treat local government with creating social disturbance and creating civil mobilizations that will affect the government and social peace, at the same time they even offer their services to keep social peace, if the local police can’t handle certain individuals they offer to take charge, in order to keep things under their control, this allows them to move freely among several communities, they all are known, but everyone is afraid of them, so no one will dare to make a police report and give them up, no one really knows who is working for who, to make a police report might mean your own death.
In some locations criminals are controlling or protecting criminals, but no one is protecting society, local police has no control over all criminal activity in certain communities, so society is on its own, afraid, unprotected, they have no choice than to deal with this problem or go try to live somewhere else if they have a way to do it, but in general these are rural communities, with a low income, so they don’t have that choice, at the end they have to deal with the problem and live in fear everyday.
We hear on the news different histories from people being deported from the US to their home country, people from Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the rest of the world everyday face an immigration process that makes it difficult for them to keep living in the US, many of them broke the US laws and have to face deportation, others failed to comply with some requirements to keep living legally in the US; there have been histories of family separations, where the kids are born in the US and they are able to live here, but their parents have to go back to their home countries given their illegal status, all this histories appeal for forgiveness and for a review in the immigration laws.
But there is another side to the coin, the one about all the people that takes bad decisions and decides to do things against the law, like stealing, frauds, dealing drugs, and the list goes on, in my very own perspective these characters are the ones that create a bad representation of the immigrant people, and this bad representation is the one that remains in the mind of many persons.
The deportation process of this people responds to the application of immigration laws in the US, but there is another consequence of all this massive deportation, some of these people that is deported to many countries around the world belongs to any kind of gang here in the US, and usually tries to keep in contact with the members of that gang.
Taking the case of Mexico, many of these members are able to contact the Drug Cartels and create a stronger connection with their gangs in the US, they learn tactics used in the US that could be used in Mexico when dealing drugs or doing any other delinquent activity, in the long term this represents a risk for both countries, the stronger the connections are between the Drug Cartels and the gangs here in the US the bigger the problem becomes for both governments.
The need of a well-structured communication is necessary in this case, especially in Mexico, where the US gangs are not well known, as for the way they operate, when the US deports an individual is necessary from the Mexican government to keep track of that individual, at least to know is there is a risk from this individual coming back into the country.
Better channels of communication might be necessary, this is a problem that is affecting both sides of the border, and specific action is required, this is not about dealing drugs anymore, all these individuals are now starting to perform other delinquent acts, such as kidnaping, assault, murders, extortion, and much more, they act in both sides of the border, having disastrous consequences in both countries.
Last Saturday a group of reporters from different newspapers and media agencies as well as general public made a public rally demanding the federal authorities to provide a better safety environment for everyone in the country. They did the opposite to what some reporters did in Mexico City, some broadcasters decided to go on a black screen on TV, and some others decided to print an empty space on the newspapers, this is as a protest for the increasing violence in Mexico.
They demanded the political leaders to step up on provide with the means to live in peace and without having to worry about when the next shooting is going to take place, so far there are 11 missing reporters and 64 have been killed, and many more have been threaten by the histories they publish.
Many reporters have had to leave Mexico, coming here to the US or going as far as Europe and hide, some of them ask for asylum, under the fact that their life is under danger if they go back into Mexico, they take their families and leave everything they know behind, all their friends and the way of living they are used to, and go to a place where they might not know anyone, some of them will have to change the job they do and keep a low profile, because is well know that the people chasing them won’t forget
They try to do something good, but the leaders that are supposed to back them up are not doing it, they are alone and they know it, lately newspapers and magazines have opted not to publish the names of the authors to keep them safe, society on their side has been increasingly using the internet, sites like youtube, twitter, and other channels of social media, to let society know of things happening in areas where reporters are not able to go in, or won’t let them go for their own safety.
Mexican authorities and the problems they face in this Drug War
Posted: August 8, 2010 in UncategorizedThe Drug problem in Mexico has been increasing lately in the past three and a half years; president Felipe Calderon has declared that he won’t stop until he ends with the drug trafficking that prevails in the country and all responsible are incarcerated.
The statement is good, he is trying to apply the law and stop illicit activities from happening anymore, but taking a closer look at the resources he can count on gives a different perspective. Drug Cartels have more money and even better equipment that the police have, even better than the army, they have command structures and communication systems that allow them to keep working even if some of the main leaders are killed or incarcerated.
On the side of the government there are different forces that will fight against these drug cartels, but at the interior of these forces there is no really trust among the members, a recent fact collaborates this, in Ciudad Juarez, over 300 federal police members demanded the destitution of their own commanders, saying that they had connection with drug cartel leaders, also they demanded daily quotes from their subordinates and treat them with jail or worst if they didn’t comply with the request.
Actions like this make more difficult the coordination among all government forces into fighting against the Drug Cartels, also the wages of each police member can be as low as $300 dollars per month, compared with a Drug Cartel bribe of $1,000 per month (the amount varies according to the rank of the officer), just to look the other way, the government just revealed that drug cartels spend $100 million dollars per month in bribes.
The note here is to learn how it is much easier to hear that police members are turning their back to the government and the population, that hire them to fight against the Drug Cartels, and now they work for them and accept the bribery, but it is rarely known that Drug Cartel members give the back to their organizations in order to work for the government, and if they do Drug Cartels are fast to know when something like this happens.
The relationship between existing gangs in the US and the Drug Cartels in Mexico has been increasing in recent years, although this type of relationship existed from many years ago, they haven’t been as noticeable as they are now. It is known now that the relationship between these organizations is not only to deal drugs, lately they have been doing more delinquent activities such as kidnaping, murders, steals, and weapon trafficking.
They both benefit from a relationship among both associations, the US gangs represent a structured network into the US for drug distribution, this saves costs to the Drug Cartels in trying to set up new safe routes to transport their “merchandise”, having also the opportunity to reach more locations in the US, this means more profits. The US gangs benefit from this relationship in the manner that they have a constant flow of merchandise to make money and also some of these gangs are able to smuggle weapons into Mexico as a way of payment for drugs or as a way to make extra money.
Must remember that the US Gangs as well as the Drug Cartels have in mind to make a profit, and they will always look for ways to evade the law, it is incredible the imagination they have in doing this, at the same time it is interesting to learn how loyal they can be to their respective gang, they will follow the leaders of these organizations no matter how far they have to go, makes you wonder why they do it.
The vast majority of the gangs share the same beginnings, a group of youngsters getting together in order to protect themselves from another group. To describe the evolution of some of the biggest gangs in the US would be the subject for another blog. But generally all these groups, as they grow in size and numbers, start looking for ways to have access to money, and they all see criminal activities as a way to get fast cash, since the 60’s-70’s they find a very lucrative market in the drug industry, by dealing and selling all kinds of drugs, however the criminal activity they perform is not limited to that, the crimes also include alien smuggling, armed robbery, assault, auto theft, drug trafficking, extortion, fraud, home invasions, identity theft, murder, and weapons trafficking.
Gangs can be classified as: Street gangs, these represent the most threat because are the largest and control the greatest geographical area, therefore are the most violent, these are divided in national, regional and local gangs; Prison gangs, these gangs maintain influence on many street gangs and have strong ties with Mexican drug cartels, they are highly structured and operate in the federal and state prison system, they are also divided in national, regional and local gangs.
The National Alliance of Gang Investigators’ Associations defines a gang as: A group or association of three or more persons with a common identifying sign, symbol, or name who individually or collectively engage in criminal activity that creates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.
Gangs have been able to evolve and been able change in the way they operate, now days, they have access to fire arms, and technology; some of them are really well organized and have a rigid structure that will ensure control even if the main leaders are taken into prison.
Many of the members of these organizations come from dysfunctional homes or from low income families, and they see in the gang the family they don’t have at home, as well as the resources that are not provided by their parents/relatives, most of them make a commitment for life to the gang, so the gang becomes their first priority above anything else, even their blood family.
All of the members are aware that they might end in prison or dead, and for the big majority this doesn’t seems to matter, they see no other way of living, maybe because this is what they have seen all their life, maybe their parents were members of the same gang and now they have to become a part of it, or they see with pride to become an active member of a gang, they see it as a goal, and they are willing to reach that goal no matter what the price might be.
It is estimated that 1 million gang members belonging to more than 20,000 gangs were criminally active with in the US as of September 2008.
This can be seen as a consequence of a loss leadership, or the need for one, some people might find in these gangs the leaders they don’t see somewhere else and feel the need to follow them. The question here is what is in these leaders that make others to follow? Why all these gang members are not able to follow other leaders in order to do something more productive to society?
There have been several consequences in the drug war that is taking place in Mexico, and one of them is affecting the way news are provided to the general population, there are threats to reporters and to any person trying to make public anything related with the drug war.
Newspapers and electronic media have received dead threats and intimidation is constant to any reporter covering everything related to the drug war, this intimidation is not only from drug cartels, the government is also preventing general population from getting full knowledge of every fact that has developed during this war.
From one side drug cartels prefer this information kept underground and not letting other cartels as well as the government of the movements of each drug cartel, also they are interested in not seeing any names or pictures of key members of each cartel, which could have multiple consequences, this is why they prefer to keep a low profile and block every piece of information that might be published, in some areas, reporters get to the point to have it reviewed by some member of specific cartels, before taking it to the press and make it public.
From the other side is the government, why prefers this information to be kept secret or away from the public because at some point could show inefficacy in their labor or maybe the collusion from some members of the government with specific drug cartels, something that would mean a political hit and could bring more problems that solutions, also prefer this information to be kept private so specific cartels don’t get relevant information about the activity of the government in certain areas.
But drug cartels not only limit to say what can be public and what cannot, they also use media to send messages to rival gangs or to promote their activity in some sectors. Internet has also been used by these drug cartels by posting videos or pictures sending specific messages not only so rival cartels but for the government and society as well. The latest proof of this is the kidnaping of four reporters in Durango, Mexico; one of the requirements to set them free was to make public some videos posted in a blog over the internet where the drug cartel send a message not only to rival gangs but to society as well saying about the corruption in some agencies in favor of an specific cartel.
Mexico’s “Drug War”
Posted: August 3, 2010 in LeadershipTags: managment, people, power, system, team work, trust
To understand the violence that has grown so fast in Mexico would require many pages of study and observations from multiple sources, but let’s put it in a simple way, 4 years ago president Felipe Calderon took in his own hands to stop Drug Cartels that have gained control over several part of Mexico, he did this by implementing new control strategies and a more intensive use of military force in the search of drugs and the drug cartel leaders.
The results as much of us know, has been an increase of violence to levels never seen before in Mexico, in the last three years there have been 28,000 deaths related to this drug war, and the numbers go up every day, and this is only the number of people actually found dead, there is no real count on the number of people that has disappeared or hasn’t been found, so in reality the number could be higher.
All this violence has had as consequence the closure of several businesses, migration from people to other states or even coming here to the US, news channels have received treats on what they should broadcast and what they should not, areas where after 6 pm is not safe to go out in the streets, and the list goes on, the collateral damage in innumerable.
The government is trying to fight this problem, but the principal obstacle in succeeding is the lack of trust among all the police departments, there is a lot of corruption in several local and state departments, so this makes the labor a lot more complicated. Low wages of police members is one of the reasons why this corruption exists, or the reason why they prefer to look the other way when something is happening, they just don’t see it worth taking any chances for the amount they perceive every month.
In recent times the government make a key arrest, than ended up in a killing, of one of the main member in the Sinaloa Cartel, Ignacio “Nacho” Coronel, he was third in rank in this cartel, this represent a hard hit in the structure, but also a source of new information for the government, it’s been said that a laptop was found and it contains strategic information on the way the cartel operates.
The point here is that the government needs to develop new ways of gaining the trust of all members in the different police corps, so they can work in a more effective way, and here is where the real leaders come in play, good leaders should be able to create this trust and make all elements work in such a way they succeed in this task they have in their hands, this is not an easy thing to do and won’t happen in a few hours, would take work and perseverance, but it is necessary to happen, the collateral damage is getting too big.
More to come in future blogs….
The controversial law SB 1070
Posted: July 30, 2010 in LeadershipTags: immigration, leader, politics, power, system, trust
This is a much discussed subject, and in this one I plan not to have a particular side, I prefer to look at both sides, the ones in favor of the law and the ones against it. This law makes capable for any police officer to check for immigration status on any particular individual they think has a illegal immigration status in the US, allows to arrest this person in case is illegally in the US and make it a subject for deportation and so on.
First of all we have to make clear that they are breaking a law by being here illegally, and no one should be above the law, therefore the law should be implemented in such way they make up for this broken law, every country is able to implement any law that finds necessary to establish any kind of control they consider optimal, US is not the only country with this type of immigration laws.
On the other side is the people that has been living in this country for many year that they consider themselves more Americans than any other nationality, they have kids that have been born here and have lost any family connection they might have had back in their home country, usually this persons do work and comply with everything required for them to live a normal life, pay taxes, contribute to society in a positive way, except for the fact of having no immigration papers in this country.
All politicians try to avoid this subject every time they can, unless they have no other choice they will talk about it, they know it is a hard to talk subject because any side they take they will end up losing political support, and that is something they are not interested in. This I consider has driven all this immigration issue to where it stands right now, if they are not willing to enforce laws or implement new ones that will allow to create more order and a better environment for everyone, then the solution will never come, they are the ones with the power to make things better, yes the people can go out to the streets and protest and claim whatever side is better for them, but unless politicians jump into the plate and work towards something that will create a win-win situation for everyone the solution will never come.
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