drug cartel

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Mexican Cartels Lure US Teens to Kill

Boys as young as 13 become smugglers, assassins

(Newser) - The powerful cartels that control the drug trade in Mexico increasingly have help north of the border—in the form of American teenagers, some as young as 13, who work as smugglers and assassins. The New York Times profiles one boy, who was recruited by the Gulf Cartel to kill...

Mexican Cocaine Hidden in Sharks

(Newser) - The Mexican Navy seized more than a ton of cocaine packed inside the bodies of frozen sharks on a freighter off the Yucatan coast headed for America, reports the BBC. The booty was pinpointed using dogs and x-ray machines, officials said. Drug fighters warned that powerful cartels are using increasingly...

Massive Drug Tunnel Found Under Mexico Border

Elaborate smuggling tunnel to Arizona has electricity, ventilation system

(Newser) - The US Border Patrol has uncovered one of the biggest and most sophisticated smuggling tunnels under the Mexican border it has ever seen, CNN reports. The 83-foot tunnel to Arizona from Nogales, Mexico, was still under construction when it was found after a tipoff from somebody who heard construction sounds....

As Ariz. Housing Heads South, Kidnappers Move In

Failing housing market leaves homes abandoned for kidnappers to use

(Newser) - Gangs of kidnappers preying on illegal Mexicans immigrants or drug rivals are turning Phoenix into the kidnap capital of the US, reports the Wall Street Journal. In one raid, 30 shivering, half-naked smuggled immigrants were discovered in an abandoned home. They had been shaken down for thousands of dollars. The...

17 Dead in Acapulco Shootout
 17 Dead in Acapulco Shootout 
Jun 7, 2009 12:35 PM CDT

17 Dead in Acapulco Shootout

Violence further damages resort's tourism industry

(Newser) - A fierce, 2-hour gun battle between drug agents and Mexican authorities in Acapulco has left 15 gunmen and 2 soldiers dead, the BBC reports. After receiving a tip, troops ambushed a house in the resort town last night, as gunmen hurled grenades and crashed their cars trying to flee. Upon...

11 Mutilated Bodies Found in Arizona Van in Mexico

Bodies left with threatening messages from drug cartels

(Newser) - Mexican police have found the shot and mutilated bodies of 11 men in a stolen van with Arizona plates near the US border, Reuters reports. The arms and legs of most of the bodies had been hacked off. Threatening messages believed to be from a drug cartel were left with...

Mexican Heroin Seeps Into Rural US

Mexican cartels push the drug into the heartland

(Newser) - As the battle between drug cartels and law enforcement rages in Mexico, traffickers are gaining footholds in America's Heartland. Ohio saw heroin-related deaths spread into 18 new counties between 2004 and 2007, just one indication that dealers aren't limited to big cities. "It's like going to pick up beer,...

Mexican Drug Sweep Snares 10 Mayors
Mexican Drug Sweep
Snares 10 Mayors
May 27, 2009 1:47 AM CDT

Mexican Drug Sweep Snares 10 Mayors

Officials provided 'protection net' to deadly drug cartel

(Newser) - Ten mayors and several police chiefs were busted in a major drug raid yesterday in Mexico's Michoacan state. The public officials provided a "protection net" for the deadly Michoacan Family drug cartel, said law enforcement authorities. The cartel is linked to the murder of 7 people and wounding of...

Mexico Captures Drug Suspect on Most-Wanted List

'El Gori' believed to be top lieutenant of the Gulf drug cartel

(Newser) - Soldiers have arrested a suspected member of a powerful drug cartel who is listed among Mexico's 37 most-wanted traffickers. Raymundo Almanza Morales was captured in the northern city of Monterrey after soldiers received an anonymous tip. His brother was arrested earlier this year on suspicion of masterminding the killing of...

Border Tribe's Land a Drug Smuggler's Paradise

(Newser) - Law enforcement expects to seize $1 billion worth of pot along one stretch of southern Arizona this year, and that’s just 20% of the marijuana they believe will be smuggled into the area from Mexico. But there’s little they can do about it, NPR reports; the region is...

Thugs in Cop Uniforms Free 59 Mexican Drug Prisoners

(Newser) - Some 15 vehicles packed with criminals wearing police uniforms arrived at a Mexico prison yesterday to free as many as 59 inmates linked to a drug cartel, reports the BBC. The men convinced guards they were members of the federal police there to conduct an inspection. Once inside, they overpowered...

Pot Farms Sprout in National Parks

Rangers warn that illicit, cartel-run plantations are on the rise

(Newser) - America's park rangers are battling a growing number of marijuana plantations taking root in national parks, NPR reports. Marijuana farms have been found in at least six national parks on the West Coast, where rangers say growers camp in the woods all summer, tending hidden plantations that can't be spotted...

Watchdog: Mexican Army's Abuse of Civilians Unchecked

Desperate to fight the cartels, government turns a blind eye to military crimes

(Newser) - The Mexican army, enlisted by President Felipe Calderón in the battle against drug cartels, is abusing civilians with de facto immunity from the government, a watchdog group says. The army was supposed to be a temporary replacement for corrupt or incompetent police forces. But some soldiers, unaccustomed to the...

Forget the Flu: Guns Cause Far More Deaths
Forget the Flu: Guns Cause Far More Deaths
OPINION
Apr 29, 2009 8:56 AM CDT

Forget the Flu: Guns Cause Far More Deaths

As Americans load up on Tamiflu, shootings draw little notice

(Newser) - In the US and Mexico, a plague much more widespread than swine flu continues to pick off its victims, regardless of age, health, or hometown. "While federal and state authorities are preoccupied with preventing a swine flu pandemic from overwhelming the United States, the epidemic of gun violence rages...

Violence Plummets as Mexican Army Polices Juárez

But human rights violations said to be rampant

(Newser) - Since Mexico’s army took over for police in the drug haven of Ciudad Juárez, killings have dropped: In 2009’s first two months, there were 434 drug-related murders. In March, 5,000 troops arrived—and murders plummeted to 51, the Washington Post reports. With 10,000 soldiers now...

Obama Moves to Halt 'River' of Guns, Drugs to Mexico

Adds top cartels to 'drug kingpin' list

(Newser) - On the eve of an important meeting with Mexico’s president, President Obama yesterday imposed sanctions against the top Mexican drug cartels in a move intended to slow cross-border drugs and weapons trafficking, the Washington Post reports. After speeding up a process that normally takes a year, he added three...

Obama Lands in Mexico to Press Drug War
 Obama Lands in Mexico 
 to Press Drug War 
UPDATED
Apr 16, 2009 9:10 AM CDT

Obama Lands in Mexico to Press Drug War

(Newser) - President Obama began his first official Latin American tour with a visit to Mexico City today, the New York Times reports. Obama landed this afternoon for the first presidential visit to Mexico’s capital since the Clinton administration. He’ll meet with Felipe Calderón to discuss the economy, trade...

Colombia Nabs Top Drug Lord
 Colombia Nabs Top Drug Lord 
Apr 15, 2009 2:44 PM CDT

Colombia Nabs Top Drug Lord

US will seek to extradite Daniel Rendon

(Newser) - Colombian police nabbed their nation's top drug lord today, and the country's president "is breathing easy," a rep told AFP. Daniel Rendon, 43, alias Don Mario, had a $2 million price on his head after allegedly swapping drugs for weapons from leftist FARC rebels. Now that he's in...

Mexican Cartels Have Little Trouble Getting US Guns

Lax laws, difficult tracing system make smuggling easy

(Newser) - Thanks to lax gun laws that vary from state to state, smugglers providing arms to Mexican drug cartels can move vast quantities of weapons over the border for years without sparking suspicion. The subject may come up when President Obama visits Mexico tomorrow, but the political will to change US ...

Mexico Nabs Young Drug Lord
 Mexico Nabs Young Drug Lord 
Apr 2, 2009 6:08 PM CDT

Mexico Nabs Young Drug Lord

(Newser) - Mexico finally has some good news in its violent drug war. Police arrested the No. 2 leader of one of the nation's largest drug cartels, the Los Angeles Times reports. Vicente Carrillo Leyva, 32, had been one of Mexico's most wanted criminals. He's part of a new wave of youthful,...

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