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NEWS ABOUT: Mexican drug gangs

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Mexico: 30 Zetas Escaped in Prison Riot

And all those killed were rival gang members

(Newser) - Yesterday's riot at a prison in northern Mexico not only killed 44 inmates, but also covered up the escape of 30 members of the infamous Zeta drug cartel, Mexican officials say. "Without a doubt there was premeditation," says the governor of Nuevo Leon, Rodrigo Medina. "This... More »

44 Dead in Mexico Prison Riot

Rival drug gangs probably contributed to violence

(Newser) - The death toll in yesterday's riot inside a Mexican prison has now climbed to 44, officials say. No guards were among the dead, but MSNBC reports that corrupt ones may have helped enable the brawl. All the Apodaca prison's guards are reportedly being held for questioning. The clash... More »

15 Bodies Dumped at Mexico Gas Station

Cartels at war again in Michoacan

(Newser) - The drug war appears to be heating up again in Mexican President Felipe Calderon's home state. Some 15 semi-naked bodies were found in a pile outside a gas station in Zitacuaro, Michoacan state, the BBC reports. All of the victims were male and three were minors. Police say threatening... More »

Mexico Activists to Hague: Investigate Drug War

Human rights activists also want president, officials investigated

(Newser) - With an estimated 45,000 dead in Mexico’s drug-related violence, and a growing number of those civilian casualties, human rights activists think it’s time for the Hague to step in. A petition signed by 23,000 citizens asks the International Criminal Court to investigate President Felipe Calderon, top... More »

Helicopter Crash Kills Top Mexican Official

He helped fight drug cartels, but crash seen as accident

(AP) - The country's top Cabinet secretary, Francisco Blake Mora, a key figure in Mexico's battle with drug cartels, died today in a helicopter crash that President Felipe Calderon said was probably an accident. Calderon said the helicopter was flying in fog when it went down in a remote area... More »

20 Dead in Mexican Prison Riot

Officials aren't saying what caused the violence

(Newser) - A prison riot in the violent Mexican border city of Matamoros has left at least 20 dead and 12 injured, reports the LA Times . The trouble started as a fight between two inmates, and quickly grew into a full-fledged riot. Officials are not saying what caused the fight or who... More »

5 Severed Heads Left at Mexican School

Discovery comes as teachers strike over extortion threats

(Newser) - Another gruesome discovery in Mexico: Police found a crate with five severed heads outside a primary school in Acapulco, reports the BBC . The victims haven't been identified. The not-so-subtle threat comes amid a teachers' strike in the once-popular resort city, notes NPR . Educators refuse to reopen schools because they... More »

1,500 Slot Machines Seized in Mexico Raids

11 casinos around Monterrey raided following deadly arson

(Newser) - About 700 soldiers, police, and Treasury agents seized 1,500 slot machines from 11 casinos around Monterrey, Mexico, in the wake of Thursday's attack on a local casino that killed 52 people , reports the AP . Authorities did not link the raids to Thursday's attack, but instead said they... More »

Bungled ATF Sting Lost Track of More Than 1K Firearms

House hearing on Operation Fast and Furious held today

(Newser) - Operation Fast and Furious, the bungled ATF gun-trafficking probe , was even more bungled than originally thought: Federal agents lost track of more than 1,000 firearms purchased by suspected gun smugglers during the Arizona investigation. The information comes from a new congressional report ahead of a House hearing today examining... More »

Mexicans to US: Stop Consuming Drugs

Poet, grieving father leads activists on 'trail of pain'

(Newser) - A Mexican poet and hundreds of activists toured some of the most dangerous cities in Mexico last week on what he called a “trail of pain,” calling for an end to the violent drug war rocking the country. Javier Sicilia, whose 24-year-old son was killed in March by... More »

Mexico's Future Hinges on Monterrey's Cartel Plight

Once-thriving city falling victim to drug cartel violence

(Newser) - Mexico's future may well be playing out on the streets of the city of Monterrey, says Reuters in a special report. The city had once been a shining model of entrepreneurial success, a lure for foreign companies, and a symbol of Mexico's global ambition. Now it's on... More »

13 Killed in Mexican Lake Battle

One marine, 12 gunmen die on Falcon Lake

(Newser) - Mexican marines stumbled upon a drug gang camp on a Texas border lake on Sunday, triggering a firefight that killed one marine and a dozen Zetas drug cartel gunmen in the country's latest bloodbath. The battle occurred on Falcon Lake, where American David Hartley was presumed to be gunned... More »

Body Count in Mexican Mass Graves Hits 116

Seventeen have been arrested in connection

(Newser) - Mexican authorities yesterday found 28 more bodies in the mass graves discovered in Tamaulipas last week , bringing the total number to 116. Seventeen people have been arrested in connection with the grisly uncovering. Most of the victims, believed to be kidnapped bus passengers , are probably Mexican, officials say, but few... More »

Mexican Kids Who've Seen Hell Find Little Help in US

Border schools ill-prepared to deal with their trauma

(Newser) - Sift past story after story about the bodies piling up in Mexico and you'll find another tragedy: the trauma the country's violence-weary kids are struggling to cope with—which is seeping its way into ill-prepared US schools. NPR takes a look at a high school in El Paso, one of... More »

Mexico Finds 59 in Mass Grave

Latest scene of drug war carnage in Tamaulipas

(Newser) - A series of mass graves in northern Mexico have yielded at least 59 bodies in a particularly grim finding in a bloody region. Police arrested 11 men on the scene and freed five people still being held hostage, reports the Wall Street Journal; the dead are thought to include a... More »

Amid Storm of Violence, Mexicans Find Unlikely Refuge

Crime-ridden Mexico City is now looking pretty good

(Newser) - As the bloody stain of drug violence seeps into Mexico's border towns and resort areas alike, Mexicans are taking refuge in a place that would have been unthinkable even five short years ago: Mexico City. The capital city, long known as a place where cops could be bought and petty... More »

US Drones Quietly Spy on Mexico Drug Lords

Flights kept hush-hush because they're probably illegal

(Newser) - The Obama administration has begun sending high-altitude spy drones deep into Mexican territory to keep an eye on the movements of drug traffickers, the New York Times reports. The information is intended to be shared with Mexican law enforcement, and Felipe Calderón formally agreed to the flights in his... More »

Mexico Cans Police Chief, 20, Who Fled

Marisol Valles Garcia was apparently seeking asylum after death threats

(AP) - A 20-year-old police chief in a violent Mexican border town was fired today for apparently abandoning her post after receiving death threats. Marisol Valles Garcia was granted a leave of absence from March 2-7 to travel to the United States, but "Since there was no notification of a need... More »

Mexican Mom Police Chief Seeks US Asylum

Single mom took dangerous job last year when no one else would

(Newser) - A 20-year-old single mom and criminology student who became police chief of her small Mexican border town has fled to the United States to seek asylum, reports AFP . Marisol Valles Garcia "received death threats from a criminal group that wanted to force her to work for them," her... More »

ICE Busts Hundreds in 168-City Gang Sweep

Half of those nabbed in multi-city raids have Mexican cartel links

(Newser) - A vast multi-city gang sweep shows the extent to which Mexican drug cartels have penetrated American cities—and, say federal officials, the extent to which the government is willing to go to take them down. Some 678 gang members, including 421 nationals, were busted in 168 cities during Project Southern... More »

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