500 deaths in May make pessimists of majority of Mexicans
Reuters Jun 2, 08 11:42 AM CDT
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A majority of Mexicans say violent drug gangs are thrashing President Felipe Calderon's government after nearly 500 people were slain in May—the highest number of killings since Calderon took office in December 2006, reports Reuters. Some 53% of Mexicans believe the gangs are beating the federal forces, while only 24% say the government is winning.
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Latest victims in Mexico's spiraling drug violence
CNN May 28, 08 4:23 AM CDT
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A gun battle in Mexico's drug capital of Culiacan ended with seven federal police officers and a civilian lying dead, and four officers wounded. Drug dealers opened fire and hurled a grenade as police raided a drug house in the city, where 1,000 people have died in drug-related violence since the beginning of the year, reports CNN.
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Killing may be linked to wave of drug crime
CNN May 20, 08 4:40 AM CDT
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The bodies of four people apparently killed execution-style, including at least one American, were found in the popular Mexico tourist state of Baja California, reports CNN. The decomposing remains were found just 20 miles south of the US border. Two of the victims were in a car with California plates. Police believe the killings may be linked to a series of recent drug-related crimes that claimed 40 lives over the weekend.
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Cartels post death threats, hit lists to threaten police
Associated Press May 19, 08 8:13 AM CDT
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Mexican drug cartels are running a campaign of warnings and death threats to police who won’t join them, the AP reports. Banners across roads, hit lists, and messages on cops' two-way radios work to intimidate “those who still don’t believe” in the cartels’ power. Four top Mexican police officials, including the acting federal police chief, have been killed this month.
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'We have to take back our streets,' prez pleads
BBC May 11, 08 6:39 AM CDT
(Newser)
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A third key police officer was assassinated yesterday in the intensifying war between Mexican officials and drug cartels, the BBC reports. The deputy police chief of the border town of Juarez was killed when gunmen peppered his car with bullets as he left home. The head of Mexico's anti-kidnap unit was killed Friday, and the chief of police operations against drug trafficking was shot dead the day before.
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Cartel reportedly behind early-morning killing of Edgar Millan Gomez
Los Angeles Times May 8, 08 5:10 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The official leading Mexico's anti-drug efforts was gunned down early this morning, the Los Angeles Times , shot eight times after arriving at his Mexico City home from work. Mexican outlets reported that the so-called Sinaloa cartel is behind the death of Edgar Millan Gomez, 42; he's the third high-ranking federal law-enforcement official shot in the capital in the past week.
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Organized crime cited; 2nd shooting in 2 days to target rancher
AFP May 5, 08 5:48 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Sixty gunmen opened fire on a Mexican ranch yesterday, killing 10 and injuring six more, AFP reports. The shooting came a day after another in the same state killed at least seven. Both attacks were on the head of a local cattlemens' organization; both carried signs of organized crime in a wave of violence linked to drug cartels. The motive for yesterday’s shooting was unclear, the BBC notes.
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New method confounds drug enforcement efforts
Economist May 4, 08 10:36 AM CDT
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Cocaine traffickers have embraced a startling new method to transport their product into America, the Economist reports: homemade submersibles. The cartels themselves seem to be producing the small craft, which descend to just below the waterline. They sport large cargo space and fuel tanks that allow them to sail far out to sea before dropping their payloads.
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Crooks claim to have kids; terrified
parents pay up
New York Times Apr 29, 08 6:02 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Mexican crooks are putting a new twist on an old crime with "virtual kidnapping," the New York Times reports. The criminals are cashing in on the widespread fear of kidnapping by calling families and pretending to have snatched a loved one—usually a child—for ransom. Many panicked parents pay up before they realize that their loved one is safe.
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5.8 shaker causes no major damage
Associated Press Apr 28, 08 4:21 AM CDT
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A 5.8 magnitude earthquake shook Mexico yesterday, but no major damage or injuries were reported, AP reports. The rumble, centered 96 miles north of Acapulco, rattled buildings in Mexico City and sent many scurrying into the streets. "It scared us. It was strong," remarked one resident who recalled the 1985 quake that killed thousands. “We’re just waiting for an earthquake that strong to hit again.”
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Mexico sends in thousands of troops to quell further fighting
Reuters Apr 26, 08 7:20 PM CDT
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A gunfight between Tijuana drug cartel rivals left 15 dead and eight wounded near the US border today, Reuters reports. The worst violence in Mexico's 3-year drug war, it filled a city road with bodies and took the lives of two top hit men from the Arellano Felix cartel. "Today shows we are facing a terrible war never seen before on the (U.S.-Mexico) border," said Baja California Attorney General Rommel Moreno.
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Trading partners meet in New Orleans
Los Angeles Times Apr 22, 08 3:25 AM CDT
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President Bush yesterday opened a two-day economic summit in New Orleans with Mexico and Canada amid growing hostility to the North American Free Trade Agreement, which is widely blamed for US job losses. Bush is using the meeting with the trillion-dollar trading partners to highlight support for NAFTA as the 14-year-pact is repeatedly roasted on the Democratic campaign trail.
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Giants' QB weds college sweetheart
in Mexico
New York Post Apr 20, 08 3:38 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Sorry gals, Giants quarterback Eli Manning is no longer a free man. He and college sweetheart Abby McGrew wed in a sunset ceremony last night in Mexico, the New York Post reports. A few dozen family and friends gathered at a seaside resort, where the well-tanned couple said their vows under a tent adorned with pink wildflowers.
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Mexican families struggle without funds relatives send home
Washington Post Apr 18, 08 10:30 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The downturn in the US economy is also hitting Mexico hard, the Was