Moore, Molly and John W. Anderson, "Drug trade called greatest threat to Mexico: Zedillo blames high U.S. demand, vows to combat traffickers," Washington Post, 10/23/96, p. 1. Los Herrera in Durango (Estado de Durango) is a town located in Mexico about 476 mi (or 766 km) north-west of Mexico City, the country's capital town. They arent involved like before but im sure if they need to pull some strings they can. Its basic tenents have remained unchanged for 70 years, and have become more deeply entrenched in the Mexican political culture. Consider the following strategies: 1. On the negative side of the anti-drug law enforcement efforts, the transfer of ownership of the Panama Canal emerges as a practical obstacle to American drug interdiction activities. Meyer, Michael C., and William L. Sherman, The Course of Mexican History, New York: Oxford University Press, 1979. @February 14, 2012 5:12 PM Plasan Sand Cat trucks are not U.S. made so I don't think the USA gave it to them. The Herrera's are just too well enmeshed in Durango, the poppies are grown there, and the family is too well connected. El 02 was later released from prison under what some might characterize as suspicious circumstances. Jaime Herrera-Herrera, Jr., were arrested in Mexico on drug charges and remain "'Gutierrez may have done more severe damage to the war against the Mexican drug cartels than Aldrich Ames did to the CIA's espionage operations' said DEA official, Thomas Constantine" (Brant, 1997:36) In January of 1998, a retired Mexican general was arrested and charged with actually helping the drug cartels with a number of their organizational problems. Just to be clear, I just profiled one cartel group. In March of 1994, the leading presidential candidate, Luis Donaldo Colosio, was assassinated in Tijuana. Established in about 1945, the cartel is now an international organized crime syndicate, operating throughout North and South America. A recent article by O'Day (2000) is one of the first comprehensive pieces written in English that addresses this topic. Map. We don't have a clear idea of what that means." At present, it appears that the cocaine trade has dichotomized, with power being shared by Oscar Malherve and the Gulf Cartel in the east, and the Federation in the west. AFP, "Mexico City's mayor to resign, concentrate on presidential bid," 9/17/99, internet. The Mexican President from 1988 to 1994 was Carlos Salinas. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that Federal Judicial Police were responsible for transporting the rest of the shipment from the airstrip to the drug distribution centers. Those arrested, A third Amezcua brother, Luis, still faces drug-trafficking charges in the U.S. On May 21, 1999 the extradition of Oscar Malherve to the U.S. was also denied. Cox, James, "Mexico thrives under NAFTA, seeks more," USA Today, August 28, 2000, p. 7. U.S. estimates are that some 1,300 Mexican illegals have died in their attempts to cross the border since 1994. Among other voices, United States Senators Paul Coverdell and Dianne Feinstein want to see Mexico more aggressively cracking down on drug barons and assisting in extraditing them to America. Run by Carlos Castano, this vigilante group has turned to taxing cocaine and heroin producers, shippers and distributors to generate the revenue necessary to finance its military operations. G1 would go on to help, according to the documents, finance Enrquez Herreras future political campaigns including his run for mayor of Durango City, which he lost in 2013, but later won in 2016. Jaime Carrillo Fuentes would eventually earn the nickname, "Lord of the Skies" for his diabolically brilliant ability to deliver literally tons of cocaine. Continued movement in this direction will threaten the very foundation of Mexican democracy. He made the announcement during one of the daily presidential press conferences. For more information, please see the, claims that the two men are responsible for the sale of the drug known as Cristal, the theft of vehicles, the collection of quotas, extortion, Kidnapping of businessmen, money laundering, card cloning, scams to obtain bank credits in the name of third parties and forced disappearance., Federal Press Release About Arrest of El 01, Sinaloa Cartel's El G1, Puppetmaster of Politicians, Arrested in Durango, Leaked Images of Gulf Cartel's Rules of Conduct for Hitmen, Sinaloa Cartel Uses Drones With Explosives As It Fights For Territory In Jalisco, Hitmen of Gulf Cartel's Primito Caught Red-Handed Kidnapping in Daz Ordaz, Tamps, Dear Brothers of The Underworld: Cartel Plots To Stem Cocaine Supply And Raise Prices, Cartel Arellano Flix Member "El Dani" Killed. , Sinaloa, by the Army. There was a downside to the effort however. In its place, he proposes the development of a multilateral evaluation system. Jorge Hank Rhon, the younger of the two sons, lives in the northern border town of Tijuana and is a close associate of the Felix-Arellano brothers, the leaders of The Federation. This arrangement clearly institutionalizes fraud and corruption, and it has been a part of the Mexican political environment for nearly four generations. Toluco is sierra region(Tepehuanes/Santiago/guanacevi). This will bring the number of INS agents along the Mexican border up to 7,000, up from 3,500 in 1993 (Wright, 3/10/98). Police and military officials are paid an extraordinarily low wage roughly 3,000 pesos ($300) a month (AFP, 8/4/99). Similar to the model established in previous years, at the proverbial 11th hour before the 1999 certification decisions were to be revealed by President Clinton, then Mexican Interior Minister Francisco Labastida, announced a $500 million anti-drug strategy that would be implemented over the next three years (AFP, 2/4/99). He announced Jaime Herrera used two The In 1994 sheriffs of two border counties were jailed along with a county clerk and a county judge. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) operates in Mexico City and 27 states, and is the dominant criminal organization in six states, according to a report by the United States Congressional . Some experts suggest the Self Defense Force now ironically generates more revenue from the drug business than does FARC and ELN combined (Frontline, 4/20/00). "All we can do is act as a voice of conscience to encourage these people to avoid danger, but the deaths will continue because people are desperate," says Grupo Beta coordinator Agua Preita (LaFranchi, 2000, p. 2). Current events clearly suggest that Mexico appears to be ripe for change. President Fox is aggressively pushing the U.S. to end its drug certification program, publicly stressing that the drug problem will not be resolved until America addresses its own corruption problem; "as long as the United States does not end corruption, efforts to curb the illegal drug trade will not be successful"(AFP, 8/19/00). Watson, Russell, "Coke and Mrs. The plane had been re-directed to Dallas because of bad weather. In August of 1999, for example, Mexican authorities seized an 8.6 ton shipment of cocaine off their west coast (AFP, 8/18/99). Fuentes called for a series of new meetings in neutral sites. As much as $30 billion a year is now being laundered in Mexico (Reuters, 2/16/98). This point warrants reiteration. This example of international law enforcement cooperation sets a standard that should be adopted across the entire southwestern border. makes a final decision and passes the matter on to Congress before March 1. As University of Guanajuato political scientist Luis Miguel Rionda noted, "The only thing (Fox) promised is change. Unfortunately, there are still a number of details that remain to be worked out; what will American agents be allowed to do when in Mexico; how will extradition matters be handled; will American agents be permitted to carry their U.S.-issued firearms when on duty in Mexico? There will be no public interest in ridding Mexico of the cartels, at least until a replacement for the lost $40 billion can be found. 9. Larmer, Brook, "A leap of faith," Newsweek, 3/10/97, pp. Don't fall behind on your mordida! Peniche himself has admitted to contributing $25 million to the PRI party, with $5 million specifically going specifically to Zedillo's campaign. This proved to be somewhat of a difficult task, for both the PAN candidate (Guanajarto Governor and former Coca-Cola executive Vincent Fox) and the PRD candidate (Mexico City Mayor, Cuautehmoc Cardenas) were strong contenders. eventually resulted in the seizure of 39 kilograms of heroin, as well as the While there are growing opposition voices calling for the removal of this traditional executive privilege and for the development of a legitimate multi-party system, at this writing Mexico can still be classified as a de-facto one-party system; a party-state system, with its accompanying twin - institutionalized corruption (Paternostro, 1995; UPI, 1/30/98). pounds of heroin, 13 pounds of cocaine, 47 properties, and $300,000. The cartels flourish in Mexico surely in part because the American people purchase the products provided, and because of the vast economic differences between these two neighbors. Bulita (1997) states, "the partnership between drug traffickers and police is so open that it could not exist without the knowledge of senior officials." The human trafficking business is becoming increasingly dangerous and violent, particularly along the southern California border near San Diego. The author wishes to thank Brandon Paeper, Brittawni Olson, Ann Marie Lambert, Denise Olson and Pat O'Day for their help, assistance and insight. President Fox has of late pressed matters in the press, openly calling on the United States to take on a greater responsibility for the drug problems (Associated Press, 11/27/00). While auto theft will surely continue to be a problem thereafter, the pressure to steal will likely be somewhat diminished. Congress has yet to override any Presidential certification decision. Federal Police revealed that the kilogram of the psychotropic drug, known as This group is headed by Carlos Hank Gonzalez who is best known for his expansive and profitable transportation, construction, and financial empires in Mexico. He had undergone plastic surgery in the past, and was attempting to further alter his appearance to conceal his identity from American government authorities. AFP, "More than 350 Mexicans died trying to enter US illegally in 2000." In his suicide note of September 1999, former Deputy Attorney General Mario Massieu indicated that President Zedillo was involved in the killing (AFP, 9/17/99). Sinaloa drug cartel run by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Specifically, no undercover operations or intelligence gathering activities can be engaged in by American officials on Mexican soil unless they are first cleared by the Mexican government. In the last year of his presidency, Clinton requested an additional $500 million for drug interdiction efforts, including the funding of 1,000 additional DEA agents to specifically be placed along the Mexican border (UPI, 2/6/98). Not only would their political careers be ruined, but they would likely face life threatening opposition from both the cartels and the government. In August of 1999, 26 police commanders were charged with forcing new officers to forfeit 35 percent of their salaries back to their commander (AFP, 8/4/99). Blustein, Paul, "Mexico to pay back U.S. loan early," Washington Post, 3/16/97, p. E3. AFP, "Mexican minister denies drug busts aim at appeasing US," 2/22/99, internet. The U.S. estimates that roughly $5 billion a year is being "mailed" to Colombia. The Steigenberger Parkhotel at Konigsallee 1a, known in short as the KO, is one of the best hotels in Dusseldorf. At this point, it is somewhat unclear. These meetings were arranged by the Honduran drug trafficker, Matta Ballesteros. This group may have joined forces with the Federation to expand networks and marketing capabilities. It should be emphasized that United States officials are certainly not immune, and have also been corrupted in numerous instances as well. I am ill today, so could search further so this helps, I will try and translate and post..@6:17 still looking for the vid and thank you, i did go into the DEA history archives and pulled good info about the organization, they are huge and good businessmen with longevity.I am posting it now as an add on, They once had 90% of the chicago heroin. @Dwel you are right, now that El Viejo got arrested they already call me back, I have to return to Mexico and take over the productions of medicine for all of the sick people out there. Most of the coca crop is grown in Peru and Bolivia and then taken to Colombia to be turned into the final product, cocaine. It is alleged that his eldest son, Carlos Hank Rhon, launders drug money and had been closely associated with Amado Carillo Fuentes - the late head of the Juarez Cartel (AFP, 6/2/99). The Arrest At around 7:00 am on Friday, January 20, 2023, Crescencio Sandoval, the head of the Army announced that an operation to capture an important Sinaloa Cartel - Los Cabreras figure was currently being carried out in Durango. Sinaloa control west of the Sierra to tepehuanes. It is estimated that ten percent of that wealth is used specifically for law enforcement, military and political pay-offs. Dedazo, Spanish for "big finger," refers to the closed, secretive method used by seated Mexican presidents to unilaterally designate their own successors (AFP, 2/27/99). Ritter, John, "Growers push plan to legalize workers," USA Today, November 19, 1999, p. 7. States each year. AFP, "Former police chief arrested on drug charges," 2/27/99, internet. The formation of a common counter-drug strategy between Mexico and the United States was a necessary and long awaited event. El G1 is infamous for allegedly "owning" the Senator of Durango, Jos Ramn Enrquez Herrera, whose political campaign he helped finance. This figure represented approximately one percent of the U.S. With access to these vast sums of money, the Mexican government had no problem in meeting its international financial obligations. Without political corruption, organized crime loses its protection. This gentler approach suggests the need to reduce the emphasis on profits, to retreat from the market culture ideology, to redistribute income, to provide more economic opportunities for the poor, and to adjust macro social values, ie. head of la Divisin Antidrogas de la corporacin, Ramn Eduardo Pequeo,, said Tavia was rushed to the hospital but remained disabled for over a year after the incident. Reuters, "Gang members indicted in Mexico cardinal's slaying," 2/11/98, internet. Too much money is being made by too many very powerful people who have access to very powerful weapons and men who will use them on command. Overall, Mexican officials estimate that there are 3 million undocumented Mexicans in America at present (AFP, 9/27/00). O'Day, Patrick, "The Mexican Army as Cartel," Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, to appear 2000. Mexico's banks have historically been basically un-monitored and very poorly regulated. El Blog de Los Guachos Share to Twitter According to a federal press release, the Cabrera brothers started out initially focused on marijuana planting and cultivation in the mountainous area of the state of Durango. They quickly began working under Joaquin Guzman, El Chapo, and Ismael Zambada, El Mayo, of the Sinaloa Cartel. Reuters, "Mexico drug war diverts cocaine back to Florida," 2/13/98, internet. In the early 1990s, the head of the Gulf Cartel (the most powerful Mexican cartel at the time) Garcia-Abrego, secured a major deal with the Colombian cartels that increased the Gulf Cartel's power even more. It is widely believed that Peniche's bank, Banco Union, assisted in laundering the donations, and then wrote them off as bad debts through the deposit insurance fund (FOBAPROA), which in essence allowed Peniche's bank to re-coup those funds by drawing upon tax dollars. You are welcome. The bells and whistles were brought out, Congressional Committees examined the issues, and numerous public relations statements were released by the Clinton Administration. Only time will tell if this was mere political posturing or an agreement of real substance. for those questioning los Herrera, they waged war against RR and lost. This allows the Mexican government to continue to play the plausible deniability game, and to placate the United States political leadership for a season. Carlos Peniche is currently being held in Australia and awaiting extradition to Mexico, where he will face charges of fraud. American aid has poured into that beleaguered nation to the tune of $250 million this year, ranking it third behind Egypt and Israel. Herrera (green shoes killed in club in Juarez in the 80's)corral and Juarez invited zetas to Santiago area. AFP, "Mexico to get 23.7 billion dollar financial aid package," 6/15/99, internet. In its 1998 annual report to Congress on human rights, the White House noted that "corruption is rife within the ranks of Mexico's police and members of the security forces" (UPI, 1/30/98). Reuters, "Mexican says U.S. drug certification unacceptable," 2/4/98, internet. With perhaps as much as a $600 million a year income, these two narco-terrorist groups, some 20,000 strong, pose a legitimate external threat to the sovereignty of Colombia. Nearly 600,000 are caught and deported annually (AFP, 9/9/99). In 1997, some 3,500 vehicles were stolen in El Paso and smuggled into Mexico, many ending up in the hands of corporate executives and government officials. People will literally go into a Bogota car dealership, for example, with a stack of 500 money orders, all made out in American dollars and drawing on an American bank. Zacatecas state is a leading source of migrants to the United States with seven percent of its 1.3 million people north of the border at any one time and $240 million a year in remittances coming home. Journalist John Anderson states, "No law, no special task forces, no number of helicopters and chase planes can compare to the impact that one strategic indictment would have, as every cabinet member, general, and police commander would suddenly be made to understand that impunity will no longer be tolerated" (Reding, 1995). Today, 194 agents are assigned to this area with a night patrol force of 40 (compared to the previous 7 or 8) who are aided by motion detectors and night vision scopes (Associated Press, 7/28/99). The cultural traditions and political infrastructure are simply not in place. slow the rate of change) in the post-Diaz era. ", 8/19/99, internet. Army knows everything, these narcos aint that smart . organization for a year. Carlos, however, remains in a self-imposed exile in Cuba (he initially took up residence in Ireland but has since moved to Cuba), allegedly supported by at least $600 million stashed away in Swiss bank accounts. This is not a new market of course, but the scope of this industry is expanding of late, and has the potential to even surpass the drug trade in time. No doubt that CDS and CJNG are the most powerful syndicates in the world. The United States has repeatedly called for Mexico to end the traditional impunity for high level officials. There is another interesting market seeing tremendous growth along the Mexican-American border - people smuggling. 5. The need to maintain that passive populous sentiment will, in the author's opinion, likely keep the major cartels out of the domestic drug consumption business. At a press conference to present the person, the AFP, "Mexico announces biggest drug bust in past decade," 8/18/99, internet. Migrant workers were at one time predominantly male; this is no longer the case. The United States, in an attempt, among other things, to salvage NAFTA, had to put together a $20 billion loan package and stabilize the Mexican economy in February of 1995, an economy that was dependant on the "coca-buck."