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UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF VIOLENT GROUPS (www.isvg.org) DAILY BORDER NEWS REPORT FOR 14December2011 COMPILER, INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF VIOLENT GROUPS (www.isvg.org) EDITOR, JOINT TASK FORCE NORTH (www.facebook.com/USA.JTFN) (U) This document is UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY and portions may be exempt from mandatory disclosure under FOIA. DoD 5400.7R, "DoD Freedom of Information Act Program", DoD Directive 5230.9, "Clearance of DoD Information for Public Release", and DoD Instruction 5230.29, "Security and Policy Review of DoD Information for Public Release" apply. (U) FAIR USE NOTICE. This document may contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making it available to recipients who have expressed an interest in receiving information to advance their understanding of threat activities in the interest of protecting the United States. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. (U) Use of these news items does not reflect official endorsement by Joint Task Force North or the Department of Defense. For further information on any item, please contact the JTF-North Knowledge Management (KM). Compiled By: Mr. Tom Davidson, Institute for the Study of Violent Groups Edited by: Mr. Jonathan Kaupp Approved for Release by: Dr. Rodler Morris CONTENTS: (Note: All active EXTERNAL hyperlinks have been removed) Table of Contents

CONTENTS .............................................................................................................................. 1

1. CANADA AND NORTHERN BORDER STATES ............................................ 3

A. Family of Canadian Held in Mexico Urges Ottawa To Help (ON) ................................. 3

B. Police Raids Net 60 Arrests across Canada (ON/AB/BC) .............................................. 5

C. 50 Guns Reported Stolen from Regina Sports Shop (SK) .............................................. 7

D. 5-year-old Rescued from B.C. Drug Den (BC) .............................................................. 8

E. Hobbema Reserve Votes on Evicting Gang Members (AB) .......................................... 8

2. INNER UNITED STATES .................................................................................10

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A. Aircraft Drug Smuggling Bill Clears Senate (DC) ....................................................... 10

B. This Administration To Slash National Guard on U.S. – Mexico Border (DC) ........... 12

C. Immigration Detention Centers in Kentucky, Illinois Violate Rights (IL/KY) ................ 13

3. MEXICO AND SOUTHERN BORDER STATES............................................15

A. Seven Policemen Kidnapped 24 Hours after They Graduate! (COAH) ....................... 15

B. SPD Arrest Net Drugs, Cash, Weapons (TX) ............................................................... 16

C. Mexican Soldiers Kill 11 Suspected Cartel Members in Gunfight (TAMPS).............. 17

D. Captured Tijuana Cartel Confirms Sinaloa Truce (BC) ............................................... 18

E. Professor Injured by Anti-Nanotechnology Letter Bomb (HDO) ................................ 20

F. La Familia Drug Cartel Members Arrested in Valley (CA) ......................................... 21

G. Mexico Victims Movement Marks Plight of 10,000 Missing in Drug War (DF) ........ 21

H. Mexico Captures Wanted Alleged Drug Trafficker (VER) .......................................... 22

I. Mexicans Cry Foul over US Immigration Law (DF) ..................................................... 23

J. Mexico: Crime Spikes in ‘Paisano’ Season (TX) ......................................................... 25

K. Agents Find Marijuana in Load of Water Coolers (TX) .............................................. 26

L. Z-40 Denies Challenging the Mexican Government (TAMPS) ................................... 26

M. Gente Nueva in Chihuahua To Clean Up (CHIH) ....................................................... 29

N. Grenade Attack Leaves 1 Dead, 9 Wounded in Eastern Mexico (VER) ..................... 29

O. BP Agent Tasers Suspected Drug Smuggler (AZ)........................................................ 30

P. Fire in Rowland Heights Home Reveals Marijuana-Growing Operation (CA) ........... 31

Q. Man gets 50 to Life for Santa Ana Gang-Related Murder (CA) .................................. 32

R. Mexico Says Captured Cartel Leader Had Arsenal (VER) .......................................... 33

S. Website Hacked in San Nicolas ......................................................................................... 34

T. Summary of Events ........................................................................................................... 35

4. CARRIBEAN, CENTRAL, AND SOUTH AMERICA ....................................36

A. Puerto Rico Government Denies Island is ‘Narco-State’ (PR) ..................................... 36

B. Two Soldiers Killed, 3 Wounded in Fighting in Colombia (CO) ................................. 37

C. Grenade Attack Leaves 1 Dead, 7 Wounded in Colombia (CO) .................................. 38

D. Guerrillas Use Dead Body in Attack in Colombia (CO) .............................................. 38

5. OPINION AND ANALYSIS..............................................................................39

The Administration uses Honor System to Secure Border (TX) ........................................ 39

B. With Six Daily Deaths in Cuidad Juarez, Mexican Drug War Heats Up (CHIH) ........ 40

C. Anti-Drug Effort Shows Results in Southwest (OR) .................................................... 42

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1. CANADA AND NORTHERN BORDER STATES A. Family of Canadian Held in Mexico Urges Ottawa To Help (ON) 13December2011 (Updated Article) CBC News A family is urging Ottawa to step up pressure to free their daughter, Cyndy Vanier, who has been held in a Mexican prison without charge since early November on accusations she led a plot to smuggle Moammar Gadhafi's relatives. "Get her out of there!" her father John MacDonald demanded in an exclusive interview with CBC News. "She's never talked to Gadhafi. She doesn't even know any Gadhafis. It's like a horror story. It's like something you'd read in a novel." Mexican authorities last week publicly accused Vanier, 52, who runs a mediation company out of her home in Mount Forest, Ont., of being the ringleader in a plot that involved two Mexican citizens living in the U.S. and a Danish man. It involved alleged plans to defy international travel bans and UN-imposed asset freezes to smuggle the dead dictator's son, al-Saadi Gadhafi, and his family from Niger, Africa, under assumed identities to a new life in an exclusive compound in Punta Mita near the Pacific city of Puerto Vallarta. Vanier’s mother, Betty MacDonald, said there's a sense of urgency because of her daughter's worsening kidney problems and the stress of being in a jail where inmates find rat droppings in their food and cockroaches in their drinks. She said her daughter has been distraught during the short phone calls she's been allowed to make. "We're supposed to sit here and wait for them to work at their slow speed?" asked Betty. "We feel totally helpless." Libya mission root of trouble: family The MacDonald’s accuse Mexican authorities of a series of blunders, mistaking Vanier's fact-finding trip to Libya in July, along with her use of private chartered airplanes, and her recent bid on a beach house on the Pacific Coast, as evidence she was part of a plot to secretly shelter the Gadhafis. "It's so ridiculous its mind boggling!" said her father. "She was in Libya talking to peasants and tribe leaders!"

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Vanier travelled to Libya on a 10-day fact finding mission July 17, 2011, paid for by Canadian engineering giant SNC-Lavalin which sought advice on the security situation in the country. Rebels, with support from NATO airstrikes, were gaining ground in the eventual toppling of Libya's dictatorship and many of SNC-Lavalin's 1,000 employees working at construction sites — including a prison, an airport, and an irrigation project — were forced to flee. On her return to Canada in late July, Vanier prepared a revealing report focused on alleged bombings of civilians by NATO, and "human atrocities" by Libyan rebel groups. She sent it unsolicited to CANADEM, an Ottawa non-profit organization focused on peace and democracy to which she belongs, which in turn passed it on to Canada's foreign affairs department. "Several residential homes have been destroyed and civilian casualties including women and children are noted," Vanier wrote in her July 29 report obtained by CBC News. "Homes leveled by the [NATO] bombing have not been reported by media however there are losses that are devastating and catastrophic in nature." The report does not discuss any crimes or atrocities committed by the Gadhafi regime. It has been criticized by executive members at CANADEM, who when contacted by CBC News say they now wish they had never passed it on to the government. But according to Vanier's father, his daughter claims a vice-president at CANADEM told her to rewrite it because the government wouldn't like it. But the financial backers of the mission, SNC-Lavalin, thanked Vanier for her findings and continued to pay her for advice on the security situation. "I was happy to learn the facts that you were able to confirm on the ground correspond to what our employees have been saying to us," wrote SNC-Lavalin vice-president Stephane Roy in an Aug. 4 letter to Vanier, obtained by CBC News. "Hopefully, as a neutral third party, your findings will be able to shed the truth on the real events happening on the ground." SNC-Lavalin has continued to seek Vanier's expertise and input on how to manage their employees in Libya and negotiate with the changing regime. According to Vanier's parents, she remains on retainer with the company. SNC-Lavalin's Roy declined CBC's requests for an interview on Monday. Speculations about Vanier’s ties to Gadhafi were fueled by her use of Gary Peters, a Cambridge, Ont.-based security specialist, during her July visit to Libya. Though she severed ties with him in August, Peters had worked directly for al-Saadi Gadhafi in the past and served as Vanier’s bodyguard and minder during her visit to Libya in July. Private planes searched in Canada

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Even Canadian officials became suspicious of Vanier, and her use of expensive private planes to fly back and forth to Mexico. She flew into Waterloo Regional airport on Sept. 25, where she was detained by Canada Border Services Agency agents as officers scoured the plane. When a plane returned Oct. 20 to retrieve her, there was another intensive search and delay before she was allowed to board. Her parents say planes were part of the package in her work for major corporate clients such as SNC-Lavalin. However, CBC News has been unable to reach Vanier directly, nor confirm with the aviation company she hired who was footing the bill or who else might have travelled on the planes. Vanier's Mexican condo now seized Vanier's lucrative work afforded her the means to recently upgrade her condo in Mexico, as she sought to move her base of operation for Vanier Consulting south for the winter. “Doesn't matter where she lives, as long as she had access to a computer and the internet,” said her father. “You can work from anywhere, and I think her idea was to continue working for them out of Mexico. That's to the best of my knowledge.” Her parents were thrilled for her as they’ve been spending winters in Mexico themselves for a decade. Vanier recently put a bid on a three-bedroom beach home, in hopes of upgrading from a two-bedroom condo a few blocks from the ocean. Ottawa offers only consular help “Lots of Canadians are doing it," said Betty MacDonald. "Lots of Americans are doing it. Why would this be construed as buying safe-homes for the Gadhafi family? It's bizarre." Now, that dream home deal is scuttled and authorities have seized possession of the condo. In prison since Nov. 10 without any charge or detailed explanation of why she’s being held, Vanier’s parents have called their local MP hoping the government will step up diplomatic pressure. “We understand that they can't intervene in Mexican law, but they could certainly apply a little pressure,” her mother said. Gary Schellenberger, the MP for the Mount Forest area, told CBC News that Canadian consular officials in Mexico are in close contact with Vanier and her husband, who is in Mexico. Source: [www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/12/12/vanier-mexico-family] Return to Contents B. Police Raids Net 60 Arrests across Canada (ON/AB/BC) 13 December 2011

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CBC News Toronto police say it was an investigation into a street robbery and shooting in the city's northwest in May that led to the dozens of raids and scores of arrests carried out across the country early Tuesday morning. More than 900 officers executed 67 search warrants simultaneously across Ontario and in Alberta and British Columbia. At least 60 people were taken into custody — about 10 of them young offenders — and are facing more than 300 charges, police said. "Today, I think we had a successful day," said Supt. Chris White, of the Organized Crime Unit. Investigators say Project Marvel involved criminal organization offences, attempted murder, firearms trafficking and importation, drug trafficking, robbery, shootings, prostitution and other crimes. About 400 tactical officers were involved in the raids which were carried out in Toronto, London, Hamilton, Durham Region, York Region, Peel Region, Windsor and Ottawa. Most of the arrests were made in the GTA. Dozens of the accused moved through a courthouse in north Toronto Tuesday evening. The court was full of lawyers, as well as friends and family of the accused. Some people were thrown out for using cell phones or trying to communicate with the accused in the prisoner's box. A few of the accused were released on bail, but most were remanded into custody. Investigation spread westward There were also raids in Calgary and Surrey, B.C. At least one arrest was made in Calgary. In Windsor, Ont., two men were arrested. One, aged 30, was arrested at 1309 University Ave. W. and was taken to Toronto to face weapons-related charges. A 55-year-old man was arrested at 315 Josephine Ave. However, he has been released pending further investigation. No names were released but police said in a release that more arrests are possible. Police in London, Ont., executed search warrants at two different addresses just before dawn. They had few details and directed all inquiries to the Toronto Police Service. The police project began with an investigation into a shooting and street robbery in the northwest part of Toronto in May.

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"The project quickly developed into a criminal organization involving two criminal gangs: the Young Buck Killas, also referred to as YBK, and the G-siders," said White. He said the investigation quickly uncovered links that spread from Toronto, across Ontario and out through western Canada all the way to B.C. "What we found in this investigation is we began with very locally based violent crimes. And as that investigation progressed we found linkages between those gangs and individuals who actually came from our [Toronto] neighborhoods and moved out to those jurisdictions.... who continued in criminal activity," said Toronto police Chief Bill Blair. Police said as the investigation matured, it spread to other jurisdictions in Ontario and then to Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Fort McMurray, Alta. Police say officers from more than 20 police forces, Canada Border Services Agency, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were involved in the investigation. Police say the investigation isn't over and they expect more arrests in the coming days. Source: [www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2011/12/13/tor-police-raid] Return to Contents C. 50 Guns Reported Stolen from Regina Sports Shop (SK) 13 December 2011 CBC News Police in Regina say someone broke into a sporting goods store and took about 50 guns. Ammunition was also stolen. The target of the break in was Wholesale Sports, a big box store in Regina's east end. Police said they were called at 6:10 a.m. CST. In a news release, a spokeswoman for the police said people in the community should be aware of the possible presence of the stolen goods. "The Regina Police Service is advising the public of the possible presence of stolen firearms in the community and also requesting any information that could assist police as they investigate," Elizabeth Popowich, spokesperson for the Regina Police Service, said. None of the guns have been recovered and police have not identified the thieves.

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Popowich added that police do not believe there is any connection between the break-in and another early Tuesday morning incident that led to a home being surrounded by police. Source: [www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2011/12/13/sk-stolen-guns-111213] Return to Contents D. 5-year-old Rescued from B.C. Drug Den (BC) 12 December 2011 CBC News A five-year-old girl was rescued from an alleged heroin den in Kelowna, B.C. by members of the RCMP's drug unit. Police said the girl was discovered during a raid at a house on the 500 block of Yates Road, where officers also found two men, both aged 25, allegedly smoking heroin. Officers also seized quantities of heroin, cocaine, crystal meth and marijuana, as well as a stolen sawed-off shotgun. The girl apparently lived at the residence and was found asleep in one of the bedrooms. She has now been placed with family members, according to police. The two men, along with a 24-year-old woman, have been charged with multiple drug and firearms offences. Source: [www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/12/12/bc-girl-found-in-heroin-house] Return to Contents E. Hobbema Reserve Votes on Evicting Gang Members (AB) 13 December 2011 CBC News The largest native reserve in the violence-plagued community of Hobbema, south of Edmonton, may soon begin evicting troublemakers. The Samson Cree First Nation is holding a referendum on Jan. 4th, asking residents to give the band the authority to banish gang members. "It is just getting to the point where we need to do something drastic,” said band member Theresia Boysis, 65.

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"It’s for the safety. Our little kids they want to run around and play too. They can't. Too many of our young people have been murdered, for what reason?” Boysis keeps her ear on her police scanner an eye out her front window. “I will go to bed at 8 p.m. and will be up at midnight just to keep an eye," she said. "I’m scared to sit in my house. You don't know who will kick your door in." Every night she ties down her front door and wedges a long knife across into the door frame. Boysis supports the bylaw even though it means her own grandson, who she says runs with the gangs, could be kicked out. “They aren't banished,” she said. “They are evicted until they smarten up and are ready to come home and say, ‘Hi, I changed.’ “This is what I want to see...the change in my people.” The proposed by-law allows the band to evict anyone who “would present a danger to the health or safety of the community.” Under the residency bylaw, any 25 residents can apply to have another resident evicted. If the person is not a band member, a residency tribunal will make the decision whether to evict or not. However, if the person is a member, then only the chief and council could evict them, and even then only by a two-thirds majority. RCMP Sgt. Ralph Cardinal set up a similar by-law in another Alberta reserve and has been pushing for one in Hobbema since 2009. He believes the bylaw will pass, but the problem is Samson Cree is the only First Nation of four in the community on board. That makes enforcement difficult,” he said. "There is nothing that we could do under that by-law when they go across the road." It also makes the nearby bands nervous. "Already there have been some complaints,” said Roy Louis, a community leader. “What happens if the drug dealers or the gang members are moving into their towns,” he said. "I think the vote is a little premature,"

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Should the bylaw pass, it will need approval from Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada. Source: [www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/story/2011/12/13/edmonton-hobbema-residency-referendum] Return to Contents 2. INNER UNITED STATES A. Aircraft Drug Smuggling Bill Clears Senate (DC) 12 December 2011 Avionics Intelligence U.S. Senators D-N.M., and R-Nev., applauded the passage of their legislation that will help improve border security by cracking down on smugglers who use ultra light aircraft to bring drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border. The Ultra light Aircraft Smuggling Prevention Act of 2011, sponsored by the Senators passed unanimously in the Senate last week. The bill now moves to the U.S. House, where it passed overwhelmingly last Congress after being introduced by Rep. D-Ariz., who has long fought for increased security along the southwest border. One Senator, then a member of the House, was an original co-sponsor of that legislation. Every year, hundreds of ultra light aircraft are flown across the southern border and can carry several hundred pounds of narcotics. The aircraft are small, single-seat planes favored by smugglers because they are inexpensive, relatively quiet and can fly at night without lights. They are often able to evade radar detection and can drop a load of narcotics in the U.S. and return to Mexico without ever landing in this country. The legislation would: Give law enforcement agencies additional tools to combat drug trafficking by closing a loophole in current law that allows smugglers who use ultra light aircraft to receive a lesser penalty than those who use airplanes or cars; Establish the same penalties for trafficking, whether by plane, automobile or ultra light aircraft up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine;

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Add an attempt and conspiracy provision to the aviation smuggling law to allow prosecutors to charge people other than the pilot who are involved in aviation smuggling; Direct the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security to collaborate in identifying equipment and technology used by DOD that could be used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to detect ultra light aircraft. "As traffickers adopt new techniques for bringing drugs across our borders, we must give law enforcement the tools they need to stay a step ahead of smugglers and fully prosecute them," said the Senator from NM a member of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control. "I commend my colleagues in the Senate for voting to fix these outdated loopholes and encourage the House to do the same without delay." "Due to a loophole in current law, drug smugglers who use ultra lights receive a lesser penalty than those who use airplanes or cars. Today, the Senate took an important step to provide law enforcement with the tools it needs to prosecute drug smugglers to the fullest extent of the law, which helps protect our communities from illicit substances. I am pleased to have the opportunity to work with both the Senator from NM and AZ’s Congresswoman in this effort," said the Senator from NV . "The AZ Congresswoman has called this legislation a critically important tool in the continuing fight to secure the border," said, chief of staff to the Congresswoman. "When she heard today that her goal is closer to becoming law, the congresswoman was thrilled. We thank the Senators from NM and NV for working to pass the bill in the Senate after she secured House passage last year." Sens, D-N.M., and, D-Calif., are the original co-sponsors of the legislation. "The illicit use of ultra light aircraft is on the rise. Adopting this proposal will allow law enforcement to aggressively prosecute those who are using ultra light aircraft to smuggle drugs into our country, “the Senator from NM said. "The use of ultra light vehicles is yet another example of the extreme measures drug smugglers will use to get drugs into the United States," said the Senator from CA, chairwoman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, said. "In just a six month period, there were close to two hundred reported incidents of use of these ultra light vehicles and on relatively calm wind nights, Imperial County has experienced as much as four incidents per day. This bill assures that whether drug smuggling is done via airplane or ultra light vehicles, the criminal penalties should be the same." Under existing law, ultra light aircraft are not categorized as aircraft by the Federal Aviation Administration, which means they do not fall under the aviation smuggling provisions of the Tariff Act of 1930. Recent news reports have shown that Mexican organized crime groups are increasingly using ultra light aircraft to drop marijuana bundles in agricultural fields and desert scrub across the

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U.S. border. The Los Angeles Times reported in May that the number of incursions by ultra lights reached 228 in the last federal fiscal year, almost double from the previous year. In August an ultra light vehicle crashed in the boot heel of New Mexico carrying 134 pounds of marijuana. Source: [www.militaryaerospace.com/index/display/avi-wire-news-display/1560704974] Return to Contents B. This Administration To Slash National Guard on U.S. – Mexico Border (DC) 12 December 2011 The Washington Times Citing budget cuts, the administration early next year will cut the number of National Guard troops patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border by at least half, according to a congressman who was briefed on the plan. The National Guard said an announcement will be made by the White House “in the near future,” but a California Republican Representative who has learned of the plans, said slashing the deployment in half is the minimum number, and he said it will mean reshuffling the remaining troops along the nearly 2,000-mile border . In California, that will mean going from 264 guard troops down to just 14, he said. CA Representative said the pending cuts are another reason and the President should revisit the automatic defense spending reductions that kicked in with the failure last month of the deficit supercommittee. “What’s apparent now is that a decision not to continue their deployment, even though it might be in the national interest to do so, would be based entirely on budget constraints on the Defense Department,” he said. This Administration deployed 1,200 guard troops to the border in June 2010 in an effort to bolster the U.S. Border Patrol and try to prevent the growing drug violence in Mexico from spilling into the U.S. He charged the guard with aiding in intelligence gathering and other backup duties, though troops have not been actually enforcing immigration laws. The troops were scheduled to be drawn down this June, but the President extended their deployment, saying there was still work to be done. The troops were meant to be a bridge to beef up support staffing while the Border Patrol hired more agents under a bill Congress passed early in his term.

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A Homeland Security Department official said they have made progress in hiring and training new agents. There were supposed to be nearly 21,500 agents in the Border Patrol as of Oct. 1, which represents an increase of 1,300 since the President took control of the budgeting process in 2009. Homeland Security officials say the boost in resources at the border has made the region safer. They pointed to the latest figures that showed illegal immigrants apprehended along the Southwest border fell to 327,577 in fiscal year 2011, down from 447,731 in 2010 and from 1.6 million in 2000, which was the peak year. Homeland security officials say fewer apprehensions means fewer people are trying to cross. Sending guard troops to the border is a recurring strategy for administrations seeking an instant boost in security. The previous administration deployed 6,000 guard troops in 2006 to counter criticism he wasn’t taking border security seriously. As with this President, the former President said the agents were meant to be a bridge until the Border Patrol could hire more agents Source: [www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/dec/12/obama-slash-national-guard-force-us-mexico-border/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS] Return to Contents C. Immigration Detention Centers in Kentucky, Illinois Violate Rights (IL/KY) 12 December 2011 Fox News Latino Detainees in three immigrant detention centers in Illinois and Kentucky have been denied legal counsel, received poor medical care and rarely eat a hot meal, among other human rights violations, advocacy groups said in a report released Monday. The detention centers, two in Illinois and the other in Kentucky, were the focus in the report by the Chicago-based National Immigrant Justice Center and the Midwest Coalition for Human Rights. It calls on the administration to cut down on the number of immigrant detainees. It also seeks the closure of the three centers cited: Boone County Jail in Burlington, Ky., Jefferson County Jail in Mt. Vernon, Ill., and the Tri-County Detention Center in Ullin, Ill. The conclusions are based on 21 visits to the three prisons since 2009. Advocates from both groups argue that conditions at the facilities have not improved since the federal government announced reforms in 2009 and that the three facilities, all located in rural areas, encourage inhumane conditions.

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"When you have no one watching or involved from the outside, it creates an environment when people are vulnerable to abuse and neglect," said executive director of the justice center, which is part of the Chicago-based Heartland Alliance. The report, which finds closing the detention centers will save taxpayer money, calls on the federal government to halt proposals for new immigrant detention facilities nationwide, including a proposed center in Crete, Ill. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released an email statement that said the agency "takes any allegation of misconduct or negligence at our detention facilities very seriously." It said there are strict standards and annual inspections at all facilities and that the three cited in the report had "received passing grades." The federal government contracts with roughly 250 local prisons across the country to detain immigrants. In 2009, Homeland Security Secretary responded to criticism about the treatment of immigrant detainees by announcing a series of initiatives aimed at reforming the center. But the executive director said poor conditions persist. The group focused on three centers in the Midwest that appeared to have the worst conditions. Among the issues outlined in the report: - Detainees at Jefferson County Jail were told they had to pay for medical treatment, reported excessively cold conditions where they had to share blankets and said they only got a hot meal once every one to two weeks. - Detainees at Boone County Jail said it was almost impossible to contact attorneys. One detainee said a doctor had told him that a growth on his neck required further testing and might be cancerous, but the detainee was repeatedly denied requests to see a doctor. Another HIV-positive detainee was not allowed to see a doctor for more than six weeks. - Detainees at Tri-County Detention Center said there is only one phone for every 50 detainees, making it difficult to call attorneys. "For many of the individuals in those facilities, they're not able to make a connection with an attorney and are not aware of their legal rights," she said. This administration has deported roughly 400,000 undocumented immigrants each year, which is a record. But advocates have long complained that many of those deported haven't committed crimes. Earlier this year, the administration announced it would expand the use of what's known as prosecutorial discretion. It's the ability of immigration authorities at every level from arresting officers to judges to decide whether to pursue a case. The idea was to focus resources on prosecuting and deporting immigrants who have committed crimes rather than immigrants without legal status who have no criminal record.

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Advocates in the report called on the administration to expand the use of prosecutorial discretion to help cut down on detained immigrants. The executive director said officials with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement were sent copies of the report last week. An ICE spokeswoman in Chicago, which oversees many Midwest states, provided no immediate comment. Source: [latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2011/12/12/3-immigrant-detention-centers-in-kentucky-illinois-violate-rights-report-says/] Return to Contents 3. MEXICO AND SOUTHERN BORDER STATES A. Seven Policemen Kidnapped 24 Hours after They Graduate! (COAH) 11 December 2011 Narco-Bullit SALTILLO, Less than 24 hours after graduation, seven officers of Coahuila Police were kidnapped, and two of them rescued a day later, but one died after the fact, reported state authorities. He said that in a showdown on December 8, in the colony of Mirasierra they rescued two officers, one of whom died in the hospital having been injured by gun fire. He said that one kidnapper was killed and two were captured. Police also confiscated guns and some vehicles. “We are very concerned about the fate of our remaining comrades who are now hostages, we are working on finding them, hopefully alive.” He explained that the kidnappers probably confused the new officers as members of a police elite group or Gafes. Source: [www.hotdogfish.com/killer/?p=1021&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=seven-policemen-kidnapped-24-hours-after-they-graduate ] Return to Contents

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B. SPD Arrest Net Drugs, Cash, Weapons (TX) 13 December 2011 Seguin Gazette In a span of three days, the Seguin police department netted drugs, cash and a weapon during the execution of two search warrants and one traffic stop. On Thursday, law enforcement officers - members of the Seguin Police Special Crimes Unit, Guadalupe County SWAT Team, Seguin Police detectives and officers - executed a search warrant in the 1300 block of C.H. Matthies Jr Drive, said a Seguin Police Detective Lt. When the officers entered the home, they confiscated 7 ounces of marijuana - an estimated street value of $400 - from a 43 year old Seguin resident, alleging that he was selling the narcotics, the Lt. said. Officers also allegedly found an ounce of marijuana on a Seguin resident an 18 year old man which they suspect he might have just purchased off the suspect, the Lt. said. The suspect was arrested for delivery of marijuana between a quarter ounce to 5 pounds in a drug-free zone, he said. The second man was arrested for possession of marijuana less than 2 ounces in a drug free zone, SPD said. Both were booked into Guadalupe County Jail. Seguin SCU, detectives and patrol officers arrested a 28 year old man for allegedly manufacturing or delivering a controlled substance and delivery of marijuana on Friday. The spokesman said officers also executed a warrant in the 400 block of N. Heideke at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday. "SCU Investigators seized 31.68 grams of Cocaine with an estimated street value of over $3,100.00, 1.94 oz of Marijuana with an estimated street value of $200, $2145 in cash and a weapon from the residence," he said. The third suspect was arrested for manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance, penalty group 1, between 4 grams and 200 grams and delivery of marijuana between a quarter ounce to five pounds and booked into Guadalupe County Jail. A Saturday morning traffic stop resulted in Seguin police officers confiscating $8,000 in US dollars and $7,500 in pesos. The spokesman said a patrol officer pulled over a 2002 Dodge Caravan of a traffic violation in the 300 block of Interstate 10 West around 11:30 a.m.

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"The officer recognized modified features of the vehicle commonly used for human trafficking," he said. "Further investigation revealed the driver to have a large sum of cash suspected to be tied to illegal activity." The driver, Victor Mellendez-Magallanes, 20, of Mexico, allegedly did not have a driver's license or insurance on the van, he said. "Seguin Special Crimes Unit Investigator consulted with INS and ICE Agents, who will assist with further investigation," he said. "The vehicle and the money were seized pending further investigation." Source: (seguingazette.com/news/article_29d477b0-251d-11e1-b0f0-001871e3ce6c] Return to Contents C. Mexican Soldiers Kill 11 Suspected Cartel Members in Gunfight (TAMPS) 12 December 2011 AntiWar Mexican soldiers exchanged gunfire with suspected drug cartel members just south of the Texas border on Saturday, ending in the death of 11 gunmen and one injured soldier. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the gunfight began when Mexican soldiers on patrol were shot at from a building in the city of Valle Hermoso, about 30 miles from the Texas border. Mexican soldiers later seized the building, where they found 11 people dead and 73 rifles inside. Two suspects at the scene were arrested. On Sunday in the nearby town of Veracruz, unidentified assailants also suspected of ties to drug gangs threw a bomb into a building where a cockfight was being held, killing one man and wounding nine others. On Monday, a judge sentenced five former Mexican soldiers to 25 years in prison for having ties to the cartels. The five high-ranking soldiers were convicted of organized crime and assisting in drug trafficking in Sinaloa, the locale and name of one of Mexico’s most notorious gangs. The recent events are an indication of escalating violence in Mexico’s war on drugs. The drug cartels have been engaging in spectacular cruelty, placing dead and mutilated bodies in public places to increase fear. Meanwhile, Mexico is facing heavy U.S. pressure to continue a hyper-militarized approach to the drug war, which has resulted a dramatic increase in corruption and human rights abuses on the part of Mexican security forces.

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Human Rights Watch recently released a report showing that Mexico’s security forces participated in “more than 170 cases of torture, 39 ‘disappearances,’ and 24 extrajudicial killings since Calderón took office in December 2006.” “Instead of reducing violence, Mexico’s ‘war on drugs’ has resulted in a dramatic increase in killings, torture, and other appalling abuses by security forces, which only make the climate of lawlessness and fear worse in many parts of the country,” said José Miguel Vivanco of Human Rights Watch. Meanwhile, the presidents of the Latin American countries attending the eighth summit meeting of the Tuxtla System for Dialogue last week approved a formal request to the United States which included suggestions of market alternatives to the current militarized approach. The declaration urged the U.S. “to explore the possible alternatives to eliminate the exorbitant profits of the criminals, including regulatory or market oriented options to this end. Thus, the transit of substances that continue provoking high levels of crime and violence in Latin American and Caribbean nations will be avoided.” It also included a demand that the U.S. stop the transit of arms to the criminals which only provokes more death and violence. The U.S. has spurned previous such requests from their so-called allies south of the border, and policy is firmly entrenched in the guns and butter approach to drugs. A succession of failures has yet to change the preferred options in the U.S. Source: [news.antiwar.com/2011/12/12/mexican-soldiers-kill-11-suspected-cartel-members-in-gunfight/] Return to Contents D. Captured Tijuana Cartel Confirms Sinaloa Truce (BC) 12 December 2011 In Sight New Tijuana police chief Alberto Capella Ibarra called a meeting with press and business leaders shortly after Juan Francisco Sillas Rocha, alias "El Ruedas," was arrested. He announced that, according to the criminal boss, Capella had broken longstanding agreements between the police and criminal groups. As El Mexicano reports, Capella claimed Sillas said “Things changed when you arrived, you broke the agreements.” The implications of this, if true, are serious. It is not the first time that claims have surfaced about the existence of pacts between the police and the AFO. Julian Leyzaola took over the Tijuana Police Department in 2010, at the height of the war between cells loyal to Eduardo Teodoro Garcia Simental, “El Teo,” and those loyal to Fernando Sanchez Arellano, “El Ingeniero." It was widely speculated that he cut a deal with the AFO forces loyal to Sanchez Arellano to wipe out the Garcia Simental cells, which were responsible for widespread kidnappings in the city. Some analysts have suggested that, with state forces separated from the drug trade, there will be no mediator to enforce agreements between

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criminal groups. This could result in conflict between the trafficking groups present in the plaza including the AFO, the Sinaloa Cartel and remnants of the Familia Michoacana. In his statement to prosecutors, as reported by Zeta magazine, Sillas painted a picture of a rapidly regenerating AFO. He claimed that Sanchez Arellano, leader of the AFO, now commands 11 cells dedicated to trafficking drugs in Tijuana and abroad, up from only five during the conflict with Garcia Simental, and named cartel logistics operators who organize trafficking from Guadalajara to Cancun. This suggests that the AFO has moved from an enforcer-oriented group to a more sophisticated trafficking organization. The story of “El M4” is most illustrative of the process. El M4 led a group of assassins or enforcers who were wiped out during the conflict with Garcia Simental, but today he focuses exclusively on drug trafficking. Sillas pointed to the AFO’s ability to maintain a firm grip on drug distribution contacts throughout California, but especially in the north of the state despite its supposedly weakened state. This fits with InSight Crime's analyses of the situation. Sillas also confirmed what InSight Crime has suggested about the nature of the relationship between the Tijuana Cartel (also known as the Arellano Felix Organization - AFO) and the Sinaloa Cartel, claiming that the two work side-by-side in the Tijuana plaza without violence. He said that the trafficking networks are autonomous, but have come to a non-aggression pact. The AFO also has an advantage in any competition with the Sinaloa Cartel in the Tijuana plaza; unity. The Sinaloa cells in Tijuana operate independently and sometimes in competition with each other, according to the statements of “El Tomate,” a Sinaloa Cartel recruit and former Garcia Simental lieutenant. The Sinaloa Cartel learned a lesson about compartmentalizing operations following the defection of some of their chief trafficking and intelligence lieutenants to the Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO) in 2008. The bloody struggle between the BLO and the Sinaloa Cartel seemingly left a deep impression upon Joaquin Guzman, “El Chapo,” and Ismael Zambada Garcia, alias "El Mayo." Since then, the Sinaloa Cartel has reportedly maintained cells in Tijuana that operate peacefully, but in competition with each other, to prevent the total loss of the plaza. This means that while the AFO may not be as large, or even as profitable as the Sinaloa cells in the area, they have the advantage of unity. Ruedas also gave an insight into the inner workings of the AFO following a chaotic period. He described lieutenants like “El Turbo” who switched back and forth the between the AFO and Garcia groups until settling with the surviving AFO. He acknowledged the strength of Sinaloa lieutenants in Tijuana like "La Rana" and "El Aquiles" but, again, portrayed the AFO as stronger than most analysts have previously believed. The AFO has become a low-profile trafficking organization since its internecine conflict, which ended in 2010. It has proven capable of regenerating rapidly, but if the statements of police chief Capella are to be believed it has lost its relationship with the municipal police. The Sinaloa Cartel, which is in conflict with the BLO, the Juarez Cartel and the Zetas throughout the country, appears keen to minimize problems in Tijuana. By the time the Sinaloa Cartel is done with those conflicts the AFO may be a fully regenerated cartel.

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Source: [insightcrime.org/insight-latest-news/item/1969-captured-tijuana-cartel-boss-confirms-sinaloa-truce] Return to Contents E. Professor Injured by Anti-Nanotechnology Letter Bomb (HDO) 12 December 2011 Slate The ivory tower is not always a safe space. A professor was “slightly burned” when he opened a letter bomb last week. The letter had been addressed to a professor at Mexico’s Pachuca Polytechnic University who researches nanotechnology; after he realized it was suspiciously heavy, he passed it along to a security committee. This is the third anti-nanotech-related violence in Mexico this year. Over the summer, a group (or maybe just one person masquerading as part of a larger movement) sent bombs to two Mexican institutions engaged in nanotechnology research. According to its manifesto, the group responsible for the two incidents, “Individuals Tending Toward Savagery,” is dedicated to stopping nanotechnology, which it fears will destroy the planet. As of yet, there is no definitive link between the latest incident and the summer bombs. Recently, Future Tense hosted an event about humans’ long-standing fear of the future—and, in particular, fears of new technology. Like rail travel and the telephone, nanotechnology has been a particular focus of technology terror, with special emphasis on the apocalyptic scenario of the gray goo. This hypothesis involves self-replicating nanobots spiraling out of control, covering everything on the planet with a layer of gray goo. Individuals Tending Toward Savagery and some more mainstream anti-nanotech activists would have all research into the discipline cease. Yet as one futurist told Arizona State’s author in his 2005 book Radical Evolution. “How unrealistic that is. Nanotechnology is not just one thing or three things. It is really the end result of miniaturization, which is pervading all of technology. Most technology will be nanotechnology in the 2020s. You would have to relinquish all of technology.” One irony about the nanotechnology bombs: Researchers currently are investigating ways to use nanotechnology to sniff out explosive devices. Source: [www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2011/12/12/nanotechnology_foe_targets_mexican_university] Return to Contents

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F. La Familia Drug Cartel Members Arrested in Valley (CA) 13 December 2011 KSEE News After months’ long investigation, federal and local law enforcement agencies have arrested several valley residents with roots to a dangerous and violent Mexican drug cartel operating here in the valley. Twenty four people associated with the La Familia drug cartel now sit behind bars after officials say they ran meth labs in Fresno, Madera, Merced and Stanislaus counties. The Department of Justice launched an investigation in August targeting the group known in Mexico for gruesome violence including kidnapping and be-headings. Agents say the group was making strong connections in Merced. They also say the group was finding new ways to go unnoticed. DOJ agents seized a methamphetamine conversion lab and two meth super labs, as well as 10 pounds of crystal meth, 14 pounds of meth, 17 firearms and more than $100,000 in cash. Merced County District Attorney says, " The Central Valley has become an emerging battleground in the fight to keep transnational drug cartels from gaining a foothold from which to operate." Source: [www.ksee24.com/news/local/la-familia-drug-cartel-members-arrested-in-valley] Return to Contents G. Mexico Victims Movement Marks Plight of 10,000 Missing in Drug War (DF) Updated Article 13 December 2011 Fox News Latino The Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity, a group founded by prominent poet Javier Sicilia, recalled the more than 10,000 people who have gone missing amid the drug war that has claimed 50,000 lives in Mexico over the last five years. In a ceremony staged at the foot of the capital's Angel of Independence monument, Sicilia said that the Mexican state has committed "a tremendous crime" consisting of "having denied the victims, forgotten them, made them into a numerology that could be 1 or 10,000, it doesn't matter."

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Before the event, members of the movement marched along the Paseo de la Reforma and "embalmed" with black cord several of the statues of Mexican heroes to recall the people who have disappeared. "That is a very serious crime and now the state is starting to compensate and we're beginning to compensate by making the victims visible," said Sicilia at the event. He noted that the families of all the disappeared "live facing an atrocious abyss because they don't know if they're alive, and if they are, in what condition, and if they're dead they don't know what happened to them and they don't have their bodies." Whether it is at the hands of criminal organizations or the Mexican authorities, which are involved in some of the cases denounced by the movement, Sicilia said that it is "outrageous that a state cannot know where 10,000 or many more than 10,000 of its citizens are." At the event, demonstrators recalled several of the movement's activists who have been murdered recently, while the daughters of two environmental campaigners who disappeared on Dec. 6 appealed publicly to their captors to release them alive. Sicilia founded the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity in April after the brutal murder of his son, Juan Francisco, and six other people in the central state of Morelos by suspected drug-gang members. The group, which has organized several marches bringing together relatives of victims of violence, is demanding an end to President Felipe Calderon's deployment of tens of thousands of troops to drug-war flashpoints. The strategy has led to headline-grabbing captures of cartel kingpins, but drug-related violence has skyrocketed and claimed 50,000 lives nationwide during Calderon's tenure, which began in December 2006. Source: [latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2011/12/12/mexico-victims-movement-marks-plight-10000-missing] Return to Contents H. Mexico Captures Wanted Alleged Drug Trafficker (VER) Updated Article 13 December 12011 CNN Good fortune ran out for an alleged Mexican drug cartel figure known as "El Lucky" when he was captured by the navy, officials said Tuesday.

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The navy said it arrested Raul Lucio Hernandez Lechuga, who was also known as "Z-16," Monday in the state of Veracruz. One of the alleged trafficker's bodyguards was killed in a shootout during the arrest, and one service member was injured, officials said. Hernandez was on the government's list of the 37 most-wanted criminals. His arrest came "as the result of intense intelligence work," the navy said . He was a leader who operated in at least 10 Mexican states, officials contend. With his capture, Mexican authorities have arrested or killed 22 of the 37 most wanted alleged drug figures. Despite the successes, drug-related violence remains high throughout the country. More than 43,000 people have been killed in such violence since President Felipe Calderon initiated an offensive against the cartels in 2006. According to the Federal Attorney General's office, Hernandez's capture was the result of more than a year of intelligence work that involved national and international agencies. The attorney general's office was offering a 15 million peso (U.S. $1.1 million) reward for information leading to his capture, while the United States offered an additional $1 million. Authorities did not say if anyone was awarded any money. Hernandez collaborated directly with Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano, the alleged leader of the Zetas, authorities said. Four other accused cartel members were arrested alongside Hernandez. Source: [www.cnn.com/2011/12/13/world/americas/mexico-trafficker-arrested] Return to Contents I. Mexicans Cry Foul over US Immigration Law (DF) 13 December 2011 Global Post Migrants and advocacy groups on both sides of the border urged the US Supreme Court to strike down the controversial Arizona immigration law that has sparked outrage in Mexico. The renewed calls against the law — known as SB1070 — came after the Supreme Court on Monday announced it would wade into the issue and review federal court rulings that parts of the law are unconstitutional. The decision was rapidly splashed across media outlets in Mexico, where politicians, priests and pundits have called the law "fascistic," "authoritarian" and "racist."

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In Tucson, Arizona, some 300 migrants and activists marched against SB1070 and increased deportations, holding banners of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the Catholic symbol venerated throughout Mexico. “This is a law which somehow allows racial profiling,” said a Chicago-based member of the Mexican American coalition, told Global Post. “If police are encouraged to stop you for suspicion of being an illegal immigrant what does that mean? Are they going to stop you because you drive with a sombrero, or because you have a black moustache, or what?” Officially called Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, SB1070 was approved in 2010 amid arguments that the federal government was failing to stop illegal immigrants flooding Arizona and other states. Its most controversial provision requires police officers to ask for papers of anyone who they suspect could be in the country without the correct documents — effectively making local police take the roles of immigration officers. However, after the White House appealed against the law, federal courts ruled that the provision was unconstitutional as U.S. law clearly defines immigration as a federal issue. If the Supreme Court — which is expected to rule on the case in the spring — upholds this decision, it would be a barrier to other anti-immigrant laws across the U.S. But if the court were to rule in favor of Arizona’s legislation, it would be a crushing blow to migrant advocate groups and spark a heightened confrontation with Mexico over the issue. “It is good that the Supreme Court is looking at this issue. But if we lose that could have very grave consequences,” he said. Other provisions of SB1070 levy criminal charges against people who assist illegal immigrants or offer them work. Arizona has also tightened access to state services for undocumented migrants. The Mexican government did not immediately offer a reaction about the Supreme Court’s decision to wade into the case. Many Mexican politicians have been backing a boycott against Arizona over the law, urging tourists not to spend money in the state, or musicians and athletes to play there. The Mexican government had also issued a travel advisory warning that “it must be assumed that every Mexican citizen may be harassed and questioned without cause at any time.” Many migrants have left Arizona because of the measures, hitting agriculture and other businesses. “There has been a very bad atmosphere for migrants in Arizona and this has made many who are not very established there get up and leave to other parts of the United States,” he said.

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The Arizona law prompted similar legislation in South Carolina, Alabama and Utah, where the Supreme Court decision will also be watched closely. In Alabama, a German executive working for Mercedes-Benz and a Japanese employee working for Honda, both of whom were legally in the country, were charged under the states new, stricter immigration laws. When the Arizona law was approved in 2010, Mexicans railed against it from church pulpits to the stages of rock concerts. "Nobody can stand with their arms crossed in the face of decisions that clearly affect our countrymen,” President Felipe Calderon said then. “In this case, legislation is moving forward that opens the door to unacceptable racial discrimination." Prominent journalist and TV presenter Ricardo Rocha went further, saying the law “is just like the German Nazi laws that make Jews scared to go out on the streets. We have to smash their business agreements in the nose. We have to declare war on Arizona.” There are an estimated 12 million undocumented migrants in the United States, about half of who are Mexican. Source: [www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/mexico/111212/mexicans-cry-foul-over-us-immigration-law] Return to Contents J. Mexico: Crime Spikes in ‘Paisano’ Season (TX) 13 December 2011 UPI Mexican government authorities say they're taking steps to prevent holiday season travelers from being victimized by highway robbers. Hundreds of thousands of people travel from the United States to see family and friends in Mexico for the so-called paisano season, which gets under way around the middle of each December. Along the way, many travelers run into gangs who force them to pull over and then rob them, with a warning not to report the crime to authorities. One man told the San Antonio (Texas) Express-News he won't make the trip to Mexico this year to see his family in Monterrey. He said he was robbed three years ago on a toll road. He said he was just one of a group of drivers who had to pull over because a group of men had placed orange traffic cones in the roadway.

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"You pull over and they approach you and say, 'Hey, give us all your belongings and possessions and don't alert the authorities,'" he said. The Mexican consul general in Laredo told the newspaper some U.S. border states and the Mexican government is going to do "whatever it takes to have enough security during paisano season." Mexican government officials said travelers are organized into caravans, which are escorted by a combination of federal and local authorities. Source: [www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/12/13/Mexico-Crime-spikes-in-paisano-season/UPI-47091323760972/?spt=hs&or=tn] Return to Contents K. Agents Find Marijuana in Load of Water Coolers (TX) 9 December 2011 KRGV Hidalgo County narcotics agents are trying to find out more about a load of water coolers used to hide a drug load. Hidalgo County's HIDTA taskforce conducted a traffic stop on a tractor trailer at the Flying J Truck Stop in Edinburg. A K9 unit hit on the cargo of dozens of water coolers. A closer look revealed nearly 300 bundles of marijuana totaling 4,500 pounds. The investigation is ongoing. Source: [www.krgv.com/content/news/story/Agents-Find-Marijuana-in-Load-of-Water-Coolers/1KX2LC4GZUGuYcRirtjmQQ.cspx] Return to Contents L. Z-40 Denies Challenging the Mexican Government (TAMPS) Updated Article 12 December 2011 Borderland Beat Through at least 10 "narco" banners hung from pedestrian overpasses throughout the city of Nuevo Laredo early Monday morning, Los Zetas distanced themselves from messages hung last week in the same city that directly challenged the power of the Mexican and U.S. governments. Written as a personal message from Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, a Nuevo Laredo native with a reputation for extreme violence and alleged second in command of the Zetas criminal

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organization, the banners reject any connection to last week's messages and state that they have no wish to govern Mexico or maintain a political regime, and deny being terrorists or guerrillas. The messages also denied any involvement in an Iranian Revolutionary Guard plot to murder the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the U.S. using Zeta operatives and claimed that Los Zetas are against terrorism. An Iranian-American and a high level Revolutionary Guard official were charged last October by the U.S. Justice Department with conspiracy to assassinate the Ambassador. The banners ended with a claim that the men who set fire to the casino in Monterrey that resulted in 52 deaths acted on their own and were not under any orders from superiors. The messages ended with Los Zetas stressing their respect for the Mexican Government. Original text of the banners: A QUIEN CORRESPONDA Respecto a la manta sobre mi persona MIGUEL ÁNGEL TREVIÑO MORALES, que reta al gobierno Mexicano y a todas las autoridades y agencias federales de los 2 países. Les aclaro que esa manta No la mande a poner yo, para empezar. Nosotros no gobernamos el país, tampoco tenemos un régimen, no somos terroristas ni guerrilleros. Nosotros nos dedicamos a nuestro trabajo y lo que menos queremos es tener problema con ningún gobierno, ya sea mexicano y mucho menos con el americano. Esa manta la ha de haber puesto alguna persona sin que hacer, lo que esa persona quiere es contrapuntearme contra el gobierno y que el gobierno piense que soy de la mentalidad. Sí, yo sé y estoy consciente de que no se puede ni se debe pelear con ningún gobierno. A mí ni por mi mente pasa ponerme con Sansón a las patadas, no tengo ningún motivo para poner esas tonterías en una manta, tampoco pienso que el gobierno crea que alguien con cerebro a aponer esas tonterías y a firmar con su nombre. También queremos aclarar que el cartel de los Z, no somos terroristas y estamos en contra del terrorismo. Hace poco en todos los medios decía que la DEA tenía un informante que les comento que nosotros íbamos a hacer un atentado con un embajador. Nosotros no tenemos ni ganas de tener que ver con hechos de esa índole. Eso no es lo de nosotros ni tenemos esa mentalidad, esa manta la tuvo que haber puesto alguien que lo que quiere lograr es que volteen a verme. No sé quién la haya puesto, ni voy a decir que fue tal grupo o tal persona, porque en realidad no sé quien fue. Pero lo que si es que respeto al gobierno mexicano y americano y me deslindo de estos comentarios estúpidos que hicieron en esa manta y les recalco que no soy de esa mentalidad y el cartel

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de los Z ni intenta ni va a intentar nunca. Y respecto a lo que paso en el casino royal en Monterrey N. L. Eso no fue ordenado, eso fue una tontería que hicieron esas personas, Bajo su criterio, no fue algo que se haya ordenado. No creo que les haya pasado en su cerebro de pollo el daño que el iban a ocasionar a los familiares de las personas que fallecieron en esos lamentables hechos. Nuestro más sincero pésame y queremos se den cuenta que nosotros no ordenamos eso, Nosotros sabemos que esto va a ocasionar muchos comentario, esos que hicieron esos pendejos no tienen sentido ni razón, ni el problema en el que se iban a meter. Nuestro respeto al gobierno mexicano”. TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN With respect to the banner under my name, MIGUEL ANGEL TREVIÑO MORALES, that challenges the Mexican government and all the authorities and federal agencies of both countries. To start with let me clarify that I did not order those banners to be hung. We do not govern this country, nor do we have a regime; we are not terrorists or guerrillas. We are dedicated to our occupation and what we least desire is to have problems with any government, neither Mexico or much less with the U.S. That message must have been put by someone with nothing better to do; that person wants to set me up against the government and make the government believe that is my mindset. Yes, I know and am aware that you cannot and should not fight against any government. Never in my right mind would I pick a fight against Samson, I have no motive to put such those stupidness on a message, nor do I think the government believes anybody with a brain would sign their name to such stupidness. We also want to clarify that the Zeta cartel are not terrorists and we are against terrorism. Not long ago the media said the DEA had an informant commented that we would make an attempt against the life of an ambassador. We would not now or ever have any such inclination. That is not who we are or how we think. That message must have been put up by someone who wants to ostracize me. I don't know who put it up, nor am I going to say it was this group or that person because in reality I have no idea. But what is true is that I respect the Mexican and the American governments, and I reject those foolish comments on that message and I reiterate that I am not of that mindset nor is the Zeta cartel, now or ever. In regards to what happened at the casino royal in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon: those were not our orders, it was stupid what those people did. I don't think those idiost realized the damage they were doing to the families of the victims that died in that regrettable occurence. With our most sincere condolences we want it understood we did not order that. We know this will cause an outcry but what those idiots did was senseless and they did not realize the problems they were getting into. Our respect to the Mexican government. Source: [www.borderlandbeat.com/]

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Return to Contents M. Gente Nueva in Chihuahua To Clean Up (CHIH) 12 December 2011 Borderland Beat A graffiti on a wall that contain a message by a criminal group warned the governor of Chihuahua that they have arrived to the city of Chihuahua to clean up the town "la plaza." The message was signed by "La Gente Nueva" and the graffiti was left on the streets of Eucalipto and Gabino Barrera in the community of Granjas, that placed various police agencies on alert. The massage was written in red ink on a white wall. According to unconfirmed sources a late model SUV had arrived at the scene and several men started writing the message. "Mr. Governor. We came here to clean up the plaza of Chihuahua. Atte" La Gente Nueva. The people ask and live at 100%" Source: [www.borderlandbeat.com/2011/12/gente-nueva-in-chihuahua-to-clean-up] Return to Contents N. Grenade Attack Leaves 1 Dead, 9 Wounded in Eastern Mexico (VER) 13 December 2011 Latin American Herald Tribune One person was killed and nine others were wounded when someone threw a grenade at a group of people during an illegal cockfight over the weekend in a town in the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz, police said. The incident occurred around 1:00 a.m. Sunday in Cerro Gordo, a community located outside the city of Emiliano Zapata and some 330 kilometers (205 miles) east of Mexico City. Someone attending the cockfight threw the grenade at a group of people, eyewitnesses said. The Veracruz state Attorney General’s Office said nine people were wounded by shrapnel, while police put the number wounded at up to 20. Army troops, marines and state police cordoned off the crime scene and launched a search for the assailants. A grenade was found and neutralized by army and marine corps explosives experts.

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The wounded were taken to Luis Nachon hospital in Xalapa, the capital of Veracruz, where they were treated and released. Prosecutors are investigating the illegal cockfight and the attack, the state government said. Veracruz has been plagued by a turf war between rival drug cartels that has sent the murder rate skyrocketing this year. Residents of Veracruz city were stunned on Sept. 20 by the discovery of 35 bodies dumped on a busy thoroughfare. A week later, 32 bodies were found at three drug-gang “safe houses” in the Veracruz-Boca del Rio metro area. The recent uptick in violence prompted the federal government to deploy the military in the state in October. The federal operation involves cleaning up local police departments and strengthening intelligence efforts to bolster security across Veracruz state. The Gulf, Los Zetas, and the relatively new Jalisco Nueva Generacion cartels, as well as breakaway members of the once-powerful La Familia Michoacana crime syndicate, are fueling the violence in Veracruz, which is Mexico’s third-most populous state and coveted as a key drug-trafficking corridor to the United States, officials said. Source: [www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=451652&CategoryId=14091] Return to Contents O. BP Agent Tasers Suspected Drug Smuggler (AZ) 9 December 2011 Tucson Sentinel A Nogales Station agent used a Taser on a suspected drug smuggler Thursday after the suspect made a threatening move toward the agent, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Friday. The agent, who suspected a vehicle might be carrying narcotics, tried to make a traffic stop at the intersection of Western Avenue and Kitchen Street in Nogales, but the driver sped up. The man then jumped from the moving vehicle, the Border Patrol said. The agent chased the man on foot, but as the agent moved in, the man turned toward the agent and reached inside his jacket. The suspect refused to get on the ground at the agent’s command and the agent Tasered him, the Border Patrol said.

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A knife in a sheath was found inside the man’s jacket and 243 pounds of pot were found in the vehicle, the Border Patrol said. A Border Patrol EMT checked out the suspect who declined medical treatment, the Border Patrol said. The suspect, vehicle and drugs were taken the Nogales Station for processing and the man faces federal charges, the Border Patrol said. In other activity in the Tucson Sector on Thursday: Arrest Ajo Station agents apprehended a Mexican man for illegally entering the United States. The man admitted to being a member of the Sureño 13 gang. He was held for a reinstatement of a prior removal order and faces possible federal charges. Assist Nogales agents working at the Interstate 19 checkpoint found weapons on two people when they pulled over a vehicle for inspection after a canine alerted agents to possible drugs. Record checks revealed the driver, a minor, was arrested in November for a narcotics violation. The driver and his passenger did not have driver's licenses and the Department of Public was called in. The pair was searched and agents found the weapons, one of which was stolen. Both weapons were seized and the subject with the stolen gun was arrested for illegal possession of a firearm. Rescues Casa Grande Station agents responding to an activation from a rescue beacon found nine Guatemalan nationals in the country illegally. None of the people required medical attention, but said they were tired from walking through the desert. They were taken to the station for processing. Source: [www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/120911_borderpatrol_taser/bp-agent-tasers-suspected-drug-smuggler] Return to Contents P. Fire in Rowland Heights Home Reveals Marijuana-Growing Operation (CA) 13 December 2011 Los Angeles Times Firefighters putting out a house fire in Rowland Heights discovered marijuana plants growing inside, officials said Tuesday.

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Authorities were unsure how many plants were inside the two-story, single-family house on the 18000 block of Villa Clara Street, said the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. The department's narcotics bureau will be investigating, he said. No one was inside the house when firefighters arrived at 10:49 p.m. Monday after the department received reports of black smoke coming from the house, said Inspector of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The fire was contained to the second floor and was extinguished by 11:19 p.m., he said. One firefighter was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. The blaze may have been caused by an electrical malfunction, he said. Source: [latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/12/firefighters-marijuana-plants-rowland-heights] Return to Contents Q. Man gets 50 to Life for Santa Ana Gang-Related Murder (CA) 9 December 2011 L.A. Now A gang member was sentenced Friday to 50 years to life in prison for murdering a 13-year-old rival gang member in front of Santa Ana High School in 2008. A 20 year old man, who was 16 at the time of the killing, shot the victim four times after backing the victim into a fence, according to a statement from the Orange County district attorney's office. He was tried as an adult and convicted of first-degree murder in September. “This case illustrates how dangerous gang activity is,” said chief of staff for the D.A.'s office. “This occurred in front of a high school as children were coming out.” The defendant approached the victim and asked the victim which gang he claimed, according to the D.A.'s statement. The victim then challenged defendant to a fistfight, and he responded by drawing a semiautomatic gun from his waistband and firing . “Younger and younger children are being recruited to commit crime,” the chief of staff said. “Even kids in elementary school are being approached to join gangs." The sentence "sends the message that gangs are a dead-end.” Source: [latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/12/santa-ana-teen-gets-50-years-to-life-in-prison-for-gang-related-murder] Return to Contents

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R. Mexico Says Captured Cartel Leader Had Arsenal (VER) Updated Article 13 December 2011 Associated Press Mexican authorities said Tuesday that an alleged founder of the Zetas drug cartel had an arsenal of 169 weapons when he was captured Monday, and may have been linked to the abduction of nine Mexican marines. Navy spokesman Jose Luis Vergara said suspect Raul Lucio Hernandez Lechuga oversaw Zetas operations around the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, where nine marines disappeared earlier this year. Vergara said a suspect was killed and a marine wounded in a firefight that erupted during Hernandez Lechuga's capture Monday in the Veracruz state city of Cordoba. The bust was the result of a yearlong intelligence operation, Vergara said. Marines found 133 rifles, five grenade launchers, 29 grenades and 36 pistols at the scene of the raid near a highway. Marines also found bulletproof vests with the letter "Z", the zetas symbol, on the front. Vergara said Hernandez Lechuga was one of Mexico's 37 most wanted drug traffickers, and that with his arrest, 22 of those 37 have either been killed or detained. The Zetas have been linked to some of the apparent abductions of Mexican marines, but Vergara didn't say what specific evidence authorities had of Hernandez Lechuga's involvement in the cases. The apparent abductions of Mexican navy personnel have been shrouded in mystery, with the navy previously acknowledging that three marines and a navy cadet were abducted by suspected drug cartel gunmen in August in Veracruz, the state's largest city. Later that month, the navy said it had found four bodies in a pit on the outskirts of Veracruz city, and that the remains might be those of the missing marines, but it never publicly confirmed that was the case. At a Tuesday news conference where Hernandez Lechuga and four alleged associates were paraded before the media, Vergara said a total of nine marines had disappeared, but didn't say whether any of them had been found.

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Mexican drug cartels have kidnapped and killed military personnel before, but such incidents remain relatively rare. Hernandez Lechuga was the leader of the Zetas in about 10 states, including Veracruz. The federal government had offered a reward of 15 million pesos, or about $1.2 million, for information leading to his arrest. Vergara said the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration was also offering a $1 million reward for Hernandez Lechuga, known by the nickname "Lucky." The Zetas organization was formed by a small group of elite soldiers based in Tamaulipas state, across the border from Texas, who deserted to work for the Gulf drug cartel in the 1990s. The Zetas split from their former allies in the Gulf cartel last year, setting off bloody fights throughout Mexico as they sought to expand south. In Veracruz, the Zetas are believed to be locked in a bloody turf battle with groups allied with the Sinaloa cartel. Also Tuesday, gunmen killed a town's deputy mayor and her bodyguard and wounded the town's police chief and his family while they were in the northern city of Chihuahua, authorities said. Attackers opened fire on the two cars being used by the officials from the town of Gran Morelos, said the Chihuahua state prosecutors' spokesman, Carlos Gonzalez. He said deputy mayor Idalia Ayala and her bodyguard died in one car. Police chief Miguel Gomez was in the second with his wife and two children, and all were wounded and taken to a hospital, Gonzalez said. Gomez was named police chief after last month's arrest of Gran Morelos' top cop. Authorities said soldiers caught the police chief while he and police officers from the nearby town of Belisario Dominguez met with a boss for La Linea, a gang of hit men for the Juarez Cartel. In neighboring Coahuila state, gunmen killed the director of the prison in the capital city of Saltillo, authorities said. Serafin Pena Santos was ambushed Tuesday afternoon as he drove through a residential area of the northern city, state prosecutors said in a statement. Prosecutors didn't give a motive in the killing, but said the assailants used automatic rifles, weapons commonly used by Mexico's drug traffickers. Source: [www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45656864/#.TugN9WO5MVA]

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S. Website Hacked in San Nicolas

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11 December 2011 El Norte San Nicolas’s City website hacked between yesterday morning and this afternoon by the group “Anonymous”. Posted on the homepage was a photograph of President Felipe Calderon wearing a Christmas hat and messages demanding highway security. Spanish Source: [www.elnorte.com/edicionimpresa/notas/20111211/local/1134208.htm] T. Summary of Events 11 December 2011 NAFBO **Asterisk denotes death involving a police officer or a member of the military serving in that capacity. Some items may be from notirex.com. HIDALGO, NUEVO LEÓN State and federal authorities, including Mexican Army, captured 2 Zeta leaders last night, along with 18 gunmen. The cartel was meeting in a bar, and was allegedly to pay those that controlled drug sales in Hidalgo, El Carmen, Abasolo, and Mina. Detained were the head of the square identified as El Chicho, along with another leader called El Sapo, prompting a shootout inside the bar. One cartel gunman was shot. SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS A federal court in San Antonio, Texas imposed a sentence of 18 years and six months in prison by Mexican drug trafficker Juan Jose Quintero Payan, Don Juanjo , considered the second most important man of the Juarez cartel after Amado Carrillo Fuentes disappeared. Quintero Payan, 69, also must pay a fine of $ 250 000 and subject to federal supervision for four years after release. TAMAULIPAS Mexican Army and authorities have made one arrest and seized 47 thousand packages of marijuana weighing four tons, 314 grams. Also seized US$50,000, four rifles, 69 magazines, two thousand 38 cartridges of different calibers, a vehicle, three antennas, radio equipment. TORREON, COAHUILA Clashes between Mexican Army and cartel assassins have left the city residents frightened, and six persons dead. Three are known to be bad guys, bub more information was not reported. They seized two AK-47 guns, a rifle M-2 plus 39 magazines, 253 cartridges caliber 7.62 and a Ram truck reported stolen out of Chihuahua.

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Source: [www.nafbo.org] 4. CARRIBEAN, CENTRAL, AND SOUTH AMERICA A. Puerto Rico Government Denies Island is ‘Narco-State’ (PR) 13 December 2011 Latino Fox News The government denied that Puerto Rico has become a "narco-state," after local economists' estimates that the illegal drug trade contributes about 20 percent of the Caribbean island's gross domestic product were released. Important members of the Governor’s administration rejected the characterization of Puerto Rico as a narco-state, a situation being heavily reported in the local media. …, an economics professor at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez, told Efe that the figure of $9 billion, or 20 percent of the GDP, that some of his colleagues have estimated as the weight of illegal drugs in the island's GDP is feasible. Drug trafficking "tends to insert itself into the governmental framework" and Puerto Rico's strategic location as a bridge between drug-producing and -receiving countries has contributed toward allowing the illicit activity to flourish on the island, he said. Since the mid-1980s, Puerto Rico has been heavily linked to the international drug trafficking economy, especially to cocaine, which found a perfect location where it could grow in a society such as the one on the island afflicted by social breakdown and the loss of values, the economist said. Criminal organizations since that time have fostered the growth of the underground economy and consolidated the role of Puerto Rico as a drug transit point between South America and the United States and Europe. Although the U.S. commonwealth is facing a serious social problem due to the incidence of drug activity, Puerto Rico cannot be spoken of as a narco-state, Puerto Rico's representative to the U.S. Congress, … , said. "To characterize Puerto Rico as a 'narco-state,' drugs would have to have penetrated to the highest government offices, which is not the case," Pierluisi said. It is an insult to describe Puerto Rico as a narco-state, Justice Secretary … said. That would mean that the drugs would have penetrated all local institutions, he said, adding that he did not know of any case in Puerto Rico where a judge, prosecutor or head of a government agency was involved in drug trafficking.

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The newspaper El Nuevo Dia noted in its Monday issue that already in the mid-1990s the then-speaker of the island's House of Representatives, …, noted the alleged links of four members of that body to drug trafficking. The complaint was rejected by the then-justice secretary, … . Puerto Rican police have also been tainted by drug trafficking as reflected in October 2010 when the FBI carried out in Puerto Rico the largest operation in its history against police corruption linked to drug trafficking. The operation resulted in the arrests of 133 suspects, including police officers, public officials, army soldiers and former military officers who worked to provide protection to drug traffickers during illicit transactions all over the island. Puerto Rico, is moving dangerously close to fulfilling the criteria used by the United Nations to define a territory as a narco-state, El Nuevo Dia said. The paper noted that the island has problems of a lack of transparency in its institutions and a state apparatus that is incapable of exercising its authority in certain areas, has been suffering from an economic crisis for more than five years and is facing a situation where several drug trafficking groups are challenging the state. Source: [latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2011/12/13/puerto-rican-govt-denies-island-is-narco-state] Return to Contents B. Two Soldiers Killed, 3 Wounded in Fighting in Colombia (CO) 12 December 2011 Latin American Herald Tribune At least two soldiers were killed and three others wounded in fighting with FARC guerrillas in a coca-growing region of the southern Colombian province of Caqueta over the weekend, the army said. The fighting broke out after Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, guerrillas attacked soldiers taking part in a coca eradication project in a rural area outside the town of La Montañita, the 12th Brigade said. The soldiers, who belong to an infantry battalion, were caught by surprise by “terrorists from the FARC’s 15th Front,” the army said. The wounded soldiers were transported to a medical center and are “receiving specialized treatment,” the army said.

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FARC rebels, meanwhile, wounded a police officer and five civilians during an attack Saturday night on a military base outside La Macarena, a city in the central province of Meta, military spokesmen in Villavicencio, and the provincial capital, said. The FARC, Colombia’s oldest and largest leftist guerrilla group, was founded in 1964, has an estimated 8,000 fighters and operates across a large swath of this Andean nation. Source: [www.laht.com/article.asp?CategoryId=1239]

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C. Grenade Attack Leaves 1 Dead, 7 Wounded in Colombia (CO) 13 December 2011 Latin American Herald Tribune A young woman was killed and seven other people were wounded when unidentified individuals threw a grenade at them in the southwestern Colombian city of Cali, police said. The fatality was a 19-year-old woman, the Cali Metropolitan Police Department said. The attack occurred early Saturday in Aguablanca, a district on the east side of Cali, the capital of Valle del Cauca province. A boy and two women are among the seven people wounded in the attack, which was staged by two men riding a motorcycle. A reward of 20 million pesos (about $10,378) is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the assailants, the Cali Metropolitan Police Department said. The attack was blamed on a possible dispute between rival gangs. Source: [www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=451248&CategoryId=12393] Return to Contents D. Guerrillas Use Dead Body in Attack in Colombia (CO) 8 December 2011 Crime Site Four police officers were slightly wounded on Wednesday when they approached a man’s body that FARC rebels left surrounded with explosives on the outskirts of Florencia, a city in the southwestern Colombian province of Caqueta, officials said.

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The officers, all members of the criminal investigations division, went to the site where the body had been dumped after receiving a tip. The officers became suspicious when they spotted the body, which had gunshot wounds, and called for the bomb squad. Several explosive charges that the guerrillas had hidden around the body went off as the officers were pulling out. The explosives were apparently detonated by an electronic apparatus, Caqueta police commander Col. Carlos Alberto Vargas said from Florencia, the provincial capital. The blast left the officers “dazed,” the colonel said. The body, which has not been identified, was used by the rebels as a decoy, Vargas said. Florencia is at the center of a region that has a strong presence of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, guerrillas. Source: [www.crimesite.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2334:guerrillas-use-dead-body-in-attack-in-colombia&catid=1:latest-news] Return to Contents 5. OPINION AND ANALYSIS The Administration uses Honor System to Secure Border (TX) Updated Article 12 December 2011 Seeing Red AZ Fox News reports on the administration’s disturbing scheme to supplant U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents with National Park Service employees at the Big Bend National Park in West Texas. “Improved conservation efforts” take precedence over bloody border drug wars and illegal traffic flooding into the United States, as he approves this unmanned border entry with Mexico. Kiosks are expected to be in place by spring which will allow Mexican nationals and others desiring unfettered access into our country, to scan their identity documents and talk to a customs officer in another location — at least 100 miles away. As CIS reports, there is already a massive

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business in forged, stolen and counterfeit identification that aids illegal traffic. Look for this foolish risk-taking on the part of our own government to intensify it. Republican Texas Congressman is a member of the House Homeland Security committee. He has strong credentials in this arena, having previously served as Chief of Counter Terrorism and National Security in the U.S. Attorney’s office in Texas, and led the Joint Terrorism Task Force charged with detecting, deterring and preventing terrorist activity. U. S. Rep. questioned the wisdom of using taxpayer paid, federal funds to expand access to unauthorized border crossers. “We need to use our resources to secure the border rather than making it easier to enter in locations where we already have problems with illegal crossings,” he said. “There is more to the oversight of legal entry than checking documents. U.S. Customs and Border Protection needs to be physically present at every point of entry in order to inspect for contraband, detect suspicious behavior and, if necessary, act on what they encounter.” The representative’s background also includes service as Texas Deputy Attorney General and as a federal prosecutor in the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section in Washington, D.C. News reports state a “public comment” period cuts off December 27, although there is no link to any such site. The estimated $2.3 million project has support at the highest levels of government from both this administration and Mexican President Felipe Calderon. What a surprise. Source: [seeingredaz.wordpress.com] Return to Contents B. With Six Daily Deaths in Cuidad Juarez, Mexican Drug War Heats Up (CHIH) 12 December 2011 Policymic Four people on December 8 have been horrifically shot and killed in an ambulance in war-torn Cuidad Juarez. Yet, this tragedy comes as no surprise due to the regular reports of murder and mayhem coming out of Mexico. These incidents, as seen in Cuidad Juarez, are a part of the ongoing Mexican drug war. Unfortunately, the U.S. is making the drug war worse by its failed law enforcement operations and its own inadequacies with gun control laws. America is causing needless civilian deaths on both sides of the border. For example, in law enforcement operations such as Fast and Furious and Wide Receiver, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) allowed gun runners to buy firearms for the cartels and transport them, hoping they would help track down larger bosses. The D.E.A. has also led

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controversial money laundering stings in order to see how the system works. Fighting this war is becoming not just a failure, but an embarrassment because the results are unsuccessful and have led to many deaths. The Guardian estimates that 45,000 deaths have occurred in the last five years in Mexico alone. CNN estimates that the homicide rate in Ciudad Juarez stands at an average of six people daily. This kind of crime is beginning to spill over the border and is therefore resulting in American deaths as well. Only last year a border patrol agent, was shot and killed. Near the scene were two American-made guns, purchased from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) in the disastrous Fast and Furious operation. American policies and law enforcement actions are only exacerbating Mexico’s war on drugs. Both supply the cartels with the guns and ammunition to continue killing; in turn, the guns provide protection for their trade and thus the funds to secure more guns and more capital. Eighty-seven percent of all arms in the cartels' hands are from the U.S. “The United States is the easiest and the cheapest place for drug traffickers to get their firearms, and as long as we are the easiest and cheapest place for the cartels to get their firearms there'll continue to be gun trafficking," said an ATF special agent to the Huffington Post. Most of the weapons are legally bought in gun shops and then illegally smuggled into Mexico. It’s impossible to tell how many have slipped into Mexico. According to one of the leaders in the Zeta’s cartel, Jesus Enrique Rejon, “All the weapons are bought in the United States.” How exactly is this happening? Most of the guns are bought from U.S. citizens called straw-buyers, and then delivered to drug-traffickers. They are paid anywhere from $50 to $500 for each buy. Straw-buyers are usually poor, which makes this an attractive opportunity. Mexican president Felipe Calderon and U.S. Attorney General have pleaded for tougher arms control legislation, but these pleas have fallen on deaf ears. Within our law enforcement, specifically the ATF, Fast and Furious and Wide Receiver operations have come under the media microscope. Originally, these operations were intended to investigate how the networks were run. ATF agents would sell gun runners firearms through gun shops and track their movement in order to identify the bosses of the cartels. Out of 2000 weapons, the ATF has lost track of 1,400. The arms have since been linked to a number of deadly crimes in Mexico. Adding to American embarrassment, the DEA has shipped hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal profit across the border and has also laundered money in an attempt to understand how the cartels operate. These reckless blunders are only fueling the war and are responsible for a number of murders in Mexico. Which begs the question: Is America really treating war with the seriousness that it deserves? It’s hard to understand the mentality of our do-nothing Congress. The U.S. is giving money and supplies to cartels, and thus the war, by allowing our system to be exploited. It's time we start doing more for the Mexican government, our ally in the war on drugs. Source: [www.policymic.com/articles/2846/with-six-daily-deaths-in-ciudad-juarez-mexican-drug-war-heats-up] Return to Contents

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C. Anti-Drug Effort Shows Results in Southwest (OR) 13 December 2011 The Bulletin By this time in recent years, local police agencies already would have trudged miles into remote forestlands to jerk hundreds of thousands of marijuana plants linked to Mexican drug cartels out of the ground and burn them. The cartels, police say, are responsible for virtually all of the major marijuana gardens on public lands. The “cartel grows,” as police call them, are a danger to the public and an environmental catastrophe. Some cartel operations have been booby-trapped and guarded by armed sentinels. Police in Northern California have engaged in gun battles with suspects in large marijuana gardens. Last year, two Jackson County sheriff’s deputies shot and killed a Mexican national suspected of guarding a cartel garden near Salt Creek in northern Jackson County. The deputies believed the man, who was armed with a shotgun but never fired his weapon, was a threat. A grand jury cleared the deputies of wrongdoing in the shooting. Jackson County Sheriff and District Attorney declined to release the names of the deputies involved because they feared retribution from a Mexican drug cartel suspected of being responsible for the growing operation. In 2010, a team formed to fight suspected drug cartels growing marijuana in Southern Oregon forests pulled 125,787 cartel plants with an estimated value of more than $283 million. This was in line with previous years, when police from various agencies descended into Jackson County’s forests to destroy cartel gardens that stretched for miles. 93 percent reduction This year, however, the gardens were nowhere to be found. “We’ve only been in two cartel gardens in 2011,” the Sheriff said. “The number of plants was very low. We saw a 93 percent reduction this year in cartel marijuana in southwest Oregon.” The cartel gardens were such a problem before 2011 that the sheriff formed the Southern Oregon Multi-Agency Marijuana Eradication and Reclamation team, which covers Jackson, Josephine, Coos, Curry, Douglas, Klamath and Lake counties. SOMMER operates on a $600,000 budget, funded mostly by federal grants. The team’s sole purpose is to rid Southern Oregon of cartel gardens. So, mission accomplished? Not so fast, say law enforcement and civilian authorities on drug cartels.

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Local cops throw around the word “cartel” when describing the organizations behind large marijuana gardens. But what exactly do they mean when they describe a criminal enterprise run by a “cartel?” The director of Oregon’s High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program, which funnels $3.16 million in federal grant money to nine Oregon counties to help fight drug distribution. Because Interstate 5 runs through Jackson County, it is considered a highly traveled corridor for traffickers moving drugs from Los Angeles to Seattle and beyond. “When we talk about cartels, what comes to mind is seven or eight large drug organizations that operate in Mexico at a given time,” he said. “They are the suppliers for most of the drugs that move into Oregon.” The National Drug Intelligence Center recently released its report for 2011. In it, the organization describes seven major cartels that are the most active in moving drugs from Mexico to the United States. Jackson County presence Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement supervisor Deputy Chief said it’s reasonable to assume the cartels have a presence in Jackson County. “We have knowledge of specific cartels that have done business in this area,” he said. “But we don’t name them publicly because these cases remain open.” Medford police Lt. a MADGE supervisor, said the cartels have a strong influence in the Rogue Valley even though members of the crime organizations are not in the area. “A lot of the folks we arrest here are the ‘expendables,’ he said. “They are low-level dealers with ties to the cartels.” In fact, the director said, he doubts a high-ranking cartel member has ever set foot in Oregon. “You’re not going to find these cartels basing an operation in Oregon,” he said. “You are just going to find their influence and their dope.” Cartel leaders rarely stray from their home bases in Mexico, according to the Sheriff. “Why would they take the chance in coming up here when they can send underlings?” he said. “It’s like a major corporation. The worker on the line doesn’t know who the big boss is in another city. The cartels keep it that way because they distance themselves from the street dealers, who often get arrested.” He added that the men who guard the marijuana gardens often are paid by cartel middlemen to tend the crops. They receive a payout at harvest season. Changing tactics

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As powerful as Mexico’s large cartels are — and there is ample proof they wield much influence in their country’s government — they are keen on seeking the path of least resistance when carving marijuana gardens into public forestlands. Over the past five years, local agencies scoured southwest Oregon forests looking for the large gardens. The unwelcome heat most likely inspired the cartels to move into areas where they can operate without prying eyes. One of their new targets is the mountains and vast forests of northeastern Oregon. In June, 91,000 pot plants were pulled in the state’s largest reported marijuana garden in the Blue Mountains, just outside Enterprise. Wallowa County Sheriff said his agency has received solid intelligence that the garden was connected to a Mexican cartel. “We won’t name a particular cartel,” he said. “But this was a professional operation. They had sleeping areas, water, irrigation, a cooking area. It was a well-organized camp.” Jackson Sheriff said the gardens in Wallowa County closely resembled those previously discovered in Jackson County. “They just moved into a place where there were hundreds of thousands of miles of wild land and not enough law enforcement to cover it all,” he said. “It’s impossible to patrol that much land, even if you had 100 deputies. This is why this problem is so hard for us to deal with.” Medford deputy chief said he expects the cartels will try to creep back into Jackson County in the coming years. The weather and the soil are conducive to growing world-class pot, he said. “There’s just too much money to be made here,” he added. “They’ll take every chance they get to make money.” Just because the marijuana gardens have slowed down doesn’t mean the cartels aren’t cashing in on Jackson County’s drug market. Since 2005, when Oregon banned over-the-counter sales of cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, a main ingredient in meth, the local meth lab scene has all but dried up. The cartels were happy to step in and meet the demand, the director said. “I’d say that 97 percent of the meth that comes into Oregon is from cartel-run super labs in Mexico,” he said. Deputy Chief agreed, adding that the cartels have the capital to buy meth ingredients by the ton to produce in these labs.

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DOJ’s assessment The U.S. Department of Justice supports MADGE’s claims, saying that the movement of meth from Mexico into the Pacific Northwest is gaining steam. The agency comes to a bleak conclusion concerning the influence Mexican cartels will have in the Pacific Northwest’s drug market in the coming years. The agency cites the cartels’ near monopoly of smuggling routes in the U.S.’s Southwest border regions and their ability to “produce (or obtain), transport, and distribute nearly every major illicit drug of abuse in the United States.” The power of the cartels will not wane anytime soon, despite the governments of both Mexico and the U.S. spending hundreds of millions each year on efforts to fight the cartel influence. “Major Mexican-based (cartels) and their associates are solidifying their dominance of the U.S. wholesale drug trade and will maintain their reign for the foreseeable future,” the Department of Justice said in its report. Source: [www.bendbulletin.com/article/20111213/NEWS0107/112130387] Return to Contents