The feast of the three kings is widely celebrated in Mexico. It's also traditional to bake a special bread — una rosca— which includes a small ceramic statue of the newborn Jesus. Families (and sometimes entire communities) gather to exchange gifts and share the bread. The person who receives the hidden baby Jesus has the responsibility for guarding and protecting the infant Jesus from the family/community nativity scene until the Feast of la Candelaria in February.
The tradition relates to the killing of the innocents by King Herod, and the protection of the baby Jesus is considered a sacred responsibility and honour.
Meanwhile, the bloody slaughter continues unabated in many Mexican communities and homes!
The tradition relates to the killing of the innocents by King Herod, and the protection of the baby Jesus is considered a sacred responsibility and honour.
Meanwhile, the bloody slaughter continues unabated in many Mexican communities and homes!
Piden a los Reyes que renuncie Calderón
Una manta fue colocada en un puente peatonal sobre Viaducto, en la Colonia Roma Sur, en la que se pide a los Reyes Magos la renuncia del Presidente. [reforma.com - nacional] - subscription required but no further details are necessary to understand the message.
The photo above is from La Jornada (January 6) and cynically entitled ¿Melchor, Gaspar y Baltasar?
(Desde temprana hora, verdaderos tumultos de padres de familia inundaron calles y almacenes, donde se revivió la tradición de comprar juguetes para los niños. La industria juguetera del país estimó que sus ventas registraron una disminución de 10 por ciento, lo cual atribuyó a la competencia del comercio informal. En la imagen, operativo de vigilancia en Toluca Foto José Hernández /Agencia MVT)
Hernandez (La Jornada 06.01.10)
Recommended
From AP: Alexandra Olson: from Globe and Mail (Toronto) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/mexican-federal-police-announce-capture-of-alleged-drug-lord-carlos-beltran-leyva/article1417367/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheGlobeAndMail-Front+(The+Globe+and+Mail+-+Latest+News)
Ricardo Ravelo:Proceso.com.mx edition 1730 _ http://www.proceso.com.mx/rv/modHome/detalleExclusiva/75065 (requires subscription) Modified version in Rio Doce January 4_ http://www.riodoce.com.mx/content/view/3838/1/CARTELES: LA REACOMODACIÓN
Arrest of Mexican drug kingpin shakes his dynasty
The capture of a reputed kingpin following the death of his brother has knocked out most of a brutal drug trafficking dynasty after a Mexican crackdown on corruption stripped the Beltran Leyva cartel of many snitches within security forces. [The Globe and Mail - Front Page News]
Mexico Captures Brother of Slain Cartel Boss
The arrest of Carlos Beltrán Leyva comes weeks after his brother Arturo, reputed chief of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel, was killed in a shootout. [NYT > Americas]
Mexico Announces Capture of Drug Lord
The capture of Carlos Beltran Levya comes two weeks after Mexican troops killed his brother. The two men and their three brothers founded the cartel.
[NYT > Americas]
Capture deals another blow to Mexican drug cartel [Mexico News from The Dallas Morning News]
Capture of Carlos Beltran Leyva is another blow to Mexico's most violent drug-smuggling gang
He is taken into custody soon after the death of his brother, Arturo, chief of the Sinaloa cartel founded by five Beltran Levya brothers.
Mexican federal police Saturday announced the capture of Carlos Beltran Leyva, an alleged major drug trafficker whose brother, cartel leader Arturo Beltran Leyva, was killed in a shootout with Mexican marines last month. [L.A. Times - Latin America]
Tras la vacante criminal
El funeral. Jefatura disponible. Advierten una sucesión cruenta en el cártel de los Beltrán Leyva
Días después de que Arturo Beltrán Leyva cayó bajo las balas de los marinos, empezó no solo la disputa por su herencia criminal, cuyo pastel codician todos, narcos y no narcos, sino una oleada de venganzas sangrientas.... [RioDoceCuliacan]
Arraigan a hermano del Jefe de Jefes
Carlos Beltrán Leyva. Otro golpe al cártel.Un juez federal concedió a la Procuraduría General de la República (PGR) el arraigo por 40 días de Carlos Beltrán Leyva, presunto integrante del cártel que lideraba su hermano Arturo Beltrán Leyva, muerto en un enfrentamiento con personal de la Marina el 16... [RioDoceCuliacan]
Dudan que se acabe con los Beltrán Leyva
Diputados del PAN, PRI y PRD dijeron que se necesita una operación financiera para 'ir cerrando los espacios de influencia y de ejercicio tanto financiero como operativo' [El Universal: Minuto x Minuto]
Héctor Beltrán asume el mando del cártel: PF
Tras la muerte de “El Barbas” sus dos hermanos tomaron el control. De acuerdo con un informe de la Policía Federal, el nuevo líder dejó su sitio como encargado de las finanzas y el lavado de activos a una figura poco visible en la organización [El Universal: México]
La PF detiene en Culiacán a hermano del “Jefe de Jefes”
Al momento de su arresto, Carlos Beltrán Leyva presentó una licencia de conducir presuntamente emitida por el estado de Sinaloa a nombre de Carlos Gámez Orpineda, la que al ser consultada en el Centro de Inteligencia resultó ser un documento falso [El Universal: Minuto x Minuto]
Perfil Carlos Beltrán Leyva
El hermano de Arturo Beltrán Leyva, alias El Barbas, fue detenido por elementos de la Policía Federal la noche de este sábado en Sinaloa [El Universal: Minuto x Minuto]
PF captura a Carlos Beltrán Leyva
Cae en Sinaloa el hermano de Arturo Beltrán, alias 'El Barbas', quien murió durante un enfrentamiento en Cuernavaca, Morelos el pasado miércoles 16 de diciembre [El Universal: Minuto x Minuto]
Achacan a Carlos Beltrán Leyva lavado de $45 millones
A Carlos Beltrán Leyva, detenido en Sinaloa el pasado 30 de diciembre, se le atribuye haber lavado unos 45 millones de pesos mediante la adquisición de fincas, casas, departamentos, vehículos de lujo y armas de grueso calibre que eran utilizadas por la organización criminal que encabezaba su hermano Arturo, informaron fuentes ministeriales. [La Jornada]
Caen otros 5 zetas ligados al caso Angulo
Villahermosa, Tab., 3 de enero. La Procuraduría General de Justicia del Estado (PGJE) informó sobre la detención de otros cinco presuntos zetas, relacionados con el multihomicidio de los familiares del marino Melquisedet Angulo Córdova, perpetrado en Paraíso, Tabasco, el pasado 22 de diciembre, entre los límites de Tabasco y Chiapas. [La Jornada]
Detienen en Sinaloa a Carlos Beltrán Leyva, hermano de El jefe de jefes
Autoridades federales lograron la captura de Carlos Beltrán Leyva, hermano de Arturo, El jefe de jefes, principal líder del cártel de los Beltrán Leyva abatido el pasado 16 de diciembre durante un enfrentamiento con integrantes de la Secretaría de Marina en una zona residencial de Cuernavaca, Morelos. [La Jornada]
Recibe Tabasco en custodia a presunto asesino de familia Angulo
Villahermosa.- La Procuraduría General de Justicia de Tabasco informó haber recibido en custodia a Geudiel Iván Sánchez Valdez, alias el 'Poblano', presunto asesino de la familia de un miembro de la Marina, tras ser detenido recientemente en Chiapas.[MilenioNacionalEdition]
Caen ejecutor de Tabasco y otro Beltrán La Procuraduría de Chiapas detuvo a uno de los cinco autores materiales de la ejecución de la familia del marino Melquisedet Angulo Córdova, abatido el 16 de diciembre en el operativo en Cuernavaca, Morelos, donde también perdió la vida Arturo Beltrán Leyva, El jefe de jefes, difundieron autoridades judiciales de ese estado.
En tanto, la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública federal anunció la captura de Carlos Beltrán Leyva, hermano de Arturo, quien, sin embargo, tiene una participación menor en la estructura del cártel. Por lo pronto, se le dictó arraigo por 40 días.[MilenioNacionalEdition]
Capturan a hermano de El Jefe de Jefes México.- La Policía Federal capturó en Sinaloa a Carlos Beltrán Leyva, hermano del fallecido Arturo, quien se hacía llamar El Jefe de Jefes informó la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública Federal.
La detención se realizó en Culiacán, cuando el hermano del capo presentó una licencia de conducir falsa a nombre de Carlos Gámez Orpineda.
Después de consultar el documento en el centro de inteligencia de la Policía Federal, se descubrió que el permiso era apócrifo.[MilenioNacionalEdition]
Cae otro por asesinato de familia de marino Chiapas.-La Procuraduría General de Justicia de Chiapas dio a conocer sobre la detención de Gudiel Iván Sánchez Valdez, El Chito o El Poblano, quien dijo haber participado en la ejecución de cuatro familiares del marino Melquisedet Angulo Córdova, abatido el 16 de diciembre, en el operativo de la Armada donde también perdió la vida Arturo Beltrán Leyva, El jefe de jefes.[MilenioNacionalEdition]
Asume Héctor Beltrán el mando del cártel: Policía Federal
En sólo unos días, el cártel de los Beltrán Leyva se reestructuró en torno a otro de los hermanos, Héctor, El H, quien asumió el mando de la organización hace dos semanas [Periodicos Noroeste: Culiacán - Seguridad]
Atacan 40 sicarios cortejo fúnebre; dos muertos y un herido
En dos ataques simultáneos, matan a la hermana y a un hombre de 34 años; los atacantes viajaban en 10 camionetas, en Culiacán [Periodicos Noroeste: Culiacán - Seguridad]
Héctor Beltrán asume el mando del cártel: PF
>>Tras la muerte de “El Barbas” sus dos hermanos tomaron el controlEn sólo unos días, el cártel de los Beltrán Leyva se reestructuró en torno a otro de los hermanos, Héctor, el H, quien asumió el mando de la organización hace dos semanas, tras la muerte de Arturo, el Barbas... [RioDoceCuliacan]
Comando ataca cortejo fúnebre; dos muertos
En la confusión, varias personas, aun no identificadas sacaron el féretro, con el cuerpo de Jesús Ortiz Araujo, que luego abandonaron en el estacionamiento de un centro comercial [El Universal: Estados]
Grupo armado ataca cortejo fúnebre de empresario en Sinaloa; dos muertos
Comandos atacaron ayer casi de manera simultánea el cortejo fúnebre de un empresario sinaloense y a un grupo de personas que lo esperaba en un panteón de Culiacán; el saldo fue de dos muertos y un herido. [La Jornada]
Carlos Beltrán Leyva sin antecedentes penales: Procuraduría de Sinaloa Culiacán.- El presunto narcotraficante, Carlos Beltrán Leyva, hermano del extinto Arturo, de los mismos apellidos, no tiene antecedentes penales ni está involucrado en la integración de alguna averiguación previa por delitos del fuero común. Un reporte de la Procuraduría General de Justicia en el Estado señaló que Carlos Beltrán no aparece en alguna de las investigaciones que realiza esta dependencia en Sinaloa.[MilenioNacionalEdition]
OPINION
[La Jornada] “Yo quiero entrevistar a El Chapo Guzmán” La periodista mexicana Alma Guillermoprieto es integrante del staff de The New Yorker, la mítica revista de periodismo narrativo donde Truman Capote publicó por primera vez la historia de lo que después sería A sangre fría.
Autora de casi una decena de libros llenos de crónicas y reportajes sobre Latinoamérica, Guillermoprieto comenta que el jefe del cártel de Sinaloa, Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán, es uno de los personajes más interesantes que existen en México para ser entrevistados.[MilenioNacionalEdition]
A controversial analysis of the drug wars in Mexico
01/01/2010 Doce mitos de la guerra contra el narco por Joaquín VillalobosUna nube de mitos flota alrededor de la guerra de mayor impacto político en la últimas décadas:desde aquellos que dictan que no se debió confrontar al crimen organizado, hasta aquellos que indican que la participación del ejército en las actividades antinarcóticos es negativa. En estas páginas Joaquín Villalobos desmonta los argumentos de una mitología que impacta en la opinión a partir de estadísticas pobres y comparaciones discutibles
Walter McKay's Review of the Year in Mexico
Update on Mexico for 2009Man, what a glamorous and varied
life you lead! I'm certain there must be a sense
of inevitability and of choice and of purpose, but
...well, I envy anybody who can follow that
sense of what's-next into such variety
and interest....
Personal correspondence from a chance acquaintance.
I live in Mexico and I have been living here for the last 42 months. It was brought to my attention; via an email from a friend, that I apparently lead a “glamorous and varied life”. Varied, I can see, glamorous, I cannot. But, that is a matter of perspective. Interesting, maybe… I should note that I live in a country that is in the throws of a drug war, one which now is directly responsible for an average of 22 deaths everyday (this is of those with a connection to the narco-traffickers including roughly 10% of this number is police and or military casualties).
The War on Drugs here in Mexico is not the empty rhetoric that it is in the US, here the rhetoric is reality. The drug lords have their own armies, armies that have their own uniforms, their own intelligence networks, their own communication networks. They have ranks, specialized squads, and engage in recruiting efforts (bolstered by desertions from the Mexican army that have reached 1600 per month). They use the same or better equipment as the Mexican standing army and are far more organized, better trained, better paid and enjoy local support that the police could never attain. Estimates are that there are tens of thousands of "foot-soldiers" in the direct employ of the four main narco bosses with at least the same amount of police on the take, employed in any needed capacity. Better armed, better paid, with the same training and greater motivation the armies of the narcos are a direct threat to the State.
The advantage goes to the narcos because for recruitment all they need to do is pay any impoverished 14 to 35 year old, with no foreseeable future, 500 USD a week to carry a gun and obey orders and they have a recruitment pool of 52 million people who live on less than 2 dollars a day. But, for the government, when a police officer or soldier is killed thousands of dollars and months of training are required to replace the trained officer with a basic recruit. With unemployment at nearly 50% and half the population in poverty the allure of the drug trade is not going to be counterbalanced by bullets and uniforms.
2009 was a banner year for the narco-killings despite the addition of nearly 45,000 soldiers and tens of thousands of Federal police officers, the drug lords seem little deterred from expanding their individual empires. At present there are at least 4 major gangs fighting for territory and expanding their operations and the government seems to have little impact on the activities of any of them. According to Milenio.com the number of deaths related to the narco-war for 2009 is 8281.
As opposed to some pundits Mexico is not a failed state but rather it is a failing state or perhaps a sliding state, sliding ever so slowly, into the abyss of chaos and anarchy (the US Joint Forces Command considers Mexico, along with Pakistan as the two states that the US must regard carefully as they may collapse (possible failed states) while the Ex-drug czar under Bill Clinton, and Gulf War Army General, Barry McCaffrey fears that Mexico will become a Narco-state in the next few years. As for the US Department of Justice, it states that Mexican gangs are the biggest organized crime threat facing the US and that they operate out of at least 230 cities).
There is more crime, killings, impunity, corruption and fear than ever. The class war is being waged with an intensity that puts regular war between states to shame. You have the official army of about 45000 deployed by Calderon to assist the corrupt and/or inept non-functional local police versus the semi-professional armies of the narcos, who, as I mentioned earlier, are reinforced by deserters for the most part whose only job opportunity is with the narcos that use their specific training bolstered by a legion of desperate unemployed men and women.
Calderon's use of the army and the planning operations has the full blessing of the US despite the failures of “combating” drugs with armies (November 2008 report from the US Government Accountability Office, commissioned by Sen. Joe Biden, said “the government's most ambitious counter-narcotics program, the $5 billion Plan Columbia, failed to meet several goals... coca and cocaine production continued to grow” despite interdiction efforts).
WAR
The following are examples of some of the tactics used by the narcos in the last couple years.
As I mentioned earlier, the narco-traffickers deploy the same as an elite military unit. They have their own uniforms and insignia (FEDA, FFM), ranks, hierarchy, discipline, tactics, systems of communication, intelligence gathering operations, and the same weaponry used by armies from all over the world, the best that money can buy and smuggle into Mexico.
For example, in a typical military move, the head of security for all of Mexico, Èdgar Millán Gómez, had his police forces closing in on a fleeing drug lord, Arturo Beltran Levy in his black Suburban, other SUV's appeared in the car chase, stopped to form a barricade on a national highway (Mexico to Acapulco) and entered into a gun fight with the chasing police, thus causing a diversion which allowed the drug lord to safely escape in his SUV. The others were arrested, but they achieved what they had set out to achieve: the escape of their boss. It was known that Èdgar Millán Gómez had coordinated this police operation and, a few weeks later was assassinated in his own house (one of three that he stayed in at random).
In September 2008, the Federal police in the Northern state of Coahuila had 7 drug suspects in custody when they encountered a caravan of armed men apparently intent on freeing the prisoners. The standoff quickly turned into a gun battle which resulted in one of the would-be rescuers dead, and 2 wounded and the arrests of 33 individuals. But these were no ordinary gunmen, they were police officers from the nearby town of Torreon, in uniform and driving official police vehicles...cops fighting cops.
In May 2008, 8 Federal police officers died in a gun battle with more heavily armed narcotraffickers as they escaped.
Frequently, wounded prisoners, under care in a hospital are either killed by the opposition or rescued, even if under police guard. For example on March 25 2009 a commando squad of 15 narcos freed a police prisoner who was guarded by 7 officers, from the hospital in Chihuahua City.
Since Calderón's coming to power and his War on Crime, by mid-2008 the Attorney General's Office (one of several other federal agencies in Mexico combating the narcos) had seized the following:
131,000 weapons most of which were assault rifles
2,770 fragmentation grenades
350 million dollars
16,000 vehicles
267 boats
346 planes
4263 tons of marijuana
77.5 tons of cocaine
1.3 tons of amphetamines
and 66,000 arrests
Some examples of the types of weapons seized:
M-72 and AT-4...LAWs (light anti-tank weapons)
RPG-7...rocket propelled grenade launchers and grenades
MGL 37mm multi-launchers
.50 Cal Barret sniper rifles
Fragmentation grenades
Various launchers, 37 mm, 40mm
the FN Herstal submachine gun- With a high muzzle velocity and low recoil, The cartridge for this gun was designed to be effective against modern body armor when used in pistols, submachine guns or carbines.
Some highlights of 2009:
Despite the influx of tens of thousands of troops and federal police officers the rate of killings in Ciudad Juarez has only increased. By June 2009 there was over 1000 deaths related to drug trafficking at this point last year the count was 800.
Tijuana with 1.7 million averages 120 killings per month with 90% of its police force outright failing “fit for duty tests” (polygraph, personal wealth, urinalysis)
Since June 2009 124 police officers have been arrested for corruption and ties to narcotraffickers in the state of Nuevo Leon and 93 in the state of Hildago for ties to the Zetas.
July 11, 2009 was the start of a 96 hour assault on police forces by La Familia Michoacan in retaliation for the arrest of one of their top bosses. This coordinated attack left 16 police and 2 soldiers dead and 24 wounded (including the discovery of 12 bodies of police officers stacked on the side of the road with signs of torture one of whom was a police woman).
Michoacan was also the state where the Governor's half-brother is accused of ties to La familia and had 10 mayors and the state prosecutor as well as 17 other government officials arrested for ties to La Familia.
High level assassinations of politicians and police commanders:
13 Sept 2007, the director of the proceeds of Organized Crime, Omar Ramìrez Aguilar
1 May 2008. the director of Organised Crime, Roberto Velasco Bravo
8 May 2008, the Coordinator for the Federal Police (Seguridad Regional de la Policía Federal), Èdgar Millán Gómez
The Nov 5, 2008 plane crash which claimed the lives of the 2nd most powerful government figure in Mexico, Juan Camilo Mouriño as well as the ex-subdirector of Organized Crime, José Luis Vasconcelos has been ruled pilot error but many believe it was ordered by narco-traffickers.
Drug lords have two ways to battle anti-crime efforts: bribes and intimidation.
That intimidation can often take brutal forms. In Feb 2009, for example, a police official in Tabasco state who had arrested a trafficker a week earlier was killed. So were his mother, his wife, his children and nieces and nephews. His brother, also a state police officer, was wounded, as were two others. In all, 12 people were shot dead in three homes. Six of them were children. A few days earlier, a retired army general was abducted, tortured and shot 11 times, less than 24 hours after becoming Cancun's top anti-drug official. He, his aide and a driver were all found dead in a truck by the side of a road. Cancun's police chief was arrested a few days later in connection with the slayings.
In June 2009 a citizen called the police about drug related activity in his neighborhood, a day later his body was discovered with signs of torture and a note stating that this is what happens to those who call the police.
Arrests for corruption of those who are in charge of protecting the people:
Inspector of Operaciones de la Policía Federal Preventiva, Édgar Bayardo del Villar
Director of Interpol Mexico, Ricardo Gutiérrez as well as the former director of INTERPOL
Subprocuraduría de Investigación Especializada en Delincuencia Organizada, (SIEDO) which has role similar to the DEA and FBI Noé Ramírez Mandujano (450,000)
Jose Antonio Cueto López (450,000 monthly)
The Reality in Mexico (aside from the drug picture)
51 million Mexicans live on $150 USD per month (per capita)
19 million Mexicans live on $75 USD per month (per capita)
12 million Mexicans live on less than $50 USD per month (per capita)
---these are the government's own figures.
Wages - In 2008 the average monthly wage for workers fell from between 4,500 – 7,500 pesos to between 3,400 – 4,500 pesos (320 – 540 USD) to (245 – 320 USD)
Mexico's National Commission for Human Rights states that:
400,000 arrest warrants not being acted upon
Estimate that only 10% of crimes are reported
Of this 10% only 1 out of 100 is a suspect sentenced.
Thus, 99% of reported crimes go unpunished with the result that citizens have little confidence in the authorities to administer justice as well as having the fear that through making a report will become further victimized by corruption by the same authorities. Thus, in Mexico, thrives a culture of impunity.
Human Rights complaints against the Army are up 600% in the last 2 years.
Drug use in Mexico has doubled in the last 6 years from 1.2% to 2.4% of the population
The government is doing its best but meeting strength with strength is only to the advantage of the narcos. The government needs to confront the corruption, impunity and outright criminality which exists in its own ranks. The federal police have slowly been doing this with some success but the true state of security is that which exists in the mind of the community, studies have shown that the number and deployment patterns of police have a limited if any effect on overall crime. The crime rate is a factor of many elements (economic, social, policy, demographics, policy etc) and the police have little input into any of this so the argument for more men, better equipment and money is not the solution (although in Mexico's case it does matter somewhat since the police do need modern equipment, better training and a wage that they can live on).
[Police Accountability and Reform]****************************
The Failed State Question
Vamos hacia un Estado fallido: VeraSaltillo, Coah., 4 de enero. El gobierno de Felipe Calderón está llevando al país a un “Estado fallido”, pues a la mitad de su administración ninguno de sus proyectos ha cristalizado con éxito, aseguró el obispo de Saltillo, Raúl Vera López. [La Jornada]
****************************
Reacting to Gangs and Violence in the USA: What strategies have worked?
John Seabrook, Annals of Crime, “Don’t Shoot,” The New Yorker, June 22, 2009, p. 32Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/22/090622fa_fact_seabrook#ixzz0bl5AKtCM (subscription required)
ABSTRACT: ANNALS OF CRIME about David Kennedy’s Ceasefire strategy for curbing gang violence and public drug sales. Two high-profile shootings in Cincinnati in April 2006 created the perception that crime was out of control in the city. The police believed that many of the killings involved gangs and were related to the drug trade. That summer, the Cincinnati police force implemented a “zero tolerance” policy, arresting more than twenty-six hundred people. The policy reduced street crime but had little effect on the city’s murder count, which continued to rise. David Kennedy, a professor from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, went to Cincinnati in the fall of 2006 to pitch his program, which is sometimes known as Ceasefire. Ceasefire begins with the fact that a small number of hardened criminals commit a hugely disproportionate number of serious violent crimes. Kennedy explained that, in Cincinnati, the police would identify gang members who were on parole or probation and compel them to attend a meeting. There, the cops would demand that the shootings end, and promise that, if they did not, the punishment would be swift and severe and target the entire gang. The city would also make life coaching and job counseling available to those who wanted out of the thug life. The police were initially skeptical about the program, but in 2007, they began implementing Ceasefire with a team that included social workers and academics. Describes how information about gang activity was gathered and organized by the team. Gives biographical information about Kennedy, who grew up in Detroit and was a freelance writer before taking a job on a study of policing policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Tells about changes in inner-city policing during the crack epidemic of the nineteen-eighties and nineties and the widely imitated policies implemented in New York City by Mayor Giuliani and Commissioner William Bratton. In 1994, Kennedy and some of his colleagues received a grant to work out a problem-oriented approach to youth violence in Boston. Describes their work with Paul Joyce of the Boston Youth Violence Strike Force and the development of the Ceasefire program from that experience. Tells about the implementation of the program in Cincinnati; Providence, Rhode Island; and High Point, North Carolina, where it was most successfully used to deter public drug dealing.
Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/22/090622fa_fact_seabrook#ixzz0bl54LKSa
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CIFRAS/PATTERNS — EJECUTOMETRO
Saldo del 31 de diciembre al 1 de enero: ocho asesinados
Ocho personas fueron asesinadas a balazos en los municipios de Culiacán, Ahome, Salvador Alvarado y El Rosario, del 31 de diciembre al 1 de enero, entre ellas un comandante de la Policía Ministerial del Estado, quien además fungía como jefe de Investigaciones de la corporación en el norte de Sinaloa. [RioDoceCuliacan]
Jornada violenta en Tijuana
Un policía ministerial fue ejecutado a tiros, una mujer decapitada y cuatro hombres asesinados con armas largas [El Universal: Minuto x Minuto]
Registran más de mil homicidios dolosos en Sinaloa durante 2009
Culiacán.- Durante 2009, en Sinaloa se registraron 1 mil 251 homicidios dolosos, 89 más que el año anterior, reveló la Procuraduría General de Justicia del Estado.
Señaló que los dos últimos años han sido más cruentos, ya que históricamente sobrepasaron la cifra de los mil eventos de esa naturaleza, contra un promedio de 500 por año desde el 2000.
Las estadísticas de la PGJE indicaron que desde el 2000, en la entidad se han registrado 6 mil 932 homicidios dolosos.[MilenioNacionalEdition]
Cierra el 2009 con mil 251 crímenes: PGJE
Se registran 89 asesinatos más que en 2008, aseguran [Periodicos Noroeste: Culiacán - Seguridad]
Arranca 2010 con 13 asesinatos
Del total de homicidios, cinco ocurrieron en Culiacán, dos en Mocorito, dos en Salvador Alvarado, uno en El Fuerte, dos en Ahome y uno en Navolato [Periodicos Noroeste: Culiacán - Local]
Van 17 ejecutados en Sinaloa en los primeros 4 días del año
Entre las víctimas se encuentran dos mujeres [Periodicos Noroeste: Culiacán - Seguridad]
HUMAN RIGHTS; LEGAL ISSUES
La CNDH emite recomendación por el asesinato de dos mixtecos
La Comisión Nacional de los Derechos Humanos (CNDH) emitió ayer su recomendación 78/2009, por el caso de dos dirigentes de la Organización para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Mixtecos Me’phaá, quienes fueron privados de su libertad y una semana después sus cuerpos fueron encontrados sepultados. “Esas personas ya habían sufrido diversos atentados a su integridad física”, sostuvo el organismo mediante un comunicado. [La Jornada]
PGR investiga levantón de periodista
Culiacán, Sin., 3 de enero. La Procuraduría General de la República (PGR) interviene en las indagatorias sobre el levantón (secuestro sin intención de rescate) y desaparición del reportero José Luis Romero, del noticiero radiofónico Línea Directa, en la ciudad de Los Mochis, municipio de Ahome. Romero fue interceptado y sometido por hombres armados y encapuchados el 30 de diciembre, en la ciudad de Los Mochis. Tenía alrededor de 20 años realizando cobertura de hechos policiacos. [La Jornada]
Activista asesinada había denunciado amenazas
En dos años, siete defensores de derechos humanos han sido asesinados [El Universal: Minuto x Minuto]
AI denuncia asesinato de activista en Juárez
El asesinato ocurrió el pasado 3 de enero en el municipio de Guadalupe, vecino de Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua [El Universal: Minuto x Minuto]
Denuncian simulación en búsqueda de periodista
Reporteros de Los Mochis aseguran que ninguna autoridad ha emitido órdenes de búsqueda del comunicador José Luis Romero, levantado en Sinaloa [El Universal: Minuto x Minuto]
En Culiacán intensifican búsqueda de periodista
Un grupo armado se llevó, hace siete días, al periodista José Luis Romero y a un ex militar en Los Mochis; para este caso ya interviene la PGR en las investigaciones [El Universal: Estados]
Exige Amnistía Internacional proteger a activistas en Juárez
Amnistía Internacional (AI) advirtió que la ola de violencia que azota Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, pone en riesgo la vida de defensores de los derechos humanos, por lo que emitió una acción urgente en la que insta a las autoridades federales y estatales a proteger la vida e integridad de varios activistas, sobre todo los que trabajaron con Josefina Reyes Salazar, asesinada el 3 de enero. [La Jornada]
PUBLIC POLICY, ACTIONS AND PROGRAMMES
ATF will launch a new version eTrace4.0, used to track firearms in real-time
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) announced a two face two-phase rollout of a new version of eTrace4.0, an ATF web-based tracing software. The software is destined for the governments of Mexico, Guatemala y Costa Rica. The newest version of the software is also in Spanish permitting the search of recovered firearms at crime scenes.
In a press conference the U.S Ambassador of Mexico informed that in the first stage of the project eTrace will be limited to Mexico two Central American governments. The live release of the software will be used to test the software and address user feedback .In its second stage the software will be extended to other Spanish speaking nations.
According to El Dario, in an analysis done by ATF, 90 percent of firearms confiscated, the last four years, in Mexico and at the border before entering the country come from the United States.
Kenneth E. Melson, ATF Deputy Director, noted that Spanish eTrace marcs the beginning of a new era of cooperation between agencies and their international partners, since it will strengthened joint efforts to tackle the smuggling of weapons and criminal acts.
“We must identify those who put guns in the hands of criminals, and comprehensive tracing of all recovered crime guns is the first step by law enforcement in stopping the violence…,” he emphasized.
Sources: González Soto, Nancy. “Activa EU rastreador de armas bilingüe para uso en México.” El Diario de El Paso. 31 Diciembre, 2009. La Jornada. “Dará EU a México equipo para rastrear armas de fuego.” La Jornada. 31 Diciembre, 2009 [Justice in Mexico]
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PGJ-Sinaloa plantea nueva estrategia contra el narco
El procurador local, Alfredo Higuera, asegura que el panorama de violencia en la entidad obliga a buscar nuevas acciones contra la delincuencia [El Universal: Minuto x Minuto]
Plantea PGJ-Sinaloa nueva estrategia contra el narco
El procurador local, Alfredo Higuera, asegura que el panorama de violencia en la entidad obliga a buscar nuevas acciones contra la delincuencia [Periodicos Noroeste: Culiacán - Local]
CORRUPTION AND ETHICAL ISSUES
Formal prisión a ex AFI ligada al narco
Claudia García Castillo cometió los ilícitos de delincuencia organizada y contra la salud en diversas modalidades; durante la Operación Limpieza se detectó que colaboraba con el cártel de Sinaloa [El Universal: Minuto x Minuto]
Implicados en ABC volverían a ser acusados
El gobernador de Sonora dijo que los responsables de la tragedia de la guardería ABC podrían ser acusados con delitos reclasificados, y así pisar la cárcel, ya que hasta el momento ninguno está tras las rejas [El Universal: Estados]
17 detenidos por ejecución del General Monterrey, NL.- El alcalde de García, Jaime Rodríguez Calderón, aseguró que son 17 las personas detenidas por la ejecución del General Brigadier Juan Antonio Esparza García, ocurrida el pasado 4 de Noviembre de 2009 en el centro de ese municipio.
Asimismo dijo que las autoridades buscan a un ex funcionario municipal, a quien se le giró una orden de aprehensión.
En cuanto a los policías, el edil mencionó que sólo se quedaron aquellos elementos que pasaron las pruebas de confianza, examen antidoping y las pruebas físicas.[policia]
Exculpa PGR a Mancera por el caso de La Flor
México.- La Procuraduría General de la República (PGR) decretó el no ejercicio de la acción penal contra el procurador capitalino, Miguel Ángel Mancera, y otros funcionarios locales, respecto de una denuncia penal presentada en 2009 por el entonces defensor del fallecido Sergio Humberto Ortiz Juárez, El Apá, señalado como líder de la banda de secuestradores La Flor.
El penalista Rodrigo Higuera Zogaib acusó a esos servidores públicos del Gobierno del Distrito Federal de rendir informes falsos en el juicio de amparo 600/2009-10.[MilenioNacionalEdition]
US AND INTERNATIONAL
U.S. diplomacy stumbles in Latin America
The Obama presidency was expected to herald closer ties after years of perceived neglect under Bush. But relations have soured amid the Honduran coup and Iran's increasing ties in the region.
Just eight months ago, President Obama was calling Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva "my man" and suggesting that the South American country could become a leading U.S. partner in the region.
Civic leader from El Monte, Calif., is victim of Mexican violence
The killing of an El Monte civic leader on a visit to Durango shows how prevalent lawlessness has grown.
The execution-style murder of a young El Monte civic leader in Mexico was viewed Friday as a stark sign of just how widely the country's savage drug violence has spread.
International Terrorism and Transnational Crime: Security Threats, U.S. Policy, and Considerations for Congress
The involvement of insurgent and extremist groups in criminal activity is an issue that has been a concern of U.S. administrations for decades. In recent years, some observers have claimed that interactions between international terrorists and criminals are increasing. If true, expanded links between criminal and terrorist networks could increase U.S. vulnerability to attack by terrorist groups with enhanced criminal capabilities and financial resources. An expanded range of combined criminal and terrorist activity could also affect the global economy and U.S. foreign policy goals, undermining licit international commerce and the promotion of good governance and rule of law. Threats posed by a crime-terrorism nexus may be particularly challenging, as the scale and nature of their cooperation are believed to vary widely and limited anecdotal evidence largely serves as the basis for current understanding of the problem. U.S. efforts to combat the relationship between crime and terrorism are a subset of broader policy responses to transnational crime and international terrorism individually. While numerous U.S. strategies and programs are designed to combat international terrorism and transnational crime separately, fewer efforts focus specifically on addressing the confluence of the two. Those efforts that do exist focus mainly on (1) human smuggling and clandestine terrorist travel, (2) money laundering and terrorist financing, and (3) narcoterrorism links between drug traffickers and terrorists. Many of these efforts, including the creation of the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center, the reorganization of the Treasury Department's Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, and the expanded extraterritorial jurisdiction authority to investigate and prosecute international narcoterrorism cases, occurred in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001. Congress played a large role in such efforts, holding at least eight hearings specifically on some aspect of criminal-terrorist interactions between the end of 2000 and 2005. Legislation that has expanded and adjusted agency authorities, resources, and responsibilities related to the crime- terrorism nexus includes the USA PATRIOT Act (P.L. 107-56), the Intelligence Reform Act and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (P.L. 107-458), the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-177), and appropriations-related legislation through the 111th Congress for various U.S. agencies, including the Departments of State and Defense. This report provides a primer on the confluence of transnational terrorist and criminal groups and related activities abroad. It evaluates possible motivations and disincentives for cooperation between terrorist and criminal organizations, variations in the scope of crime-terrorism links, and the types of criminal activities--fundraising, material and logistics support, and exploitation of corruption and gaps in the rule of law--used by terrorist organizations to sustain operations. This report also discusses several international case studies to illustrate the range of crime-terrorism convergence and non-convergence, including Dawood Ibrahim's D-Company; the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC); the 2004 Madrid bombers; the Taliban; Hezbollah; Al Qaeda; the 2005 London bombers; Al-Shabaab; as well as known or alleged crime-terrorism facilitators such as Viktor Bout, Monzer Al Kasser, and Abu Ghadiyah. Policy considerations discussed in this report include possible tensions between counterterrorism and anti-crime policy objectives, implications for U.S. foreign aid, gaps in human intelligence and analysis, the value of financial intelligence in combating the crime-terrorism nexus, impact of digital and physical safe havens and ungoverned spaces, implications for nuclear proliferation, and effects of crime- terrorism links in conflict and post-conflict zones. Unless otherwise noted, this report does not address potential crime-terrorism links in the domestic or border environment. [Open CRS: Recent Reports]
World Briefing | The Americas: Colombia: Facing Charges in U.S.
Colombia sent its best-known financial swindle, David Murcia, to the United States to face charges that he laundered millions of dollars of cocaine proceeds.[NYT > Americas]
Border agents had been following group near Douglas before migrant was killed
An illegal immigrant shot to death by a U.S. Border Patrol agent Monday was one of several people agents had been following near Douglas, authorities said. [Tucson Region]
Encuentran cadáveres en Nogales
Se reportó el hallazgo de una persona, cuya muerte fue originada al parecer por herida producida por proyectil de arma de fuego en región craneana [El Universal: Estados]
Reporta ONU muertos por la violencia en 2009
Nueva York. Treinta y cinco miembros de la Organización de Naciones Unidas perdieron la vida durante 2009 debido a actos de violencia. Las víctimas fueron siete cascos azules y 28 trabajadores civiles, de los cuales 18 murieron en Pakistán y Afganistán atendiendo a refugiados. Cinco más fallecieron en Palestina y otras dos víctimas se produjeron en Somalia. Los cascos azules perecieron durante disturbios en Darfur. [La Jornada]
Solicita EU a México investigar muerte de profesor de California
Washington.- Estados Unidos pidió hoy a México realizar una 'investigación exhaustiva' del asesinato del educador californiano Roberto 'Bobby' Salcedo, ocurrida el pasado 30 de diciembre en el norteño estado de Durango.
'Funcionarios consulares (estadunidenses) han enfatizado a sus contrapartes de México la urgencia de conducir una investigación exhaustiva del crimen, detener a los responsables y procesarlos con todo el peso de la ley', dijo Megan Mattson, portavoz del Departamento de Estado.[MilenioNacionalEdition]
EU lamentó la muerte del embajador mexicano Carlos Rico
Washington.- El Departamento de Estado de Estados Unidos lamentó hoy el deceso del embajador mexicano Carlos Rico Ferrat, a quien calificó como uno de los diplomáticos más distinguidos del servicio exterior de México.
'Con una consumada habilidad diplomática y buen humor, se convirtió no sólo en uno de los principales arquitectos de la Iniciativa Mérida, sino también de una relación México-Estados Unidos fortalecida. Será extrañado en ambos lados de la frontera', señaló el portavoz Ian Kelly.[MilenioNacionalEdition]
Más de un millar de funcionarios se han capacitado contra el narco en Colombia
Bogotá.- La Policía colombiana ha entrenado a más de un millar de funcionarios mexicanos de 12 estados del país en la lucha contra el narcotráfico con un programa iniciado hace dos años, informó hoy el periódico bogotano El Tiempo.
El periódico señaló que la ayuda que desde hace dos años le brinda Colombia a ese país se cristalizó a finales de 2009, con la creación del Centro de Inteligencia de la Policía Federal de México.[MilenioNacionalEdition]
CRIME: VIOLENCE, KIDNAPPING
Apresan con Uzi a 2 probables asaltantes culichis
Apresan con Uzi a 2 probables asaltantes culichis [Periodicos Noroeste: Culiacán - Seguridad]
World Briefing | The Americas: Mexico: Police Official Slain by Gunmen
The chief police investigator in the northern state of Sinaloa was killed hours after he started investigating the kidnapping of a local radio journalist, Mexican news media reported. [NYT > Americas]
Frustran secuestro de pitcher mexicano Luis Ayala en Sinaloa
Culiacán.- Luis Ayala, ex relevista de los Mellizos de Minnesota, resultó ileso luego que un grupo de hombres armados intentaron secuestrarlo en su casa en el estado de Sinaloa, informó el martes un funcionario de la procuraduría estatal.
Martín Robles, vocero de la Procuraduría de Justicia, dijo que los investigadores creen que el lanzador mexicano fue víctima de un intento de secuestro que la policía logró impedir.[MilenioNacionalEdition]
MEXICAN REGIONAL INCIDENTS
Decomisan más de 15 toneladas de marihuana en Sinaloa en 16 días
Reynosa, Tamps.- Elementos del Ejército mexicano decomisaron poco mas de 15 toneladas de marihuana, 36 armas de fuego, mas de dos mil cargadores, seis mil cartuchos y detuvieron a 48 infractores durante los últimos 15 días de diciembre pasado.
La Secretaria de la Defensa Nacional (Sedena), a través de la comandancia de octava zona militar con sede en Reynosa, informó que durante el periodo comprendido del 15 al 31 de diciembre del 2009 lograron diversos decomisos, aseguramientos y aprehensión principalmente en la zona fronteriza de esta entidad.[MilenioNacionalEdition]
Fue militar acompañante de reportero 'levantado'
El Procurador del Estado expuso que aún no se define la línea de investigación pero se analizan las actividades de ambos, tanto las del reportero radiofónico como las del ex militar. [Periodicos Noroeste: Culiacán - Seguridad]
Cometen primer bancazo del año en Culiacán
Atraco sujeto una sucursal bancaria en Barrancos [Periodicos Noroeste: Culiacán - Seguridad]
Incautan 13.5 kgs. de goma de opio
Detienen a individuo al que le hallan 139 mil 400 pesos; valúan cargamento en 1.6 millones de pesos [Periodicos Noroeste: Culiacán - Seguridad]
Ejército incauta casi 13.5 kilos de goma de opio
En Sinaloa, la Sedena logra asegurar la droga, la cual se encontraba en el interior de un vehículo, gracias a la denuncia ciudadana [El Universal: Estados]
CULTURAL AND SOCIAL OBSERVATIONS
Pinches Gringos knows band name raises eyebrows and doesn't care [Mexico News from The Dallas Morning News]
Gobierno pide respeto para matrimonios gay [AlDiaTX.com: Noticias de M�xico]
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