Mexican Drug Cartels

leaders falling one by one

Mexico has been getting a bad name from the activity of Mexican Drug Cartels for many years. But, in the last year especially, the number of deaths and the increase in chaos even has US President Barack Obama worried.

The madness escalated on Independence Day 2008 when, as fireworks were let off around the country so too were bombs placed by order of drug cartels. We follow the capture of cartel leaders here, not to glorify them but to feel confidant that Mexico can bring this internal terrorism under control.

Mexican Drug Officials are going to get US training. Maybe it will help. What would really help though, is if officials such as Raminez would stop taking (in his case $450,000) bribes. Oh and how about toughening up on gun laws in the US? As many as 90% of the gunss discarded in cartel fights in Mexico can be traced to the USA (according to an ATF report).

Arrested cartel leaders

Hopefully they don't escape in a laundry truck like Joaquin Guzman

German Torres Jimenez ('Los Zetas') captured April 2009

Rafael Cedeno Gonzalez ('La Familia') arrested April 2009

Vicente "El Vicentillo" Zambada (Sinaloa cartel) captured March 2009

Vicente Carrillo Leyva (Juarez cartel) captured March 2009

Sigifredo Najera Talamantes ('Los Zetas') arrested March 2009 Opened fire on the US Consulate in Monterrey

Hector Huerta Rios (Beltran Leyva cartel) Captured March 2009

Eduardo Arellano Felix (Tijuana cartel) October 2008

Wanted cartel leaders

With a $2million US bounty for information leading to their capture

Nazario Moreno Gonzalez ('La Familia')

Al Jazeera's Teresa Bo reports on the casualties of Mexico's spiraling drug violence

This is one of the better reports I've seen on the issue thus far. No hype, no premonitions, just a candid look at the sad events currently taking place in the midst of everyday Mexicans.

NOTE BY AUTHOR
Please respect that writing this page holds risks. But being away from Mexico at the moment, and the fact that we care deeply about this issue has led me to do so.

With the cartel war, and now the so called 'swine flu' taking many lives, we're understandably concerned for our beloved Mexico.

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