Mexico Drug War

The Mexico drug war has resulted in more deaths than the number of U.S. fatalities in the Iraq war. The LA Times estimates the number of drug-war related deaths since January 2007 to be 9,903. In early 2007, Mexican President Felipe Calderon declared war on these drug traffickers and has since deployed thousands of troops into 18 states.

These drug traffickers are working heavily between Mexico and many U.S. states, leaving behind blood and bodies as they go. In 2002, members of the Tijuana based Arellano Felix drug cartel made their way into San Diego posing as law enforcement officials. They targeted and kidnapped victims because they suspected them of having links to organized crime. Nine people were murdered; two bodies were found dissolved in chemicals at a rental house in San Diego and other bodies were found dumped with signs of torture found on their bodies. The prosecutor has charged 17 defendants in this case; eight are still at large and are suspected to have fled to Mexico.

http://projects.latimes.com/mexico-drug-war/#/its-a-war

La Familia is suspected of carrying out 13 gruesome murders of which all the bodies were found within an 18-hour timeframe around October 17, 2009, in the Southern Mexico state Guerrero. Nine of these bodies were mutilated; they had been decapitated and hacked into pieces and were found in 18 plastic bags in the back of a pick-up truck.

Guerrero is reported to be the most violent state in Mexico with approximately 500 drug-related murders already this year. The weekend before these 13 bodies were found, 11 people were reportedly killed in various locations in the state. Two weeks prior to this, four human heads were found in ice chests.

This drug war is a major concern to U.S. National Security. Mexico has become the largest kidnapping capital in the world taking victims from both Mexico and the U.S. It is estimated that 90 percent of the guns used by these drug cartels are purchased in the U.S. and moved south to Mexico and then the violence from these cartels spreads north into the U.S. The drug cartels are battling over major drug trafficking routes from Mexico into the U.S. It is estimated that drug trafficking generates 38 billion dollars a year, all coming from the U.S. fueling this drug war.

Thousands of people are losing their lives in the midst of this drug war. Members of these drug cartels do not need a reason to torture and kill someone. The following is a video is a clip from 60-Minutes regarding the Mexico drug war; the clip is graphic showing dead bodies at the hands of the cartels involved in this drug war.