MEXICO VIOLENCE INTENSIFIES IN DRUG TURF WAR

 

One of newly elected President Pena Nieto's objectives is to make his mark as the president that defeats the drug cartels. 

That task, is one of the hardest ever to face a president or government, when it comes to defeating drug cartels. 

As Pena Nieto cracks down, new contenders quickly fill in the ranks of the old timers, and the new guys have little respect for rules.  The result often is a turf war.  And that's precisely what's happening in Cuernavaca. 

Attacks by motorized assassins are the hallmark of a drug cartel's revenge taking.  And that's precisely what happened on Saturday night, when 3 men and 1 woman were sprayed with bullets at a bar in that city. 

Four more people were also injured.  Cartels are known for their disregard of possible innocents when targeting their victims.   

In another city, Fresnillo, 3 more people were killed also outside a public exercise.  The city is on the cartel's main smuggling route to the north.  The perpetrators were not apprehended.  

In Monterrey, assassins shot randomly on the crowd at a bar on Sunday, killing two more.  Three days earlier, four people were killed in the same fashion in a suburb of the town. 

These activities also point to a shift in routes and planning, due to the recent crackdown.  The Mexican govt. has noticed that in Coahuila, a northern state, there is increased drug courier presence which led to the arrest of nine young men, and fourteen more that work for the Zeta cartel.  To the authorities this seems to signify a turf war near the city of Monterrey. 

Pena Nieto for his part is keeping up the campaign.  He related that drug related killing has dropped remarkably since his campaign, but many doubt his numbers.  

The turf wars in Monterrey and Fresnillo are believed to be between the Zeta and Gulf cartel, who are now mortal enemies, even though they used to be united before 2010.  Cuernavaca, instead is reeling from the drug dealers who are trying to gain dominance of the turf after the Beltran Leyva cartel was dismantled. 

Source : MSNBC / 9.30.13