Boy, 13, brutally executed in Monterrey

Even child victims are targets in Mexico's drug war

The organized crime and cartel executions I report on this page are but a tiny fraction of those which occur virtually every day in Mexico. There are blogs that cover nothing but drug war violence. I have no desire to join their ranks, but I make it a habit of reporting on cases which involve particularly young or vulnerable victims, because I think a record should be made, however limited it may be.

This particular atrocity occurred in Monterrey, in northern Nuevo León state. The victim, a 13 year old boy, was found on the street about 8:00 a.m. this morning with his hands tied behind his back. Police say he had been shot in the head 15 times with a .9 mm weapon. Authorities identified him as Gerardo Rusbel Martínez Arellano, and believe he was seized hours before his body was discovered. No motive, no suspects and no other details are available this evening.

Just another day in Monterrey, one of the most deadly cities in Mexico. Executions on the street and in very public places are becoming the norm in Monterrey, which is only 100 miles south of the U.S. border. The city lies squarely on the path of major northbound drug routes which are in hot dispute between two of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels, Los Zetas and Cártel del Golfo (Gulf Cartel).

The endless tons of marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamine these groups haul are headed to little towns and big cities and everything in between all over America, where millions of customers await the next delivery, oblivious to what may have happened to anyone else along the way. Machine guns and obscene amounts of cash come back in return. This is the drug war. International, yes, but it's being fought in Mexico's back yard.

Even president Obama has acknowledged the truth about ultimate drug war responsibility.

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