Mérida Summit to U.S.: get the drug usage under control, stop the flow of weapons

Mérida,Yucatán -- Meeting in the City of Peace yesterday, Latin American delegates to the 13th Summit of the Tuxtla Group had a firm message for the United States: get your addiction under control.

The member nations also approved a resolution demanding that the U.S. check the flow of weapons pouring south into Mexico and other conflict zones in Central America and the Caribbean. The joint proclamation at the close of the meeting echoed familiar refrains of president Felipe Calderón, who has frequently referred to his neighbor to the north as "the biggest drug addict in town."

Congress to investigate DEA drug money laundering scheme, as will Mexican senate

As I predicted yesterday (http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2011/12/when-does-cop-become-criminal.html), a congressional committee announced today that it will open an immediate investigation into a Drug Enforcement Administration program which has been secretly washing hundreds of millions of dollars of Mexican drug cartel profits for several years. The covert operation was revealed over the weekend by The New York Times http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2011/12/us-agents-help-mexican-drug-cartels.html.

Two executed in Cancún - and killers left a holiday greeting; another dead in Playa; police officer and 15 year old son executed in Saltillo hit squad attack - family injured

Cancún, Quintana Roo --The bodies of two men were founded earlier today in this resort city on Mexico's Caribbean coast. A narcomensaje, or executioner's warning, had been placed on the front windshield of a vehicle holding the victims. It said, por extorsionadores y rateros ¡Feliz Navidad!, "for being extortionists and thieves - Merry Christmas!

Police have not yet identified the men, but say the executions are the work of organized crime. The head of each man had been bound in cloth and masking tape.

More bodies are dumped in Veracruz, the "City of Cadavers"

I described Veracruz on September 22 as a city out of control, and one firmly in the pocket of drug traffickers (http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2011/09/veracruz-en-la-bolsa-de-los-narcos.html). It was true then, and it remains so today.

Another seven corpses were found on a street about 5:00 a.m. this morning. They were male, bound hand and foot, and showed signs of torture before execution. No identities have been announced, nor has the cause of death for any of the victims.

Canadians found dead on Progreso beach after drowning

Mérida and Yucatán state news

Mérida,Yucatán -- Progreso municipal police report that two bodies were found just feet from the city's malecon, or boardwalk, about 9:00 p.m. Saturday (Dec. 3). The bodies were discovered by people strolling the beach, about 100 meters apart.

When does the cop become the criminal?

Opinion - U.S. agents cross the line by blatantly assisting Mexico's drug cartels

Yesterday's shocking revelation by The New York Times is simply over the top. As if last spring's news of the secret sale of machine guns by federal agents to narcotics traffickers was not enough, now we know that DEA agents routinely launder hundreds of millions of dollars of dirty profits for the cartels, even conveniently flying the cash back to the States on government airplanes, and then dropping it off at the bank. We are left only to wonder if the feds dispatch neat bundles of deposit slips back to this country, perhaps via UPS or FedEx couriers, so that the drug kingpins can keep their books up to date. Then again, the narco accountants probably use Quicken or Excel, just like the rest of us.

U.S. agents help Mexican drug cartels launder millions in dirty profits, reports New York Times

Federal agents are fully "embedded" with Mexican drug dealers, working side by side with them and regularly hauling enormous sums of cash back to the U.S.

The New York Times said in its yesterday's edition (December 3) that "Undercover American narcotics agents have laundered or smuggled millions of dollars in drug proceeds as part of Washington’s expanding role in Mexico’s fight against drug cartels." Most of the agents involved in the program work for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). According to the Times, the agents "have handled shipments of hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal cash across borders to identify how criminal organizations move their money, where they keep their assets and, most important, who their leaders are." The paper said that dirty money is "deposited in accounts designated by traffickers, or in shell accounts set up by agents" themselves.

Can Quintana Roo state save itself from Los Zetas by promoting gay marriage?

Quintana Roo state on the Caribbean coast is one of Mexico's most important tourist destinations. Gold Coast resorts like Cancún, Playa del Carmen and Isla de Mujeres are popular with North American, European and even Asian visitors. Tourism is responsible for the majority of the state's gross domestic product, and generates tens of thousands of reasonably well-paying jobs for locals. But increasing drug violence in the region, coupled with the known presence of Los Zetas - perhaps Mexico's most violent and feared drug cartel - is placing this primary component of the state's economy in jeopardy.

Mexican government officials lose legal immunity from prosecution - somewhat

The president of the United States is immune from arrest and prosecution for any crime committed while he's in office. The immunity is absolute. If 100 witnesses see the president commit murder, he still can't be arrested and hauled off to jail like any other citizen. The Congress must first impeach him -- a lengthy and complicated process -- and only afterwards may he be subjected to ordinary criminal case procedures. The president is the only officer at any level of government in the United States, federal or state, with such protection. It was expressly written in to the U.S. constitution to safeguard the president and the high office he holds from political pressures masquerading as criminal charges.

Amnesty International demands arrest of George W. Bush - again

I will give Amnesty International credit for this much -- they're a persistent bunch.

Former president Bush visited Canada on October 20, and not long before he arrived Amnesty asked that he be placed in handcuffs the minute he stepped off the plane. Here's the full background: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2011/10/amnesty-international-demands-that.html

Of course, Canada never responded to the demand. Arresting Bush wouldn't have been very neighborly of P.M. Steven Harper, would it?

An epistle from San Cristóbal de las Casas Una escritura del Obispo de San Cristóbal

San Cristóbal de las Casas is the cultural capital of the southern Mexico state of Chiapas. It's among the poorest regions of the country, but also one of the richest in history and tradition, as well as one very popular with tourists and travelers.

Today the Roman Catholic bishop of San Cristóbal published some thoughts as 2011 draws to a close and Mexico prepares to select a new chief of state in just over six months. His comments appeared on the editorial page of El Diario de la Yucatán, Mérida's main daily. The article is much too long to present in its entirety, and there is no URL link since it was only in the printed edition of the paper. But here is the opening paragraph, which I think accurately reflects the way many Mexicans see things:

Mexican investment in narco war almost $21 billion USD, claims State Department

The Mérida Initiative is a 2007 agreement between the United States and Mexico which provides for U.S. training and equipping of Mexican military and police forces, as well as for intelligence gathering and sharing. The name derives from meetings held by former President George Bush and President Calderón in Mérida, the Yucatán's capital, that same year. The package promised to Mexico came with a $1.6 billion price tag.

Mexico is "at war" and not ready for 2012 elections, says peace activist Javier Sicilia

Noted Mexican peace activist Javier Sicilia says his country is in a "state of war," and is not ready to have a democratic election in 2012. Voters will go to the polls July 1 to elect a new president, who will serve a six year term beginning next December.

After his son was murdered in March, Sicilia became an outspoken critic of the Felipe Calderón administration and its aggressive strategy of using the Mexican armed forces against the drug cartels. He has led protest marches all over the country, and has spoken out forcefully against the government's militaristic approach to dealing with organized crime and the escalating wave of drug trafficking violence which is wracking the nation.

Many disavow ICC war crimes case against Calderón -- including Enrique Peña Nieto

It appears that a lot of people are waiting in line to publicly disavow last week's filing of war crimes allegations against president Felipe Calderón, top members of his cabinet and the Mexican military high command. The case was filed with the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands on Nov. 25.

Ex-U.S. State Dept. official urges removal of Cuba from state-sponsored terror list

Cuba, along with a handful of other nations, is on the U.S. State Dept.'s "black list" of countries allegedly backing and supporting terrorism. The island nation was added to the list 30 years ago, and most experts agree that whatever justification there may have once been for the designation has long since evaporated.