Mexican mayor executed in La Piedad, Michoacán

Ricardo Guzmán Romero, mayor of La Piedad, in Michoacán state, was killed outside of a fast food restaurant tonight. He was a member of Mexico's National Action Party (PAN). Guzmán Romero was elected in November 2007, and his term in office would have ended on December 31.

The mayor was attacked about 7:30 p.m. by four armed men traveling in a van. Guzmán was participating in a PAN political event and was walking down a street with a group of young people when he was fired on. He was hit several times and rushed to a hospital, where he died a short time later.

World's most wanted man - "El Chapo" Guzmán - makes Forbes top list again

For the third consecutive year, drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera made the Forbes magazine 2011 list of the World's Most Powerful People. El Chapo ("Shorty") is head of the Sinaloa drug cartel, which the U.S. government says is the largest and richest narcotics trafficking organization in the world. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says that Sinaloa supplies the United States with the majority of its marijuana and cocaine.

Despite many problems, Mexicans rate themselves well contented with life

With challenges on every front and lower than average international scores in many categories, two thirds of Mexicans (66%) report that they are nonetheless quite content with life. The surprising -- and arguably contradictory -- conclusion is based upon a report issued by the United Nations Organization for Cooperative Economic Development.

A Mexican sociologist says the curious result illustrates that in this culture, there's no direct connection between one's socio-economic level and self-reported happiness or satisfaction with life. Mexicans view things differently than people in nations with more comfortable lifestyles, say researchers. Populations in 33 developed or developing nations were compared in the U.N. report.

Veracruz security beef up yielding poor results -- yet another eight bodies dumped

The famous Gulf port of Veracruz, where the mass dumping of executed bodies has become a regular event since 35 cadavers were tossed onto a downtown highway during rush hour on September 20, has been under a special federal-state security program for more than a month. The results are less than spectacular. Earlier today another eight corpses were dropped along side a major road, all of them bound hand and foot and showing signs of torture. Police, who were alerted to the scene by an anonymous call, have no clues.

Mexican drug cartels got their hands on 64,000 weapons from United States, Justice Dept. official tells Congress

That was the testimony today by Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer before a congressional committee. Breuer heads the Criminal Division of the U.S. Justice Department, and appeared before the Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism in Washington.

The committee is investigating two now defunct secret arms sales programs which were conducted by federal agencies. In the Fast and Furious program, the government permitted 2,500 assault weapons to be sold to Mexican drug criminals from locations in Arizona between 2009 and early 2011. A similar program, Wide Receiver, lasted from 2006 to 2007. Breuer told legislators today that former president George W. Bush knew about Wide Receiver, and authorized the transfer of 350 weapons to Mexican drug gangs. The purpose of both programs was to monitor the use of the military grade firearms, and track cartel movements via hidden GPS chips imbedded in the guns.

Cancún - Moscow direct air service opens

There may be few takers, but for those so inclined there is now direct, nonstop air service between Cancún and Moscow. The route was inaugurated yesterday, and will be offered every other Monday and Friday. Flights are scheduled to arrive at Cancún International Airport at 8:00 a.m., departing at 10:00 a.m.

Aeroflot, Russia's national flag carrier, offers the bi-weekly service. Cancún has the distinction of being only one of three Latin American destinations served by Aeroflot. Havana is one of the other two. It has long been a popular destination for Russian tourists.

British Airways and Air France also initiated direct international service to Cancún in recent months.

Weeding out corruption is daunting task in Mexico - polygraphs await 500,000

Corruption at the local law enforcement level -- municipal and small town police departments in particular -- is very much at the heart of Mexico's struggle to bring the drug cartels to the mat. The cop on the beat is often the first person to know if something is amiss in town, and if he himself is on the payroll of criminal elements, security will remain compromised.

Risk of murder in Mexico quadruples, kidnapping triples since 2007 - because cartels are being "decapitated"

A private organization says that life in Mexico has gotten dramatically more dangerous in just the last 48 months. The chance of being murdered has grown four fold, and of being kidnapped three fold. But it's not because organized crime is getting stronger.

So says the Mexican Institute for International Competition in a 2011 publication called "The Endless Spiral: How Mexico Became a Violet Nation and What Can Be Done About It."

With Russian arms on the way, Hugo Chávez warns, "we're not Libya"

In August Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez announced that his country had negotiated a $4 billion arms deal with Russia, designed to "strengthen defense capabilities." With the first of the weapons systems soon to arrive, Chávez used the opportunity to to engage in a little saber rattling today.

Día de los Muertos - A photo essay

Scenes from main plaza of Mérida, Mexico, showing family altars and traditional foods left for the dead. [Photos © MGRR 2011-2012. All rights reserved].

Woman, 53, decapitated in Cancún; police say her son is local drug gang executioner

The body of a woman who was kidnapped two days ago has been found in the commercial district of Cancún, near the entrance to the main highway to Mérida.

Jovita Morales Sarmiento, 53, was taken from her home in a Cancún neighborhood by four armed men about 8:30 a.m. Thursday. Authorities say that her decapitated remains were found last night (October 28). Her body showed signs of torture. Her severed head was found nearby this morning.

Mexico losing Catholics - even as relics of John Paul II are circulated

Mexico has been a profoundly Roman Catholic country since it declared independence 201 years ago. Not a surprising fact, since it was part of the colonial empire of Spain for centuries. A Mexican priest, Miguel Hidalgo, gave the rallying cry which began the war of independence on the morning of September 16, 1810 (http://mexicogulfreporter-supplement.blogspot.com/2011/11/will-you-free-yourselves.html).

Today nominal Catholics account for 83% of the Mexican population, although far fewer actively participate in church affairs. But one student of religious trends in Mexico predicts that by 2040, that number will have been reduced to 67% -- a membership forecast which is unnerving to church leaders within the country and internationally.

Crime proceeds account for 3.6% of world economic output -- double Mexico's GDP

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) represents the value of all goods produced and services delivered by a nation's economy during a year. Every country has a GDP.

An October report by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime says that in 2009, criminal activity generated about $2.1 trillion USD, or roughly 3.6% of worldwide GDP. By way of comparison, the United Sates has a GDP of about $15 trillion, approximately one fourth of the world's total (estimated at over $60 trillion USD).

At least 200 died from "Fast and Furious," says U.S. House committee chairman

The chair of a U.S. congressional investigating the "Fast and Furious" DEA arms sale program says that at least 200 persons have been killed by weapons which the federal agency allowed to be sold to Mexican drug cartels. The secret operation began in 2009 but came to a quick halt in January 2011, after it became public. In the interim over 2,000 military assault weapons were sold in the United States to straw purchasers working for the cartels, with the full knowledge of federal agents. Most of the sales occurred in southern Arizona, near the border. The director of the DEA and the U.S. Attorney for Arizona were forced to resign over the scandal earlier this year. http://mexicogulfreporter-supplement.blogspot.com/2011/11/two-us-officials-quit-over-fast-and.html

El Chapo Guzmán: "Dead or Alive"

*Updated Feb. 21, 2013*
A full court press is underway in Mexico to capture or kill Enrique "El Chapo" Guzmán, the world's most wanted man. Guzmán escaped from a Mexican prison in January 2001, hiding in a laundry cart. The United States has offered $5 million for his capture, and Mexico another $2 million. The latest push to take down El Chapo ("Shorty") was reported in yesterday's Washington Post.