Category Archives: Crime

Culiacan, Sinaloa: Cartel Conflict Has Changed Life for the Locals, Even Talking on a Cellphone Can Be a Death Sentence

The war in Mexico’s Sinaloa state between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel (see here, here, here and here) is still going on. There have been 200 reported deaths since the outbreak of the conflict on September 9th. An Associated Press … Continue reading

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Ocelotl: The Mexican Army’s New Armored Vehicle

At the customary September 16th Independence Day military parade, the Mexican Army (Ejército Mexicano) premiered a new armored vehicle it recently acquired, the Ocelotl, from the Nahuatl word for jaguar. (In articles about the vehicle, I’ve seen it spelled both … Continue reading

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Decapitated Mayor’s Successor Takes Office in Chilpancingo; What Follows?

On October 1st, Alejandro Arcos Catalan became the mayor of Chilpancingo, capital of Guerrero state. It’s a city plagued by two rival drug gangs: the Ardillos and the Tlacos. On October 6th, the new Mayor Arcos was found decapitated, his … Continue reading

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Sheinbaum’s Four-Point Security Plan

The violence in Mexico continues, and in diverse locales: 1. In the eastern state of Chiapas, criminal groups connected to the Sinaloa Cartel battle those connected with the CJNG (Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación). See here. 2. In Sinaloa state, the … Continue reading

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Sinaloa Violence Continues; Over 100 Dead or Missing

The violence in Mexico’s Sinaloa state continues. (See previous articles here and here ). According to a Reuters report, “Some 53 people have been killed and 51 others are missing in Mexico’s western Sinaloa state since rival factions of the … Continue reading

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At Least 30 Killed in Sinaloa Cartel Violence but President-Elect Doesn’t Want to Start a War

Factions of the Sinaloa drug cartel are fighting it out in the state of Sinaloa. (See Cartel Factions Fight it Out in Sinaloa State and AMLO’s Comments in a Press Conference).Reportedly, at least 30 have been killed since September 9th. … Continue reading

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Cartel Factions Fight it Out in Sinaloa State and AMLO’s Comments in a Press Conference

This past July 25th, two leaders of the Sinaloa Drug Cartel were taken into U.S. custody in El Paso. They were Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, son of El Chapo Guzman. Apparently, Guzman Lopez turned himself in … Continue reading

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Fewer Americans Dining in Tijuana, So Restaurants Going Bankrupt

Tijuana is a Mexican border city on the far west end of Mexico, across the border from San Diego, California. In fact, Tijuana and San Diego and other cities actually form a transborder metroplex of five and a half million … Continue reading

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Smugglers Hide Meth in Celery, Fake Watermelons, And Other Products

Smugglers are creative, constantly finding new ways to sneak methamphetamine across the border. Sometimes smugglers get caught but how much is getting through? A couple of recent cases at the Otay Mesa crossing (near San Diego) included celery and fake … Continue reading

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Mexican Corporations Extorted by Drug Cartels

The Associated Press has reported on a disturbing development in Mexico – drug cartels extorting corporations. Drug cartels do not limit themselves to drug trafficking. They are involved in various businesses, and this development reflects a growing cartelization of the … Continue reading

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