Latin American Herald Tribune - Mexico Nabs 17 Suspected Members of Gulf Cartel: "Marines arrested 17 suspected Gulf cartel members in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, the Mexican navy said Tuesday.
The arrests of the suspects, who were paraded before reporters on Tuesday at the Matamoros Naval Sector base in Tamaulipas, was made possible by “information obtained via naval intelligence work,” the navy said in a statement.
Marines seized 49 rifles, two handguns and 42 vehicles, including several trucks with trailers, automobiles and SUVs from the suspects.
The operation also netted small amounts of cocaine and marijuana, 101,533 rounds of ammunition, six hand grenades, 125 uniforms, 10 helmets, five bullet-proof vests, 31 cell phones, 20 radios and two relay stations.
This is the second mass arrest of Gulf cartel members carried out by marines recently in Tamaulipas, which borders Texas."
narcoblogger has stepped into the breach left by Mexican journalists, who dare not report as they used to do. Thirty journalists have been killed in Mexico since President Felipe Calderon started his war on the drug cartels in 2006, making Mexico the most deadly country in Latin America for the media. Most are victims of the drug cartels, not caught in crossfire but targeted for reporting what is going on.
Last month, four reporters from the central Mexican state of Durango were kidnapped after reporting a prison riot, which followed the revelation that the prison governor was allowing inmates to go out at night and commit murders. The journalists were freed only after their TV station agreed to broadcast a video, produced by one of the drug cartels, which showed corrupt policemen who were apparently working for a rival cartel.
Today, attention has turned to Tamaulipas state where police have found 72 unburied bodies dumped on a ranch. They are presumably victims of the ever more vicious drug war, which in this part of Mexico pits Los Zetas against the Gulf Cartel. In recent weeks, the industrial city of Monterrey, Mexico’s wealthiest, has been almost brought to a standstill by cartel road blocks, kidnaps and gunbattles, following the murder of a local mayor. Police chiefs, political candidates and senior state officials are frequently targeted for assassination. The drug gangs are trying to seize the Mexican state, and closing down the media is just one part of their plan.
Saturday 9 October 2010
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