The Merida Initiative is expected to be increased to help Mexico to fight the out of control civil war which is responsible for so many deaths. Since January 2007, a staggering 11,000 people have died in drug-related violence in Mexico. That’s more than double the number of Americans killed in Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001. Savage gunfights among heavily-armed drug cartels have spiraled out of control and has spill across the border into the U.S. Nearly all the world’s cocaine originates with coca plants grown in South America — and 90 percent of the “coke” that ends up on U.S. streets travels to through Mexico. Eighty percent of the methamphetamine consumed by Americans is produced there. According to Mexican Attorney General Eduardo Medina-Mora, “at least $10 billion in bulk cash” related to drug trafficking “crosses the U.S.-Mexican border each year” — meaning that narco-dollars are nearly on par with tourism which produces about $13 billion annually for Mexico. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, narco-terrorists connected to Mexican drug cartels have already infiltrated 230 American cities.
The Journal has also learned that Canada had already asked for unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as UAV’s or drones and at that same meeting details of that purchase was discussed. What many people don’t know is that the Canadian military already operates the Sperwer UAV’s in Afghanistan and, so far, has spent around $250 million on that system. It also operates smaller drones for use with army units, similar to the types that Mexico wants. The same military officer said that Mexico is currently in talks with contractors, one of which he believes is Blackwater, now formally known as Xe (pronounced Zee) Services. The New York Times reported Friday that that company has taken over from the Central Intelligence Agency the job of arming the agency’s Predator drones that patrol over Afghanistan. If Blackwater, now formally assembling and loading Hellfire missiles and laser-guided bombs onto the pilotless aircraft in secret bases in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan for the U.S. Government, then it stands to reason that Mexico would want the same services. Although CIA employees fire the drones’ weaponry from the agency’s headquarters in Langley, Va., the Times reports thi s development reflects how much the agency “now depends on outside contractors to perform some of the agency’s most important assignments.”
Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, immediately south of neighboring El Paso, Texas, is arguably the most dangerous municipality in the Americas. The mayor, José Reyes Ferriz, told the author of this article that in the last 12 months, more than 1,600 of his citizens have been murdered as his city became the epicenter of a vicious “turf war” among rival drug cartels vying for a larger slice of the lucrative “drug delivery business.” When he called for help, President Calderon sent in the only force he could trust: the Mexican Army. Retired military officers now run the city police force and joint military/police units patrol the streets. Even this hasn’t stopped the bloodbath. Last month more than 240 people perished in this murderous metropolis. The Mayor says something drastic needs to be done and he supports segments of the proposed UAV’s program.
