Cartels 'on par' with Mexican army

Cartels 'on par' with Mexican army

www.theaustralian.news.com.au

THE US Defence Department has estimated Mexico's two most deadly drug cartels have a combined strength of more than 100,000 foot soldiers, an army that rivals Mexico's armed forces and threatens to turn the country into a narco-state.

"It's moving to crisis proportions," a senior Defence official told The Washington Times. The official said the cartels' "foot soldiers" were on a par with Mexico's army of about 130,000.

The disclosure underlined the size of the challenge Mexico and the US faced as they struggled to contain what was increasingly looking like a civil war along theUS-Mexico border, the newspaper report said.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Mod Edit: Trimmed down big quote



[edit on 3/3/09 by FredT]

Nice now they are trying to tell us that the drug dealers equal the mexican army in numbers lets hope this is not a new trend world wide or we are in real trouble.

Where are they getting these numbers from?

This is just another example at keeping the fear alive and maybe a test case to see if it can be repeated in western nations to keep us all very quiet while they work on their endgame.

It would be funny if it was not so serious.
SM

www.theaustralian.news.com.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

This seems to be getting no more then a 10 minute segment on any and all MSM outlets... One city had 1,600 murders last year!!

I wonder how far the gangs, drug lords, cartels and mafia will push the gov't/police &/or Military into total dismemberment.

There are sheiff and deputies leaving their precinct and squads left right and center, in fear of there lives.

Is your President thinkin' about sending additional 30,000+ national guard troops to your Southern border

Didn't think so...............

[edit on 3-3-2009 by xbranscombex]

Dude Mexico is totally stuffed. The army and police have to fight the cartels and protect citizens at the same time while the cartels only have to fight. Considering both sides are the same size I'd say that without outside help Mexico does not have a chance. But yeah your right the MSM hasn't even mentioned it as far as I can tell. I truly pity the people caught in the middle in over there. The only way I see the Mexican government succeeding by themselves is if they start to use terror tactics against the cartels like are being done to them. Problem there is they'll get the UN screaming at them and hippies all over the world having fits in the streets. So all that said if I was a member of the Mexican government I would not be feeling safe, you may be forcibly replaced soon.

Not entirely sure what you are trying to get at though smokingman2006. Do you mean that the figures are made up in order to cow us in other countries from protesting against our governments when they start getting tough on us?

Are we talking about the same Department of Defense that miscalculated Iraq, Afghanistan, Bin Laden's whereabouts, WMD's, couldn't intercept hijack planes.

With incidents like the ones above, I personally find it hard to believe anything they have to say.

How many people did it take to terrorize a nation on 9/11?

How many people did it take to terrorize a nation in OKC?

How many snipers did it take to terrorize the Washington Beltway?

Living down here in New Mexico I think the numbers are very realistic. These are like little guerilla bands spread along the border and yes in the U.S. also. The Cartels (very large orginized gangs) have been fighting a turf war in Jaurez, that I know of, for a couple of years. One group is prolific in coc aine and the other in meth. Now if they do come to some sort of agreement amongst themselves they can easily control the border towns. Now here's the question, If they stay on their side of the border what would be the reason for the U.S. to intervine?
If the Mexican gov't asked the U.S. for help would that make the U.S. the controlling factor? I say it's the beginning of the "North American Union". If it does happen what's the take on what Canada thinks about the "NAU"?

The Mexican government thrives and survives on graft and corruption, and now those same people and groups who paid bribes to operate have figured they no longer have to, and actually should be receiving the same from the government to allow them to continue to operate the police and army.
It is killing the tourism business, and even middle class (by Mexican standards) as well as foreigners are hiring body guards to keep from being kidnapped for ransom, or worse.
Along the southern border, "Sub Commandante Marcos" and his revolutionaries hold sway, and along the northern border the very wealthy cartels rule.
Officials of every kind in Mexico city fear to leave their homes and are murdered on a daily basis, and all it would take for a coup would be for a few thousand armed "narco terrorists" to take over the capital infrastructure.
In a culture where bribes and corruption are accepted as a necessary part of life, the people of Mexico don't really care one way or the other who they have to pay them to.
Police and Federal officers are, for the most part, for sale to the highest bidder and are paid a pittance, and make most of their income on bribes and intimidation just to feed their families.
A large segment of the population might even see a narco regime as a bonus, only having to pay one set of bribes instead of one to the drug lords to produce, and one to the police to keep from being arrested.

I do fear that the current U.S. administration though, would see this as a major threat to something or other, and at a distress call from the current Mexican government, move in troops to quell the insurrection, coup, or takeover.
I do have a place I visit in southern Mexico, far from a tourist trap and really a fairly unremarkable place except for surfing season.
But even the cosmopolitan makeup of people from many countries living in harmony with the local residents has become paranoid and reluctant to venture out much---middle class locals even, and I have canceled my trip this year and probably for the duration of the conflicts.

Three words: Pretext for invasion.

I wonder what they'll cook up to justify the taking of Canada...

So just these 2 cartels = the military man power in Mexico?? Sheish that is something, and of course you know there will be a high amount of infiltration in to the police, military govt. Any agency in fact, if the cartel don't have someone where they want I guess they have 2 options - be nice and pay someone off, or put the heavy on... Either way I would not want to have a position of any power in Mexico - You'd wake up with a donkeys head in your bed - and it will be Pedro your very own donkey!

I do believe that the situation is really bad in Mexico, however I can see a lot of truth in the comment made my The Last Man On Earth. It would be very convinient for the US to control Mexico. They then control one of the main ways that immigrants get into the states and the CIA no longer have to pay the mexican cartels for coke they can get it straight from Columbia LOL. But seriously it would be convinient for the US to own Mexico and it wouldn't surprise me if they went in heavy there in the name of restoring peace and then took severa years to leave.

Its not all that surprising really.

When you looks at the Order of Battle for the Mexican armed forces, they are more of a National Guard than an offensive force that can project power.

Mexicos stability is in our best interest

the drug dealer have bigger armies than the government and better armed!!

One could say that chaos has arrived

[edit on 4-3-2009 by smokingman2006]

I say close the border and let them shoot it out, then take over.

There will be FAR less to deal with.

I have been told that the safest people to buy illegal substances from in Mexico City are the Federales..... The only bad thing is that if you are carrying a bank card they will take you to the nearest card machine every time they catch you with what you purchased and have you make a cash withdrawal..... If you don't comply they will take you to jail. It is in a persons best interest to not indulge in the use of illegal substances unless you are in Amsterdam..... Not unlike the U.S. the law enforcement officers have a price and are even more involved in a lot of ways..... If elements of our government wasn't so deeply involved in the illegal transport of contraband coming and going across the borders there would not be the kinds of weapons there are in Mexico.

reply to post by hypervigilant


I agree with the part of the government been involved with this trade , how else would it have gotten so out of control?

I am not suprised by the report at all..

If anything the numbers for the cartels are much higher than reported..

and taking into account the amount of Military service men and women payed off by the cartels.. well you do the math there, take from the military, give to the cartels.

I live and work here in Mexico, and as an American, I do have some fear at the moment, BUT this has been going on for years.. the problems on both sides at the borders have been going on for years.

The United States should lock down the border, and each state has the power to do that without Federal approval.

There have been a lot of these threads over the past few weeks, and something that I will always address is this.. don't mix the cartels and the general population of Mexico together.. they are two separate groups of people, and in doing so you automatically lose credibility with a lot of the readers here, I for one included.

Originally posted by The Last Man on Earth
Three words: Pretext for invasion.

I wonder what they'll cook up to justify the taking of Canada...

How would Canada become involved in this issue, well let's see what the Canadian Press has to say about this:

Gang Violence in Canada Linked to Mexican Drug Wars

Pretext for invasion of Mexico? I'd be betting my money on it.

Pretext for involving Canada in this type of invasion for the sake of Canada's "national security" as well (the drug war spilling into Toronto/Vancouver) as implementing the NAU? Possible.

Looks like we have to cautiously stay tuned...

Originally posted by brohes


There have been a lot of these threads over the past few weeks, and something that I will always address is this.. don't mix the cartels and the general population of Mexico together.. they are two separate groups of people, and in doing so you automatically lose credibility with a lot of the readers here, I for one included.

Livig down here (New Mexico) for 18+ years and south Texas for 6, I for one totally agree with you. I love their culture and find them to be very christian based with very high family values. I do feel for the Mexican people much like sitting on the sidelines, taking casualties and will have to do the will of whatever side has the upper hand. Reminds me a bit of "Bush & Co." and the American people.
I really hope this fire burns itself out but that may be wishful thinking.

reply to post by matth


Thank you Matth, I haven't been able to get any info from our neighbors to the north. Canada's gov't is alot tighter than Mexico's but here's a senario, what if the U.S. and Canada allied against the Cartels? This war would be fought in Canada, which would be fine with Canada, and through the U.S.. Now we, as allies, have pushed them back to their border. Now is there some int'l law that says we can chase terrorist into another country? Or would the corrupted Mexican powers that be allow us to come thru. If we, as allies, did invade Mexico it would be a long term ordeal being that Mexico is just the portal for distributions of the products. We would also have to guard their south border, air traffic and sea traffic. Pretty much sounds like Canada and the U.S. just acquired Mexico, might just want to make all three countries into one union. Boy it sure would make economics of war alot easier.
Or we can just keep going south to the production fields and just "police" South America. "Hey World, what do you think of that huh?"

Originally posted by geo1066
Or we can just keep going south to the production fields and just "police" South America. "Hey World, what do you think of that huh?"

I had just thought of saying this when I saw you had posted it. It would be very smooth by the US and a move they could most likely justify with ease. Prepare for the coming of the American Empire (a copy of the British Empire but with less style).