U.S. Concerned Mexican Cartels Could Acquire Russian Missiles

U.S. Concerned Mexican Cartels Could Acquire Russian Missiles

latino.foxnews.com

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton raised concerns to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow that announced sales of advanced anti-aircraft arms to Venezuela -- including the Igla-S (SA-24) MANPADS, Russia’s most advanced and considered one of the most lethal portable air defense systems ever made -- could make their way into the hands of Mexican drug cartels, according to the released cable.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Will the next false flag attack be in Mexico? Perhaps the "drug cartel" will shoot down an American helicopter or kill the president of Mexico in his jet? I think they are setting the stage for something here. Why would a drug cartel buy anti aircraft weapons? Especially ones so advanced? Is the drug cartel yet another TPTB front organization set up to advance the cause of the North American Union?

latino.foxnews.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Originally posted by sonofliberty1776

Why would a drug cartel buy anti aircraft weapons? Especially ones so advanced?

Exactly, why would they waste millions if they can shoot cops down with small arms fire?

This is how drug cartels shoot down cops in Brazil:



Even a 50 Cal. can do the job.

Great. First Iran, now Russia?! What the hell is going on? My fiancée keeps having dreams about Russia bombing the U.S. and the U.K.. I'm wondering if it will actually happen.

What is going on? I thought we, the US of A were suppling the weapons. Did we just lose another market? Is our profit margin too high? I don't have a marketing degree but it just makes sense that the Cartels ought to be getting these things from us being that we are their neighbors and we're their biggest consumers.

I say "BOYCOTT!"

We really have to drop this whole Iraq thing and focus on the real enemies; the mexican drug lords. We should send our troops to Mexico and deal with this issue before it escalates into something bigger.

Originally posted by sonofliberty1776

U.S. Concerned Mexican Cartels Could Acquire Russian Missiles

latino.foxnews.com

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton raised concerns to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow that announced sales of advanced anti-aircraft arms to Venezuela -- including the Igla-S (SA-24) MANPADS, Russia’s most advanced and considered one of the most lethal portable air defense systems ever made -- could make their way into the hands of Mexican drug cartels, according to the released cable.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Well...an air defense system is not designed to be lethal. It is designed to be a salvation. It is not an offensive system, it is a defensive one. Of course, that is just a minor matter....but to be specific.

But regarding the mexican drug lords....i call BS on the headline. If the US was really concerned it would do something. Legalizing pot would be a major impact to their bottom line and may either force them into legitimazy or start to chip away at their power.

I get the feeling that Mexico will be our next Iraq. Leading to the NAU.

Originally posted by bigfatfurrytexan

Well...an air defense system is not designed to be lethal. It is designed to be a salvation. It is not an offensive system, it is a defensive one. Of course, that is just a minor matter....but to be specific.

The U.S. covertly supplied air defensive weapons to Afghan fighters and it was key to their "victory" and/or the retreat of Russian forces from Afghanistan.

Surely there are no officials in the Russian military that would have a grudge and want to see U.S. aircraft shot down by Mexican militants and cartels, right?

Proxy wars are no less dangerous or lethal than outright wars between nations, just takes longer.

But ultimately it is only a small component of a much longer and more devastating plan that will leave the U.S. few retaliatory options and our real allied enemies "victorious".

why buy from Venezuela and russia they could just buy from china and cut out the middle man. or better yet just take them from mexican army seriously i have no doubt the drug lords have had antihelicopter weaponry for several years now. they wouldn't have to worry about bringing down fighters much but dea and coast guard helicopters would be a big threat to their trade . luckily for them both could be brought down with 50 cal fire or stingers. both easy to find on the blackmarket.

I suspect "drug wars" are some kind of smokescreen. No pun intended I do not know much about drugs - but from what I have read - most Marijuana in the US is produced in the US. Also, alot is produced in Canada.

If memory serves I think BC is the big Canadian producer - why are we not going after Canadian Drug Cartels?

So, if most of the Marijuana in the US is grown in the US or Canada - what drugs are we concerned with in regards to MX? Cocaine? I could see that coming up through MX from points further south - but wouldn't it be easier to cut out the Mexicans and put it on a plane?

So - I suspect that these "Mexican Drug Cartels" are nothing like the threat they are spun to be.

Onto Venezuela. They have alot of oil.

Funny how many of these places that the US wants to "engage" with - for reasons like nearby countries obtaining missiles from them to use in a drug war (LOL!) - it's funny how they all seem to have oil, isn't it?

Venezuela, Wikipedia

These stories are just getting absolutely ABSURD.

Originally posted by ledzeppelin489
We really have to drop this whole Iraq thing and focus on the real enemies; the mexican drug lords. We should send our troops to Mexico and deal with this issue before it escalates into something bigger.

Will never happen. The USA won't even send troops to secure its OWN border.

This is very irresponsible of Hillary Clinton even letting something like this go public. Her speculation causes nothing but fear and heightened illegal-immigration sentiment.

While she lambasts critics of the governments failure to enforce immigration laws, she creates a scenerio of drug cartels with weapons of mass destruction

It'll be different if the cartels already purchased these weapons(I'm not saying they have these weapons already) but as the title states, cartels could aquire. Anything COULD happen.

She's just running her mouth to sound important, that's all.

Apparently they (Venezuela) are buying literally thousands of these missiles. Surely they don't need that many themselves, so what are they doing with them?

earlier this year, Russia reported to the U.N. Register of Conventional Arms, which records the transnational sale of weaponry, that the deal totaled 1,800 missiles.

American commander for military forces in Latin America, Air Force Gen. Douglas Fraser, publicly expressed concern this year that Venezuela was purchasing as many as 2,400 of the missiles, also called the IGLA-S.

the missiles are among the most sophisticated in the world and can down aircraft from 19,000 feet.

www.washingtonpost.com...

reply to post by babybunnies

I read a different version of this story that had "Columbian rebels" in place of "Mexican drug gangs"...and I don't think either would have the where-with-all to be able to actually implement these things, unless they kidnapped some Venezualan officer or scientist. Yes, alot of pot is produced in the U.S. and Canada, but this is the higher end, WAY MORE EXPENSIVE and usually medical herb for sale in dispensaries or to people who know what they are buying and have been doing so for years and years.

Mexico still holds the monopoly on bush weed that you'd find in your average neighborhood dealers hands, & this along with Methamphetamine account for the raging, blood soaked conflict that has killed close to 30,000 people in the closest proximity to the U.S. in the last few decades or more.
What did we do about it in the early 90s? We trained Mexican army specialists on u.s. soil and sent them back to Mexico to fight the drug war, where they promptly proceeded to defect from the Mexican army and form the most violent of all the cartels, the zetas...kindof like how we supported the mujahadeen against the soviets and look where that got us. there's no easy solution to this narco-insurgency because it is fueled by us in the united states, just like islamic insurgents are fueled by their hatred of us occupying thier lands

Originally posted by Whiffer Nippets
If memory serves I think BC is the big Canadian producer - why are we not going after Canadian Drug Cartels?

Probably because marijuana producers here in BC don't have large private armies that engage with security forces on a daily basis.

So, if most of the Marijuana in the US is grown in the US or Canada - what drugs are we concerned with in regards to MX? Cocaine? I could see that coming up through MX from points further south - but wouldn't it be easier to cut out the Mexicans and put it on a plane?

So - I suspect that these "Mexican Drug Cartels" are nothing like the threat they are spun to be.

Mexican cartels do indeed produce a lot of marijuana, they have fields of it growing all over northern Mexico and the Southern US. They also smuggle a lot of coke and harder stuff too, which is always a violent trade.

And who makes up these cartels? I've been told that a good portion of cartel leaders are ex-US special ops/private security. They see a business opportunity that requires their specific skills, and they exploit it. Most of the workers are regular Mexicans, mostly farmers that have had their livelihoods destroyed by American corporations via NAFTA.

Take for instance the corn market. This used to be Mexico's largest agri-industry, then Monstano took over and replaced organic corn with GM corn and helped push the Mexican government to privatize Mexican farmlands to produce corn for the US (which lead to the rise of the Zapatista movement in 1994). Where do most of these ex-farmers and rural workers go now? Some jump the border to find work in the US, some work for the cartels.

Apparently they (Venezuela) are buying literally thousands of these missiles. Surely they don't need that many themselves, so what are they doing with them?

Probably upgrading their MANPADS capability?

MANPADS offer a distinct tactical advantage over other SAM systems. For one, they are carried on a squad level and are extremely effective against helicopters and aircraft that are either landing or taking off from a runway. Secondly they don't offer a significant radar signature like a mobile SAM that would invite a SEAD strike.

For a country like Venezuela, MANPADS are very practical. They come in handy in the jungle, where vehicles have a hard time moving through and helicopters are a more common threat than fighters/bombers (that would be out of range or too fast to intercept with the Igla-S). Then you can also load the Igla-S onto oil platforms to ward off commando insertions (if the goal is to capture them), or attach them to light vehicles or boats.

As for the article itself, I think it's BS. If cartels really want MANPADS so bad, then they aren't exactly hard to find. I don't understand why they would need top-of-the-line shoulder launched SAMs in order to take on Mexican security forces when .50cal rifles/machineguns can be more effective. It just reeks like anti-Venezuelan PR to me.

Honestly when I saw the thread title I thought the article would claim that the cartels are after Club-K cruise missiles, which would be a much more adequate and viable threat.

reply to post by Fractured.Facade


I'm an rookie at replies and posting but I had to respond to you. I agree with your analysis of the situation 100%. In fact I was thinking of the fact that Mexico has become a possibly "map changing" situation, the other day. The fact that they can be invaded, and become a paid conscripted enemy easily by Russia or China. As you said it is a proxy war now...but very quickly could escalate. We need to wake up, and posts like your contribute greatly.

Originally posted by Fractured.Facade

Originally posted by bigfatfurrytexan

Well...an air defense system is not designed to be lethal. It is designed to be a salvation. It is not an offensive system, it is a defensive one. Of course, that is just a minor matter....but to be specific.

The U.S. covertly supplied air defensive weapons to Afghan fighters and it was key to their "victory" and/or the retreat of Russian forces from Afghanistan.

Surely there are no officials in the Russian military that would have a grudge and want to see U.S. aircraft shot down by Mexican militants and cartels, right?

Proxy wars are no less dangerous or lethal than outright wars between nations, just takes longer.

But ultimately it is only a small component of a much longer and more devastating plan that will leave the U.S. few retaliatory options and our real allied enemies "victorious".

edit on 12-12-2010 by Fractured.Facade because: (no reason given)

I'm an rookie at replies and posting but I had to respond to you. I agree with your analysis of the situation 100%. In fact I was thinking of the fact that Mexico has become a possibly "map changing" situation, the other day. The fact that they can be invaded, and become a paid conscripted enemy easily by Russia or China. As you said it is a proxy war now...but very quickly could escalate. We need to wake up, and posts like yours contribute greatly.

I believe that many of you are missing the real story here. Russia is back to their tactics of the Cold War, arming anyone that is an enemy of the Unites States.It's time that we revisit the Monroe Doctrine. Russia should be discouraged with "extreme prejudice" from meddling in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere.

reply to post by sonofliberty1776


Oh boy. Russia, here we go again. The more "progress" we make, the further we get behind in so many ways.

How many of you trust the radical Kenyan-Indonesian-Muslim-Christian-American(?) who attended Rev. Wright's "church" for twenty years ("God Bless America? No No No No No! God Damn America!) to make defense deals with the Russians?

Originally posted by ProfEmeritus
I believe that many of you are missing the real story here. Russia is back to their tactics of the Cold War, arming anyone that is an enemy of the Unites States.It's time that we revisit the Monroe Doctrine. Russia should be discouraged with "extreme prejudice" from meddling in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere.

Try to explain this to me, because I find it hard to believe.

Russia, which sells Venezuela a lot of its military hardware, continues to sell it some Igla-S shipments. Then the US government claims there is a link between cartels and Venezuela's military, and now people are assuming that Russia is supplying Mexican cartels with advanced military hardware?

I think if Russia wanted to do that, they would go straight to the cartels. There is no conspiracy here, aside from the fact that the US government is claiming its usual BS concerns about the affairs of other countries.