WP: Americans Vanish In Mexican Town (border kidnappings)

[DeepModem Mom]

Americans Vanish In Mexican Town
Drug Cartels Competing Along Border Suspected in Increased Kidnappings

By Mary Jordan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, January 22, 2005; Page A10


....Cisneros, Martinez and Contreras (three young people who crossed the border for a night out, and to attend a social event) are now listed among the dramatically increased number of U.S. citizens who have recently been reported missing or kidnapped along the border, especially around Nuevo Laredo. Last month, U.S. consular officials here issued a warning to the thousands of Americans who cross the bridge each week, including Mexican Americans visiting relatives or shopping and tourists on short sightseeing trips.

"U.S. citizens are urged to be especially aware of safety and security concerns when traveling through or visiting in Nuevo Laredo," it said. The message said 21 U.S. citizens had been kidnapped or had disappeared between August and December, with nine later released, two found dead and 10 still missing. It also mentioned the "alarming rate" of kidnappings that has continued for some time across Mexico, including "express" abductions for quick-cash ransoms.

One U.S. official said that while some of the missing appear to have been innocent victims, more were probably involved with drug traffickers. In either case, "no one deserves to be kidnapped, tortured or killed," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the international sensitivity of the issue. "We're seeing outright lawlessness in Nuevo Laredo. Things are just getting out of hand."...

***

Until recently, drug-related violence was generally confined to the Mexican side of the border. Now, officials say, it is directly affecting the United States, both in higher numbers of incidents and in more brazen attacks....The rise in violence has caused alarm in both Mexico City and Washington. About 40 percent of the goods passing from Mexico into the United States cross the border here by truck or rail, and many worry that the problem could hurt legitimate commerce in the fast-growing area....


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27657-2005Jan21.html

[rainbow4321]

1. Reynosa mayor trying to woo scared tourists back

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D87ORLLO1.html


Violent crime has erupted in recent months just across the border from several Texas towns. U.S. officials have issued travel advisories after reports of more than a dozen slayings, over 20 kidnappings, and assaults with machine guns and grenades. And that's just since August.

While Mexican officials are trying to quell fears among U.S. residents who are crucial to the border economy, experts warn a long-running drug war will continue as cartels scramble to replace those busted up by authorities.

"This is a kind of brutal, bloody civil war, they're jockeying for monopolies, control, turf," said Bruce Bagley, a professor of International Studies at the University of Miami. "It's a very high-stakes game in Mexico, an industry that probably makes in the neighborhood of three or four billion a year. ... U.S. markets for drugs have grown immensely."

Things are so bad that U.S. consuls have issued advisories against travel to Reynosa and Nuevo Laredo, which is across the border form Laredo, Texas. Twenty-two Americans were recently kidnapped there, and several turned up dead.

[DeepModem Mom]

3. Thanks for adding that link, rainbow! n/t

[WyLoochka]

9. "experts warn a long-running drug war

will continue"

Black markets will always supply products that are prohibited, and criminals will organize and compete for control of the unregulated production/supply operations in order to reap the profits. Hence, the violence.

"It's a very high-stakes game in Mexico, an industry that probably makes in the neighborhood of three or four billion a year. ... U.S. markets for drugs have grown immensely."

Time to do away with prohibition. It won't work with drugs any more than it did with alcohol.

[Cooley Hurd]

2. Since it's non-muslims doing the kidnapping, this story ends up...

...on A10?:shrug:

[pinniped]

4. Probably the corrupt as hell policia doing some of the kidnapping.

I hear they like to hold Merkans for ransom too.

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. The chupacabras got them!

[Quetzal]

7. LOL

n/t

[UL_Approved]

6. Yes, the old Mexican outlaws

This is an item of lawlessness that occurs from time to time. This is probably like gang wars in our cities. People get taken for ransom, and this is in a rough period. What becomes of these people is anybody's guess.

In other times of our nation, this would be front page news.

[Paleocon]

8. This happens and we still allow our border to be open and porous...

What is it going to take for someone to get serious about border security???


U N B E L I E V A B L E ! ! !

[genieroze]

13. When one of the * twins get's kidnapped. eom

[eg101]

10. we should have "liberated" Mexico instead of Iraq

a racist regime where the white 10% own 75% of the assets, and the poor indios & mestizos are left to the hardscrabble ejidos, or have to move to America, where teh Republicans and democrats collude with small and large business owners to make sure the indios & mestizos cannot even vote!

I say "Liberate Mexico!"

[GRLMGC]

11. This is all of Latin America

See? This is colonialism screwing everything up. The same systems remainn to this day.

[Bridget Burke]

12. We already "liberated" half of Mexico.

It was ceded to us by Santa Ana after the Mexican War.