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Guns in Mexico
The El Paso Times has a story based on a Wikileaks leaked diplomatic message. It reports that businessmen in Juarez hired eight Zetas for protection, and Zetas got guns from the army in exchange for a truce with the Zetas and promises of assistance against rival cartels:
"According to the contact, (the source)," the cable states, " 'Zetas' paid a visit on local military commanders when they arrived in Juárez in September 2008, and purchased previously-seized weapons from the army garrison the former 'Zetas' pledged not to target the army, and made themselves available to the army for extrajudicial operations."
· non-US
4 Comments | Leave a comment
What exactly is an "extrajudicial operation"?
Maybe going where the army is forbidden to go? Like just maybe across the border?
Just asking.
[W3]
Extrajudicial operations means killing people without due process. IE, assassination missions.
Extra judicial is extra-illegal. So the Mex Army is getting the Zetas to do "police work" that the Police won't do.
I've also read reports that show the Mexican Navy is occasionally engaged in Army/Police activities, presumably because they're more reliable or trustworthy - or just because they are NOT the Army? Are ALL the Mexican services corrupt? How's the Air Force then?
David, being a bit naive about the details of drugs and Mexico, I had to Google the term "Zetas" and I'm posting a link as to what I found: http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/10/12/us-mexico-drugs-zetas-idUSTRE69B3LZ20101012
It's a very good example of unintended consequences of our "War on Drugs" and unannounced "War on Guns".