America Security News.- President Barack Obama and Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto, right, leave a joint news conference in Mexico City, Mexico, Thursday, May 2, 2013. Credit to AP Photo

Last week, Mr. Obama returned to capitals in Latin America with a vastly different message. Relationships with countries racked by drug violence and organized crime should focus more on economic development and less on the endless battles against drug traffickers and organized crime capos that have left few clear victors. The countries, Mexico in particular, need to set their own course on security, with the United States playing more of a backing role.READ WHOLE ARTICLE HERE

The announcement Friday by Undersecretary Eduardo Sánchez of the Interior Secretariat was another sign that President Enrique Peña Nieto is developing a whole different strategy against the cartels, and wants to distance itself from practices under the previous government, which left power Dec. 1.

Last week, Sánchez also told the press that police no longer would put suspected gangsters on display in “perp walks” before banks of television cameras, nor would authorities post “most-wanted” lists, allow news media to air raids in action or refer to gangsters by aliases.

“It is not acceptable, nor will it ever be under this government, that authorities conduct themselves in arbitrary ways that hurt society (or) lead to impunity and injustice,” Sánchez said at a news conference.READ MORE HERE

Two faces, same coin, the Zetas. Heriberto Lazcano, alias Z-3; Miguel Treviño, alias Z-40

Regardless of the veracity of the current rumors that Mexico’s feared Zetas organization has split into pieces, the organization’s breakup is a foregone conclusion given the group’s local revenue streams.

Recently a US law enforcement source told APthat Zetas second-in-command Miguel Angel Treviño, alias  Z-40,  has successfully taken over control of the entire group, displacing Heriberto Lazcano, alias Z-3,  it’s long-time number one. READ MORE HERE

The Americas Post - Presidential candidate of the Mexican PRI, Enrique Pena Nieto.

After six years into a drug war, none of the top candidates in next Sunday’s presidential election in Mexico has offered a significant new strategy to win a conflict that has claimed more than 50,000 lives and terrorized Mexican society. In fact, the future of the “war on drugs” is a political mystery.

However, when they mention it, Mexican politicians emphasize the need for reducing the increasingly brutal violence, as they seek to address the concern that weighs most heavily on the minds of outraged Mexican voters.

The “war on the cartels” is the trademark  of outgoing President Felipe Calderon´s administration, and the candidates do not want to be involved in this long and bloody conflict.

The candidate whom polls show most likely to win the election, Enrique Peña Nieto, from the PRI (Partido Revolucionario Institucional) , comes under special scrutiny in his security platform because of his party’s past ties with the cartels.

Poster of Anti drug campaign in the U.S.

The following is stated in the investigation made by the Norwegian Narcotics Governmental Committee  which members, more than 100 consultative bodies, has made a public statement in late February. The picture that emerges is the following:

1) the drug situation in Norway is improving,

2) law enforcement efforts should be reinforced,

3) amicable measures for adolescents should be done in legal terms.

4) a clear majority of Norwegian Experts does not want either legalization or decriminalization of drug use in Norway.

5) there are no scientific arguments for the legalization of drug use,

6) countries that have experimented with legalization or decriminalization had problems.

7) drug Status in Norway as of 2012 is that the number of overdose deaths have been reduced. The use of heroin has gone down 20-30 percent in the last 10 years. The use of cannabis is slightly down, and the number of young people who have tried cannabis is strongly downward. The steep increase in cocaine use has stopped. Norwegian Narcotics Police Association with its 2600 members, of which 350 offciers are from Customs, has followed the last developments very closely and can confirm that the situation is far from black in Norway. On the contrary, the situation is improving.

in one area there is strong reason to worry. This applies to the new synthetic drugs, often called “legal highs”. The use of these is increasing, and there are 600 online shops in Europe. In 2011, 8 new substances were taken into the forbidden drug list. It’s seems good, but when 100 new substances are identified in the last three years, the pace must accelerate when it comes to getting new synthetic drugs onto the list.

9) the Committee also think that the anti narcotic laws should take this new situation (new synthetic drugs) into account,  since the Norwegian Supreme Court has pointed out that the current criminal laws can not be applied to all new synthetic drugs now entering into the market.

10) In 2010 there were 248 drug deaths in Norway. Number of drug deaths worldwide is about 200 000 per year. Deaths caused by alcohol, tobacco and licit psychoactive substances are approximately 7.5 million per year, ie almost 40 times higher. Drugs are illegal trade in virtually all countries, while alcohol, tobacco and psychoactive are legal merchandise. According to the UN drug office  these figures contains the best argument for a restrictive drug policy.

11) Legalization advocates have tried to create the impression that the punishment for drug use, even for the first time, is why there are so many drug prisoners in Norwegian prisons. That is not true, according to the Committee. In fact the first time drug use  hardly results in an unconditional prison sentence. Production, trafficking and turnover, however, are punished severely, and so shall it be.

12) Many of the respondents to the consultation clearly states that the legal actions against drug users should be handled by police, police prosecutors and the courts.

13) Furthermore, the Committee also believe that alternative sanctions for young people should be supported, for example, conditional waiver on terms of future abstinence. That this gives good results was confirmed by the ngo “HOPE – the project”, which combines lower punishment if the drug users do not relapse, having clear conditions and lightning fast reaction in case of breach of these conditions.

14) the Norwegian Crime Prevention Council states that “… the criminal provisions represent an important norm boundary, particularly with regard to underage drug users …”,

15) and the statement of the Norwegian Ministry of Justice which states that “… we must show clearly that the possession and abuse in youth groups carries and will be met with clear legal sanctions. There is little doubt that many young people organize their behavior according to society’s limits and sanctions … “.

16) Legalization advocates focus on informal agreements on health care treatment. The reasoning for this including the high costs of the justice sector. The fact that quality care is important, the Committee fully agree in. The argument about costs in the justice sector stands out, however, as too little nuanced, and must be considered in the perspective that the treatment is expensive – with costs of up to USD 450  per day, and with waiver during the treatment period of as much as 70 percent.

17) At one point there is complete agreement between supporters and opponents, it is that prevention is crucial, and that home and school are the key prevention arenas. “It’s worrying.”

18) Eighty percent of respondents to the consultation who answered the question said “yes” for renewed anti narcotic efforts made by the police and customs.

19) Price mechanism also applies to the drug market. The larger the seizures, the higher the prices, and the lower the risk that young people start using drugs.

20) Alternative measures for heavily dependent users is not opposed to the resolute responses to youth at risk, which is the most important target group.

21) Each country’s police and customs officers can only stop some of the drugs that pass their own border. But the drugs are transported across many borders, such as heroin from Afghanistan, cannabis from North Africa and cocaine from South America. On every border the authorities seize a certain amount  of drugs. If you had added up all the drugs captured/seized  along the long route, one would have seen that customs and police were able to stop between 40 and 50 percent of drugs that have Norway as the final goal of.  That is a pretty good result, says the Norwegian Committee.

22) Also, the Committee is aware of the negative secondary effects. If Norway liberalize the use of drugs, there will also be harder for customs and police to stop smuggling and sales, a flow of narcotics will enter to the country.

23) The Committee also  read the documents and statements made by the addicts organizations. The strongest impression is the statement of the interest organization RIO which states that “…… the liberalization of drugs is the opposite of dignity for people fleeing from himself through drugs …… there are still many people who do not experiment with drugs because it is forbidden … “. Many will experiment with drugs if suddenly the use of drugs is decriminalized.

That is why, the Norwegian Committe became convinced that legalization or decriminalization of drugs is not the way to go, and that the Norwegian drug policy is much better than its reputation.

]]> http://www.theamericaspostes.com/4257/23-reasons-why-not-decriminalize-drugs-use/feed/ 0 http://www.theamericaspostes.com/3980/german-company-raided-for-mexican-arms-sales/ http://www.theamericaspostes.com/3980/german-company-raided-for-mexican-arms-sales/#comments Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:17:40 +0000 tlc http://www.theamericaspostes.com/?p=3980

The Americas Post - Mexicans appreciate fine German workmanship

The factory of German arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch was raided on Thursday by some 300 German agents, on suspicion of bribery related to the sale of weapons to Mexico in 2005.

Authorities in Stuttgart confirmed that the search, which included the homes of some employees, was for evidence of bribes paid to Mexican officials for approval of arms contracts over several years.  The accusations include some German officials who prosecutors allege were also bribed.

For years investigators have suspected the German company of exporting arms to four states in Mexico “with violent internal conflicts”, in violation of German law.  Authorities did not specify who the recipients of the weapons were.  In January the Economics Ministry suspended all exports from that factory to Mexico.

Heckler & Koch was previously accused of violating an embargo on arms exports to Libya.  The company has always denied any role in illegal sales, but declined to comment on the latest accusations.

Other current customers include the German police and military, as well as other NATO countries.

The Americas Post - Monterrey's beginning to look a bit like Baghdad. Photo: Notimex

Mexican army soldiers deployed as part of that nation’s Northeast Operation in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon survived a car bombing yesterday that may indicate a dangerous escalation in Mexico’s ongoing drug war.

According to the Ministry of Defense, an armed group simulated a firefight then fled on foot in order to lead soldiers into the ambush, in which none of them were hurt.  Mexican Attorney General Marisela Morales Ibáñez said that forensic specialists were immediately sent to Monterrey to gather evidence from the site of the explosion, which only caused property damage.

Although similar tactics have been used against local and federal police, Mexican Justice Dept investigators said this is the first time a car bomb has been used against the army.

International security expert Samuel Gonzalez said that the bombing is not a sign of escalation, “but rather, a reality.”

“It’s not new anymore; it’s a continuation of what these organized criminals are capable of”, he said.  ”We’re all worried that they’ve changed their tactics and we’re going to continue seeing similar violent acts.”

Attorney General Morales said that further  information would be released as the investigation progresses.

Pan American Games 2011 Inauguration in Guadalajara, Mexico.

MEXICO CITY — Friday was opening day for Mexico´s  first Pan American Games since 1975.  During the games,  athletes from across the Americas will be guarded by unmanned drones, infrared-equipped Black Hawk helicopters, hundreds of surveillance cameras and more than 11,000 police officers, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

It’s the first time in near 40 years that Mexico hosts the Pan American Games – a major multi-sport event held every four years – and the stakes are high, as the country is in a war against the drug cartels that keeps setting new thresholds for shocking violence. Nationwide, more than 40,000 people have died in drug violence since President Felipe Calderon launched a military-led crackdown on traffickers in 2006.

About 6,000 athletes from 42 countries will take part in the two-week event, which opened Friday with festivities in the host city of Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest and other four other cities in the same state, Jalisco.

Guadalajara is not among the main hot spots for drug violence.  “Right now this is the safest city in Mexico and many other places in Latin America,” Guadalajara Mayor Aristoteles Sandoval said.

Violence in the area has risen since Mexican troops killed drug kingpin Ignacio “Nacho” Coronel during a raid last year in the Guadalajara suburb of Zapopan.

Mexican police chopper hovers over prison riot

Mexican authorities have reported that a minimum of 20 prisoners were killed and 12 injured in Saturday rioting at a prison housing drug gang members  in the violent border city of Matamoros.

According to the Tamaulipas state government’s public security office, fighting broke out between two inmates but quickly spread among dozens more.

Federal and state police were called to assist guards in restoring order at the prison, the statement said. News video showed helicopters hovering above the prison’s gray watchtower.

The state public security office did not specify how the inmates were killed, what weapons were used or which gangs the prisoners belonged to.  Bodies are on the way to forensic officials for autopsies, the statement said.

Matamoros, in Tamaulipas state, is situated directly across the border from Brownsville, Texas. It has been an important theater in the ongoing war between the once-dominant Gulf cartel and the powerful Zetas paramilitary gang, as both struggle for control of the valuable drug- and human-smuggling corridor.

Violent riots are frequent in Mexican prisons, especially in the north, where rival gang members are often jailed in the same overcrowded institution.

Last week seven prisoners were killed in the state of Nuevo Leon, which borders Tamaulipas. In July, another 17 were killed in a riot at a prison in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso.

In addition to being unsafe inside, Mexican prisons can also be poorly contained.  Last year hundreds of inmates escaped, including 40 from the Matamoros facility in March.  In that case, 50 guards and the warden were held for questioning.

Last month, 32 prisoners broke out almost simultaneously from three jails in the coastal city of Veracruz, in a state that also borders Tamaulipas.

You might not see the falcon, but he can see you

Mexico’s General Prosecutor’s Office for Morelos is warning against criminal groups specializing in robbery and “express kidnapping”, operating both inside and outside of Cuernavaca nightclubs.

Ministerial Police coordinator Jose Robles Quintana said that bands are most active on weekends on Playa de Ayala and Teopanzolco Avenues, targeting youngsters, tourists and people with luxury vehicles.

“Early in the morning when they leave to go home, they are waiting for them.  They steal their trucks for a while, they call the family, they empty their wallets and credit cards.”

Express kidnapping is a Mexican specialty in which victims are not held for ransom, but rather taken to ATM’s and forced to withdraw money and cash advances as quickly as possible.  In this case however, Quintana said that ransoms are also sometimes being collected.

“The family pays 20 or 30 thousand pesos (US$1,500 to $2,200) and they are released.  The only other thing they take is the pickup, which practically makes it an express kidnapping”, Quintana stated.  ”Usually they’re kidnapping people who drive Nissan X-Trails or other luxury pickups.”

Quintana said that the groups operate with “falcons” (spotters) inside who select and point out their targets, who are then followed home or stopped and robbed on the way.  He said there are no reliable figures on frequency, because some cases are not reported or simply reported as a stolen vehicle.  At times however, there have been six to eight cases reported in a single week.

The official urged nightclub visitors to exercise caution and avoid drinking to excess, which is a risk factor.