Gunmen abduct 6 from hotels in northern Mexico. (Holiday Inn & another hotel)

[SoCalDem]

This is getting out of hand...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100422/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_drug_war_mexico
Gunmen abduct 6 from hotels in northern Mexico
AP

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ, Associated Press Writer Olga R. Rodriguez, Associated Press Writer –
Wed Apr 21, 11:38 pm ET

MEXICO CITY – Dozens of gunmen burst into a Holiday Inn and another hotel in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey Wednesday, searching from room-to-room and abducting at least six people, prosecutors said.

Nuevo Leon state attorney general Alejandro Garza y Garza said that between 20 and 30 gunmen abducted four guests and a receptionist from the 17-story Holiday Inn in Mexico's industrial hub, which has seen a surge in violence recently. The gunmen had with them a handcuffed man who led them to the fifth floor, Garza y Garza said. The assailants stormed room 517 where an Asian guest was staying, realized he wasn't who they were looking for and left, he said.

The group then searched at least seven more rooms on the fifth floor, apparently looking for specific targets, before going across the street to the Hotel Mision where they abducted a receptionist, the attorney general said. Those abducted included three male guests who registered at the Holiday Inn as businessmen from Mexico City and a woman registered as from the border city of Reynosa, across from McAllen, Texas. Garza y Garza said a private security guard who was outside the Holiday Inn has been reported missing but that it remains unclear if he was abducted by the gunmen.

snip

Local media reported that the gunmen hijacked several trucks and used them to barricade two main avenues about 15 blocks from the hotels, presumably to prevent authorities from reaching the area. But Garza y Garza said police were still investigating that. He said the attackers stole a computer containing the Holiday Inn's hotel registry and the hotel's security videos.

snip

In one wealthy suburb on Monterrey, the mayor created a group of private crime fighters, unaffiliated with police and paid with donations by local businessmen — a security force he now says will be disbanded. Mayor Mauricio Fernandez of San Pedro Garza Garcia said the group was "smeared" by allegations it might itself be involved in illegal activities. He previously said the group would perform "rough work, I would call it cleansing" and suggested it might operate outside the law.

snip


An estimated 22,700 people have been killed in Mexico's drug war since December 2006, when President Felipe Calderon launched a U.S.-backed military crackdown on drug cartels.

[Arctic Dave]

1. Seems like a well trained and knowledgeable group.

Blocked roads and stole security devices. Military or police?

[SoCalDem]

2. Whatever it is, it's scary as hell

people get killed in the crossfire in things like this..

I bet the retirement tourism is way down. I'd think twice about going there now..We used to go to Baja with our boys for weeks at a time back when things were calmer..

[a la izquierda]

7. Well, groups like the Zetas..

used to be paramilitary, then did bodyguard work, etc for the Gulf Cartel, then struck out on their own.


I still can't wait to go to Mexico...6 more weeks!

[MadHound]

3. When will people learn,

Legalize drugs and stop this madness. Otherwise it is going to continue, ratcheting up the violence throughout Mexico and deeper into the US.

Legalize all drugs, control the quality and manufacture, and tax them. A win-win for everybody.

[KharmaTrain]

4. It's More Than Drugs Now...

There's a major trafficking in weapons that are starting to dwarf the drug traffic. While drugs are their meal tickets, and I agree that our draconian drug laws do play a role here, this mess is far broader now. There's a big market in human trafficking that is sure to increase as efforts are made to "seal the borders" and go after "illegal aliens" rather than the employers who exploit their cheap labor and stick us with all the expenses. Those who control the border have their hands in money going both ways now...and it isn't just for a bag of ditchweed any longer.

[MadHound]

5. I realize that,

But given that drugs are still what is primarily funding this, legalizing all drugs, from dope to meth to heroin, would cut their legs out from under them.

I agree we need to start going after the employers who hire illegal aliens, and need to engage comprehensive immigration reform. But now would be a really auspicious time to hit on both these fronts since illegal aliens have actually been leaving this country due to lack of jobs.

Hit now with this one-two punch, make getting guns over the border a lot tougher and I think we can solve this mess. Otherwise, as I said, it's just going to get worse and worse, spreading throughout the US.

[KharmaTrain]

6. Wish I Could Remember The TV Show I Saw...

It was on the public station focusing on how sophisticated the Mexican gangs have become. I can't see anyway drugs like Cocaine or Heroin are ever legalized in this country, and I've long been an advocate for going after the money rather than the drugs and more specifically the end user...many who are victims not perps. There's some very large money made by some very white and rich Americans who provide the money to keep the drugs, weapons and other criminal enterprises rolling.

Not long ago, I saw a show about the motivations of the gangs and the focus was on human trafficking as opposed to drug running. They showed how they can get from $1,000 to $5,000 per person they sneak across as opposed to a few hundred dollars for a shipment of drugs and that many of these people are multiple "transits"...meaning people who go back and forth several times; paying each time. There's also a big business in contraband cigarettes, prescription drugs and other goods that are cheaper in Mexico. It was pointed out that if weed were legalized and taxed (which I'm in favor of), there still will be a flow across the border for those who will want to avoid the taxes or pay for cheaper stuff than is legally available.

A complex issue that also reflects on the oligarchy that operates Mexico and their reliance on cheap labor to attract multinationals yet return little to the people. In many areas the gangs offer more protection and services than the corrupt local governments...you can't tell one gang from the other.

I'm with you on the need to move quickly on a comprehensive immigration reform bill that stops criminalizing the poor guy or woman who is trying to feed their family or find a better way to survive and look at the reasons why they come here. As always it's addressing the effect, not the cause.

Cheers...