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Tijuana - Al 23 de enero de este año, se han registrado 6 homicidios en Playas de Rosarito, a diferencia de los 2 asesinatos que se reconocieron en el municipio durante todo el primer mes del 2013.

El director de Seguridad Pública en el puerto, Eduardo Montero Álvarez, adjudicó este repunte al aumento de estos delitos, que desde meses atrás se ha presentado en Tijuana, aunado al déficit de policías en la ciudad; y es que actualmente la corporación cuenta con 148 elementos para cuidar a los poco más de 200 mil habitantes, lo cual, reconoció, limita la capacidad de atención.

http://www.milenio.com/bajacaliforni...235177043.html

Tijuana - As of January 23, 2014, there have been 6 murders in Playas de Rosarito, two more than in the entire month of January, 2013.

The Chief of Police in the city, Eduardo Montero Álvarez, said that this increase in these crimes, which started months ago in Tijuana, is coupled with the shortage of police officers in the city. The police force has 148 officers to care for a little more than 200,000 inhabitants, which he says, limits their capacity to attend to demands.


woooosh note: Maggie Drake did a review of this weeks Zeta Magazine story on the new players in our area. It won't surprise many people and dashes the hope of safety and security returning to TJ/Rosarito Beach anytime soon. I had thought the police and gov't security forces were "allowing" the cartels to operate so long as the violence was reduced. I guess the cartels had other plans and El Teo and his Ensenada pozolero were just the pre-runners for the new guy in charge who is hiding in plain sight: "Brand new face controls the TJ police" Maggie's Madness Drug War Chronicles Baja California

That sucks. Reading the article at least it appears they are going to be making changes at the top...

"Al respecto, Montero Álvarez aseguró que la corporación se encuentra implementando estrategias para atacar estos delitos, entre ellas el cambio en los mandos policiacos..."

Obviously something needs to change because this simply is not working...

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

That sucks. Reading the article at least it appears they are going to be making changes at the top...

"Al respecto, Montero Álvarez aseguró que la corporación se encuentra implementando estrategias para atacar estos delitos, entre ellas el cambio en los mandos policiacos..."

Obviously something needs to change because this simply is not working...

We need to face the fact that Mexico cannot and will not contain, control or eliminate the cartels in our lifetime. There is no clean or effective policing or judicial force that can stand up to them. The US gov't enabled them and the USA people were willing consumers. There is simply too much money involved and it is always all about money and power- not really drugs, that was just one of their products. The cartels ran over their beloved Mexico without caring who or what was killed or damaged. The cartels have now moved forward and Chapo (the billionaire Sinaloa cartel leader) controls the drug trades in Australia and parts of Europe. Imho the best Mexico can hope for is another country will be able to stop the cartels and that benefit will trickle back to Mexico. Corruption has been an accepted part of the Mexican system (thank the Spanish for that) and the cartels were able to capitalize on that weakness, gain footing and then stomp Mexico to near death. Mexico can't save itself from the cartels- their best chance for survival is to open the cage door and let the beast out to feed and breed elsewhere while the Mexican people lick their wounds.

Originally Posted by Woooosh

We need to face the fact that Mexico cannot and will not contain, control or eliminate the cartels in our lifetime. There is no clean or effective policing or judicial force that can stand up to them. The US gov't enabled them and the USA people were willing consumers. There is simply too much money involved and it is always all about money and power- not really drugs, that was just one of their products. The cartels ran over their beloved Mexico without caring who or what was killed or damaged. The cartels have now moved forward and Chapo (the billionaire Sinaloa cartel leader) controls the drug trades in Australia and parts of Europe. Imho the best Mexico can hope for is another country will be able to stop the cartels and that benefit will trickle back to Mexico. Corruption has been an accepted part of the Mexican system (thank the Spanish for that) and the cartels were able to capitalize on that weakness, gain footing and then stomp Mexico to near death. Mexico can't save itself from the cartels- their best chance for survival is to open the cage door and let the beast out to feed and breed elsewhere while the Mexican people lick their wounds.

Sadly, I agree. What a lot of people fail to realize is how strong a foothold they have gained north of the border. A close family member who works in drug enforcement showed me a map of the cartels bases and traffic routes in the US. They no longer sell to unaffiliated gangs/ mafia or other criminal organizations in the US except those with which they have very close ties and control. When I looked at the map it looked like a road map of the entire USA, covering not only major cities and highways but small towns and back country roads. Family in Argentina tell me that the story is much the same throughout South America as well. This cancer has spread throughout the planet and at this point blanket legalization is the only possible solution IMHO.

And even that route is full of potholes...

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

Sadly, I agree. What a lot of people fail to realize is how strong a foothold they have gained north of the border. A close family member who works in drug enforcement showed me a map of the cartels bases and traffic routes in the US. They no longer sell to unaffiliated gangs/ mafia or other criminal organizations in the US except those with which they have very close ties and control. When I looked at the map it looked like a road map of the entire USA, covering not only major cities and highways but small towns and back country roads. Family in Argentina tell me that the story is much the same throughout South America as well. This cancer has spread throughout the planet and at this point blanket legalization is the only possible solution IMHO.

And even that route is full of potholes...

I had heard it was growing north of the border- didn't know it ran that deep. Sadly, enough of our own Border Patrol have been caught working with the cartels that we can't say corruption is only a problem for Mexico. That much money corrupts and if you don't take the money things get worse, fast. It's very hard to spend that much cash in the USA actually.

Originally Posted by Woooosh

I had heard it was growing north of the border- didn't know it ran that deep. Sadly, enough of our own Border Patrol have been caught working with the cartels that we can't say corruption is only a problem for Mexico. That much money corrupts and if you don't take the money things get worse, fast. It's very hard to spend that much cash in the USA actually.

The family member I spoke of is now considering leaving drug enforcement to go work in another branch of law enforcement. One of the problems he faces is that he is increasingly worried about corruption within in his own ranks and that poses an even more serious threat to his own security/safety.

Another comment he made is that there is a growing disconnect between crime committed and its reporting in the media in the US. He shared with me a list of 12-15 significant crimes, ranging from smuggling over 80kg of heroin to large confiscation of weapons and including officers being fired upon and wounded. All events had occurred within a 2-3 week period and yet you could not find a single story that made the local or regional media via countless google searches.

When I asked him what he thought about that he simply shrugged his shoulders, replying that "people just don't get that excited anymore about those kind of stories. It's just a daily routine with us these days..."

Other friends and family working in LE across the country tell me a similar story. One of them who I recently saw on a trip back east talked about what it's like today. He said that people wonder why they seem edgy, unfriendly, defensive, keeping their hand on their revolver and military-like in their approach to everybody? He said that most people have little to no clue how bad things really are out there and what they come up on each and every day. The first half of his career, the only criminals he ever saw with an AK47 were on TV and in the movies. Now hardly a week goes by they don't come up on one including two 14 year olds recently with not one, but two AK47's, out cruising in a truck they had just jacked.

And that was in Wisconsin...

We really need to focus on saving the USA from this scourge. From your first hand accounts- it would seem we are already slow to react and are taking the same head-in-the-sand approach that did Mexico do good. The longer you spend in denial- the less time you have to recover.

Is it too late for the USA already in your friends opinions? How would immigrantion amnesty impact the outcome?

Most of them don't think it is too late although they also see the possible solutions as unlikely;

1. Severe and hard punishment for drugs. - very long terms for even first time usage and death for trafficking.

2. Complete and blanket legalization.

The first solution will never be approved and the chances of complete legalization is very, very difficult. Too much money is made by the government, legal profession and prison systems in the country to allow that.

Immigration amnesty would probably help as we would get all these people into the system, identified and working legally. That would make them more difficult targets for gangs who offer them employment as US highway drug mules, caretakers at pot plantations in US forests, lookouts, etc. Many of them take these jobs because they are threatened with turning them and their families over to ICE.One of them also mentioned that we will see crime statistics go up as well - many illegals simply don't report crimes because they are threatened with a call to ICE or even without the threat they fear that the police will turn them over anyway when they call 911. It's a lose-lose situation for them.

The problem is very, very complex and any possible solutions even much more difficult.

Oh how I wish I had a magic wand...

"Oh how I wish I had a magic wand..."

Complete and blanket legalization will eventually happen but not soon enough to stop the international momentum the cartels are enjoying. They will ramp up kidnappings, extortions and forced prostitution for money stream. I agree making Mexican immigrants in the USA part of the system gives them protection from abuse.

With that wand... I'd like to enjoy Baja 100 years ago with the off-grid technology you have in your house today,

Apresado por narcotrafico

"...estaba buscado por haber sido testigo de un doble homicidio en Sacramento, California...

...formaba parte de la pandilla "Los Norteños"...el motivo por el que decidió cruzar la frontera y refugiarse en el territorio de Baja California...

...determinaron que el prófugo "podría ocultarse en algún punto del municipio de Playas de Rosarito..."montaron" un operativo especial con agentes encubiertos en las inmediaciones del poblado de Puerto Nuevo..."

Originally Posted by Marty Cortez

Apresado por narcotrafico

"...estaba buscado por haber sido testigo de un doble homicidio en Sacramento, California...

...formaba parte de la pandilla "Los Norteños"...el motivo por el que decidió cruzar la frontera y refugiarse en el territorio de Baja California...

...determinaron que el prófugo "podría ocultarse en algún punto del municipio de Playas de Rosarito..."montaron" un operativo especial con agentes encubiertos en las inmediaciones del poblado de Puerto Nuevo..."

It is encouraging the USA works with Mexico to locate these criminals- even locating witnesses to crimes in the USA. These Mexican/American criminals did not invade Rosarito Beach- Rosarito put out the welcome mat for them. The last Mayor's bodyguard was a felon deportee with gang ties to LA. The last police Chief allowed his men to dabble in drugs (the officers paid the Chief every week for a "plaza" to oversee and a good patrol unit to drive). The returning police chief (Montero) publicly stated he no longer trusts the men he trusted on his force just three years ago. (Montero survived a cartel ambush on his police station). Rents in Rosarito are cheap due to expat exodus- which left a staggering amount of homes for sale, sitting empty and eventually coming on the market for rent (lest they be stripped of copper and any wiring if left empty). A downward economic spiral that continues. I saw a recent article where the number Rosarito Beach realtors is at an all time low- so those 17 unfinished condo projects in the Rosarito corridor will likely continue to rust and be visual reminders of what could have been.