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Subscribe to RSSViolence, including the discovery of 49 mutilated bodies near the U.S. border, is reaching new levels in the ongoing drug war in Mexico. NBC's Mark Potter reports.
Mexican gang-related deaths fell by 15 percent and homicides by seven percent in the first half of the year, President Felipe Calderon said Thursday, according to local reports.
For the first time in several years the government has seen a reduction in homicide rates on a national level, Calderon told a national security meeting, newspaper El Universal (Link to Spanish-language site) reported.
Homicide is "one of the indicators that worries Mexicans. I am convinced that this trend will be more and more visible in the medium and long term," he added, according to El Universal.
Mexico's drug war: No sign of 'light at the end of the tunnel'
Mexico is struggling to contain drug-related violence that has claimed more than 55,000 lives since Calderon launched an army-led offensive against the cartels shortly after taking office in December 2006.
Panic as cops kill cops at Mexico City airport
Calderon, of the conservative PAN party, is nearing the end of his time in office and is due to hand over power to Enrique Pena Nieto, from the PRI, which held power for much of the 20th century.
'Statistically irrelevant'
Hector Larios, the head of the Citizens' Security, Justice and Law Observatory, called the president's announcement "statistically irrelevant," according to Mexico's Cronica (Link to Spanish-language site).
Mexican authorities say they have captured a man they believe is the son of Mexico's most wanted drugs lord, Joaquin El Chapo Guzman. They say the 26-year-old belongs to the powerful Sinaloa drugs cartel. Carl Dinnen Britain's Channel Four reports.
The seven-percent reduction in homicides equals 80 fewer homicides less out of a total of 1,767 on average a month in 2012, he said, according to Cronica.
Drug smuggling tunnels discovered between US and Mexico
"Reported homicides have gone up by 80.52 percent since the first semester of 2006 to the first semester of 2012. That fact is eloquent in itself," he told El Universal.
"Mexico has turned into a much more violent country," he added.
Mexico's bloody drug cartels rely on assault rifles and other firearms from the United States to support their battles with rivals and army soldiers.
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Calderon has repeatedly criticized loose gun laws in the United States, which he says contribute to the violence that plagues huge swathes of the country.
The United States, Mexico's neighbor to the north, is the world's largest consumer of illicit drugs.
NBC News staff and Reuters contributed to this report.
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And everyone of those deaths are the fault of our government for not upholding the law of protecting our borders.
Oh good, the problem's solved. Why, I think I'll click right over to Travelocity and grab some tickets to Acapulco!
Well that's certainly unfortunate. The sooner those gang-bangers wipe each other out, the better.
Of course the number of deaths fell. With the huge numbers that have already been murdered, there simply aren't that many left to die.
Well I hope it dropped now that Holder and Company have been stopped from sending thousands of weapons over the border 8)
Thanks Eric Holder you douche
Calderon says the gang related deaths have fallen but he hasn't yet discovered all the headless mutilated torsos secreted around the country yet. They're always finding stashes of dozens or more corpses here and there. Or perhaps, (dare I say it), they're deceptively undercounting. After all, isn't there a new president coming in?
honorthevet 1.5
Only the Luche Libre guys.
What does "protecting our borders" have to do with the violence in Mexico? ... LOL
It's about money, made from drugs sales .... and the power it takes to control the distribution of those drugs & the "fortunes" made from them! ... If the drugs weren't "Illegal" there would have be no problem.
The drop in the death rate is "statistically irrelevant" ..... Mexico has had more deaths due to these drug wars, then "Deaths due to Wars" in Iraq & Afghanistan(in the same period) .. and almost as many as American deaths in Vietnam (58,000) in 10 years .
Change American drug laws ... Legalize Marijuana ... and watch the death rate in Mexico go down .. and the American economy pick up .. with a "homegrown product" ... Make marijuana production a "boutique" cottage industry" ... spread across our country, and revitalize our economy, from the grass roots where it counts!
Hooray, we are all saved! (This post is brought to you by a crying-on-the-inside clown with big red shoes and a button-red nose that honks when you grip it.)
Ich will. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4K6ZxDwi34
Yes...how dare Mr Holder continue the plan hatched during the Bush Administration.
Sorry Byron different program & different time and nobody died by Wide Receiver but a @!$%# load of Mexicans and Brian Terry died from this Fast and Stupid
Thanks for playing
Burp. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqsM-rhF8Ns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7I5UaB7mx4
"Mexico's bloody drug cartels rely on assault rifles and other firearms from the United States to support their battles with rivals and army soldiers".
Just cheep border security from the Obama peace prize administration..
@ honor the vet are whites born with the intent to walk into movie theaters dressed up as batman characters ready to shoot up the place?
Ummm, 7% of 1767 is about 124 fewer deaths per month, not 80 and a bit more than 1400 fewer deaths each year. Yes, that is a big deal.
It's because they are killing them into submission.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMuDtfxAIKk
And there's the problem right there.
Exactly!
Fewer to kill. They are all in the US.
hey doc, ask james holmes how he did it...lmao!
I knew they'd start running out of people in Mexico sooner or later.
........and THAT is only because the Drug Butchers are getting better at disposing of the BODIES...
As the Chinese laundry owner tells his client: " NO ticky......NO laundry! "....No body?....no body count!
It's as simple as that! As a politician, Calderon knows what kind of Math to use and when to use it.
Nice try El Presidente !
went from 3000 to 2999 must be a miracle.
hey this taco tastes funny!!
maybe someone should start sending more bullets, why slow down now?
What should be done is when they capture a high ranking person from either of the cartels is just put one bullet in the head. No lawyers, no trial, no favors for them in the so- called Mexican prison system. Just one bullet each in the head.You want to play then you have to pay. Simple. One sure fire way is to send in black ops teams with orders to kill on site when they raid one of the many compounds. You have to be extreme when dealing with these savages.
They make it sound like the U.S. is the only place where the cartels get their guns. Yeah right. I don't think U.S. gun shops are supplying them with fully automatic military grade 'assault rifles' (i.e. machine guns).
What loose laws would those be, Calderon? You must be referring to the criminals in our government, like Eric Holder & his criminal gang, who were running Fast & Furious & supplied the Mexican cartels thousands of semi-automatic civilian 'assault rifles' (i.e. AR-15s etc...).
Mexico is a joke & so is our own government.
It's obvious the author of this article has an anti-gun agenda when he states "Mexico's bloody drug cartels rely on assault rifles and other firearms from the United States to support their battles with rivals and army soldiers." However, an equally true statement could read "Mexico's drug cartels rely on assault rifles and other forearms provided by the Obama administration's Fast and Furious program to support their battles with rivals and army soldiers." Both statements may be technically true, but both are also terribly deceptive and intentionally misleading. This author plays lose with the facts, apparently conducts shoddy research, doesn't bother to check his facts, lets his personal opinions flavor his writing, and, thus, simply has no credibility.
one of us needs to change their tag
And everyone totally refuses to acknowledge or quote the sources that have stated there are guns that have been shipped to Mexico from places other than the US.
It just wouldn't be as sensational, and wouldn't fit the anti-gun campaign.
You mean when Mr Holder continued the Fast and Furious plan hatched by the Bush Administration?
Probably the greasers don't have enough left to kill??, or need more ammo from "fast and furious' sponsors?
Quick - get Obama and Holder to send the cartels more assault rifles so that they can get the killing back up to par. With any luck a couple more US agent can die as well. Meanwhile it is imperative that he hide behind executive privilege so that we the people can neveer learn the truth and scope of the scandal. Maybe he can deflect attention by screaming that Romney show more tax returns! Yeah - that should work!
They can give the United States the credit for all the deaths since our war on Drugs is doing so well.
That is because many of the gang members have to Southern California where they are welcomed with both arms. Look in Anaheim, the media, the politicians and the hispanic public are condemming the police since they shot a gang member with a rap sheet as long as the road. Yet no mention is made of teaching these kids right vs wrong, but instead the police is bad.
The deaths are falling because they are running out of people to kill. There are only so many people involved in drug trafficking so eventually there will be a winner in this little war. Let them continue to kill each other until only one Cartel is left. It will be easier to then identify who is in charge and they can be dealt with.....End of Story
How much has their tourism falling off?
Might be why they are claiming lower crime statics...
Not really:
http://www.sfgate.com/mexico/mexicomix/article/Mexico-tourism-bounces-back-3473297.php .
Eh... give them time. They're just warming up.
Plus, with all this heat on the Fast and Furious scandal I'm sure arms and drug trafficking between the EATF, DEA, and Cartels have slowed down which equals less Cartels vying for action to acquire the weapons from our Government that then leads to less deaths.
In fact one could speculate less government involvement.... less Mexican deaths.
The Mexican Government should take note.
Calderon is about as reliable as MSNBC and / or their mindless fans ...
Of course they fell in Mexico, they're all in the USA now!
in other words.....
Deaths went from UNBELIEVABLLLY WAY TOO HIGH,
...to....
WAY TOO HIGH.
as quoted by Maritza Lopez, of Michuikan mexico:
"Jew No, I sink da policemans Day are for do beddy beddy go yose"
or translated from Spanglish to English....
"You know, I think the Police are doing a very very good job"
Murders fell by 15%, whoopie freakin' do.
I believe they are under-reporting the murders to make the stats come out better.
THE LUL IS DUE TO GUN CLEANING... They'll be back.........................