“State and federal agencies are cracking down on border town
corruption as part of the larger effort to battle Mexican
drug cartels.”
*
NARCOMAYOR DANIEL SALINAS OF SUNLAND PARK, NEW MEXICO.
Dona Ana District Attorney Amy Orlando stated in court that
Sunland Park's former mayor pro tem and then mayor-elect, Daniel Salinas, 28, had boasted to his
codefendants in the cases there that he had ties to the cartels and could call
on them to have people who testify against him killed.
*
Government border town crackdowns on the rise
By JERI CLAUSING and JUAN CARLOS LLORCA
| Associated Press – 1 hr 48 mins ago
SUNLAND
PARK, N.M. (AP) — While much of New Mexico
is west of the Rio Grande, this dusty enclave of 14,000 residents is the only
U.S. city located on the Mexico side of the river, on the same side as — and
just across the border fence from — Juarez.
But it's more than
the anomalous location that lends to the town's persistent reputation as a
self-contained banana republic.
When state police
descended on the dysfunctional community before the March elections, the
reaction wasn't so much surprise as "what now?"
And that would be the
latest allegations of extortion and financial kickbacks among municipal
officials, and, more colorfully, that a mayoral candidate tried to force his
opponent out of the race with a secretly recorded video of the other man
getting a topless lap dance.
But what is
relatively new in Sunland Park and in other troubled border cities and towns is
the harsh response to such shenanigans. State
and federal agencies are cracking down on border town corruption as part of the
larger effort to battle Mexican drug cartels.
"Everyone turned
their heads for so long," said Richard Schwein, a former FBI agent in
nearby El Paso, Texas, where at least 28
people have either been convicted or indicted recently for voting scandals or
awarding fraudulent contracts. Then, when the Department of Justice and the FBI
made it a priority, "Bingo!"
Another example can be found 70 miles
west of El Paso, in tiny Columbus, N.M., where authorities a year ago arrested
the mayor, police chief, a town trustee and
11 other people who have since pleaded guilty to charges they helped run guns
across the border to Mexican drug cartels.
That corruption that
seems endemic to the border towns can be blamed on a mix of small-town
politics, an influx of corrupt government practices from across the border,
and, of course, the rise of the cartels and their endless supply of cash.
"If you're (a
small town police officer) making $35,000 a year, and someone offers you $5,000
cash ... and next month there's another $5,000 in it for you, you've just
(substantially increased) your income by not being on patrol on a given
road," said James Phelps, an assistant professor with the Department of
Security Studies and Criminal Justice at Angelo
State University in San Angelo, Texas.
The U.S. attorney for
New Mexico, Kenneth Gonzalez, says more local officials have gotten caught up
in scandals as federal authorities put a more intense and sophisticated focus
on border towns as part of their attempts to thwart the cartels.
"A result of
that intense scrutiny is that we more than likely are going to ensnare someone
abusing their position," Gonzalez said.
In Sunland Park, an
inquiry into local elections turned into a major probe by multiple agencies.
State auditor Hector Balderas said that broad cooperation among
agencies shows that law enforcement is starting to realize that "many crimes
are interrelated."
"I think law
enforcement agencies and other agencies are now learning that these fiscal
problems are symptoms of potentially greater corruption," Balderas said.
"And a village or municipality can be infiltrated by criminal elements
very easily."
Dona Ana District Attorney Amy Orlando
stated in court that Sunland Park's former mayor pro tem and then mayor-elect, Daniel Salinas, 28, had boasted to his
codefendants in the cases there that he had ties to the cartels and could call
on them to have people who testify against him killed.
Salinas' attorney
vehemently denied those allegations.
The two dozen felonies filed against
Salinas to date focus on corruption of the financial and voting processes.
Although he won the mayor's chair, he was barred from taking office by the
terms of his bail.
So allies on the City
Council recently named a political newcomer to the job. The new mayor,
24-year-old Javier Perea, most recently worked as a jewelry store employee at
an El Paso mall. He replaces former Mayor Martin Resendiz, who dropped a bid
for Congress after admitting in a deposition that he signed nine contracts
while drunk.
Said Orlando,
"Unfortunately I think what is happening down in Sunland Park is that it
was being run by a small group of people that were using funds and using the
resources there for their own gain, operating it really as just their own
little town — not following rules, not following regulations."
Incorporated in 1983,
Sunland Park could geographically be considered a suburb of El Paso or Las
Cruces, N.M., or even an upscale neighborhood in north Juarez. The town has a
modern racetrack, replete with casino gambling, on the U.S. side of the Rio
Grande. There are a few store fronts, churches and even horse stables lining its
main road.
The residents are
friendly, but weary of the attention that they fear has made the town a
laughingstock.
Salinas has declined
to talk about the case, citing advice from his lawyer. But during an encounter
outside his house after the second of his three arrests, he seemed at ease for
a man facing multiple felony charges and continued investigation.
"I could write a
book," he said with a wry smile.
And the native of the
town still has many supporters.
"He is a good
man, you can see it in his eyes," a man at the senior center said, before
rushing off when asked for his name.
Besides Salinas, several city workers,
including the city manager, the city's public information officer, the public
works director and former city councilors and the former police chief, have
also been indicted in the three separate criminal cases.
In one, Salinas and
others are accused of trying to force his mayoral opponent, Gerardo Hernandez,
out of the race with the lap dance video. Hernandez, who finished second, told
investigators that an unidentified man threatened to blackmail him by producing
a still image from the video. Hernandez said he was set up.
In another case,
Salinas is accused of giving the former acting police chief the job of chief
for convincing his sister not to run against a Salinas ally for city council.
And in the third, Salinas and others are accused of billing hookers, drinks and
campaign videos to a $12 million fund set up for the city by the owner of
Sunland Park casino and racetrack to aid the town's ongoing efforts to get a
border crossing built there.
State auditor
Balderas said he's been monitoring the town since 2009. A previous auditor
recommended the state take over the town in 2004 after finding scores of
violations of state and local laws.
"Sunland Park
has had a culture that has lacked accountability for many years," Balderas
said. "They probably should have been taken over many years ago. They got
more brazen when they didn't."
*
http://mexicanoccupation.blogspot.com/2011/05/bloody-mexican-gangs-make-it-official.html
*
http://mexicanoccupation.blogspot.com/2011/04/mexican-drug-cartels-in-2500-american.html
Those remarks buttress the 2010 Drug Threat Assessment by the U.S. Justice Department, which stated that street gangs, which “acquire drugs directly from [drug-traffickers] in Mexico or along the Southwest Border,” are distributing narcotics in “more than 2,500 cities.”
*
“They
want to wear the disguise that will allow them to carry out their activities
more successfully,” noted George Grayson, author of "Mexico:
Narco-Violence and a Failed State?"
He
pointed to a rash of successful prison escapes two years ago in which members
of Los Zetas dressed in police and federal uniforms to help spring fellow
members from jail. According to reports, the Zetas pretended to carry out
“inspections” and, with aid from guards on the inside, were able to get to the
inmates, open the cells and allow them to just walk away.
In one of
the most notorious cases, Zetas dressed up like members of the Federal
Investigation Agency (AFI) and had successfully released their friends from a
prison in the northern state of Zacatecas within five minutes.
*
GET THIS
BOOK AND THEN TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHY OBAMA CONTINUES TO SABOTAGE OUR BORDERS FOR
MORE ILLEGALS! THE MEX DRUG CARTELS ALREADY OPERATE IN 2,500 CITIES
BOOK:
Mexico:
Narco-Violence and a Failed State?
GEORGE
W GRAYSON
Editorial
Reviews
Review
"Characterized by exhaustive research, rare
in-depth knowledge of the subject outside Mexico, and compassionate wit, George
Grayson's new book confirms him as one of the most distinguished scholars of
Mexican politics and history. No other publication to date has unpacked and
analyzed so thoroughly the labyrinthine and brutal underworld of Mexico's
feared drug cartels and their complex relationship with the country's
authorities and society." --Dr. Francisco E. Gonzalez, Riordan Roett Chair
in Latin American Studies, The Johns Hopkins University
"William and Mary Professor George Grayson ranks among the most knowledgeable and insightful analysts of Mexican society and politics writing today. His new book on Mexico's bloody and brutal drug cartels constitutes a major contribution to the growing body of research on the "drug thugs" who are making billions by trafficking drugs in Mexico and through their country into the United States while wreaking havoc on both sides of the border. His detailed case studies of Mexico's major drug "cartels" or organized crime families active in the lucrative illicit narcotics trade - the leadership and internal dynamics of the major criminal organizations, the rivalries and shifting alliances among these ruthless groups, and the shockingly violent tactics they employ against each other, the Mexican government and the Mexican people - make for a fascinating but sobering read. Concisely written and painstakingly documented, Grayson's book is a must for anyone interested in understanding what is happening in the United States' besieged southern neighbor and the implications that Mexico's current crisis holds for American society, American security and U.S-Mexican bilateral relations." --Bruce M. Bagley, University of Miami
"One of the greatest fallacies committed today amongst those who discuss and write about organized crime in Mexico is a limited understanding of Mexico's political history, especially how and why the country's leaders have engaged with criminal actors for decades. George Grayson's review of this history is a crisp, concise explanation that expertly frames Mexico today: a country struggling to confront unprecedented narco-violence. Grayson layers this historical backdrop with a full account of Mexican organized crime; it is one of the most thorough discussions of Mexican organized crime that I have ever seen, in English or Spanish. This book is a must read for anyone interested to know why thousands die in Mexico every year and what we can expect to see in Mexico for the rest of President Calderon's term and beyond." --Samuel Logan, Journalist | Writer
"William and Mary Professor George Grayson ranks among the most knowledgeable and insightful analysts of Mexican society and politics writing today. His new book on Mexico's bloody and brutal drug cartels constitutes a major contribution to the growing body of research on the "drug thugs" who are making billions by trafficking drugs in Mexico and through their country into the United States while wreaking havoc on both sides of the border. His detailed case studies of Mexico's major drug "cartels" or organized crime families active in the lucrative illicit narcotics trade - the leadership and internal dynamics of the major criminal organizations, the rivalries and shifting alliances among these ruthless groups, and the shockingly violent tactics they employ against each other, the Mexican government and the Mexican people - make for a fascinating but sobering read. Concisely written and painstakingly documented, Grayson's book is a must for anyone interested in understanding what is happening in the United States' besieged southern neighbor and the implications that Mexico's current crisis holds for American society, American security and U.S-Mexican bilateral relations." --Bruce M. Bagley, University of Miami
"One of the greatest fallacies committed today amongst those who discuss and write about organized crime in Mexico is a limited understanding of Mexico's political history, especially how and why the country's leaders have engaged with criminal actors for decades. George Grayson's review of this history is a crisp, concise explanation that expertly frames Mexico today: a country struggling to confront unprecedented narco-violence. Grayson layers this historical backdrop with a full account of Mexican organized crime; it is one of the most thorough discussions of Mexican organized crime that I have ever seen, in English or Spanish. This book is a must read for anyone interested to know why thousands die in Mexico every year and what we can expect to see in Mexico for the rest of President Calderon's term and beyond." --Samuel Logan, Journalist | Writer
Product Description
Bloodshed connected with Mexican drug cartels,
how they emerged, and their impact on the United States is the subject of this
frightening book. Savage narcotics-related decapitations, castrations, and
other murders have destroyed tourism in many Mexican communities and such
savagery is now cascading across the border into the United States. Grayson
explores how this spiral of violence emerged in Mexico, its impact on the
country and its northern neighbor, and the prospects for managing it.
Mexico’s Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) ruled in Tammany Hall
fashion for seventy-nine years before losing the presidency in 2000 to the
center-right National Action Party (PAN). Grayson focuses on drug wars,
prohibition, corruption, and other antecedents that occurred during the
PRI’s hegemony. He illuminates the diaspora of drug cartels and their
fragmentation, analyzes the emergence of new gangs, sets forth President Felipe
Calderón’s strategy against vicious criminal organizations, and assesses
its relative success. Grayson reviews the effect of narcotics-focused issues in
U.S.-Mexican relations. He considers the possibility that Mexico may become a
failed state, as feared by opinion-leaders, even as it pursues an aggressive
but thus far unsuccessful crusade against the importation, processing, and sale
of illegal substances. Becoming a "failed state" involves two
dimensions of state power: its scope, or the different functions and goals
taken on by governments, and its strength, or the government’s ability to
plan and execute policies. The Mexican state boasts an extensive scope
evidenced by its monopoly over the petroleum industry, its role as the major
supplier of electricity, its financing of public education, its numerous
retirement and health-care programs, its control of public universities, and
its dominance over the armed forces. The state has not yet taken control of
drug trafficking, and its strength is steadily diminishing. This explosive book
is thus a study of drug cartels, but also state disintegration.
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