Sylvia Longmire's Blog: Mexico's Drug War, page 6

"Hezbollah Presence In The United States Is No Surprise."

Here's an excerpt from my latest article in Homeland Security Today's Correspondents Watch:

"One of the biggest concerns for officials involved in border security is the potential for members of terrorist groups to sneak into the United States from Mexico. Elected officials and counterterrorism authorities believe that members of Hezbollah have entered our country this way, and have used this possible security risk as a basis for initiating stronger border security measures. Such statements...

Drug War Outlook for 2012

There's no doubt 2011 has been an eventful year in Mexico, but sadly, that's been largely due to escalating drug-related violence in certain parts of the country. The December 2010 split between La Familia Michoacana and the Knights Templar, as well as the internal split in the Gulf cartel between the Metros and Rojos factions, have added to the chaos and conflict. Ciudad Juárez continued to be the epicenter of violence, the Casino Royale attack in Monterrey shocked the region, and Veracruz...

Appearance on "Brad Meltzer's Decoded" on 12/21 at 10pm EST

Hello all! I just wanted to let you know that I'll be appearing on The History Channel's "Brad Meltzer's Decoded" this Wednesday night (Dec. 21) at 10pm EST! The episode is called "Mafia: Alive?" Here's the description:

"What if I told you that the Mafia and organized crime have taken on a brand new look that most people would never recognize? Today's mob has evolved into something more powerful, sophisticated and deadly than ever. Starting with Al Capone's notorious Chicago Outfit, Decoded...

"Mexico's PRI Names Presidential Candidate."

Here is an excerpt from this Associated Press article as reported by FOX News Latino:

"The Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) gave Enrique Peña Nieto a document declaring him the party's candidate Saturday. All other hopefuls had already dropped out. Legal candidate registration takes place in February and the campaign starts in March. The former Mexico State governor has a strong lead in most polls. His party ran Mexico from 1929 to 2000, when it lost to the National Action Party that...

"Is The United States A Narco 'Safe Haven' For Mexican Drug Lords?"

Here is an excerpt from my latest article for Homeland Security Today's Correspondents Watch:

"For years, if not decades, Mexican drug lords and various upper-level members of Mexico's transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) have resided in the United States. But because the savage drug war in Mexico has become so dangerous for them, they now prefer to spend more and more time at their "vacation" homes in the relative safety of US cities and communities. Knowing that violent TCO members...

Mexico's Drug War is Our War, Too

It's the phone call every Mexican immigrant in America dreads—the anonymous, vulgar, and threatening voice demanding ransom for a family member's release. Such an event can throw an entire family into distress, calling distant relatives, friends, friends of friends, and anyone else who might be able to lend money. And even if a ransom can be gathered together, that's no guarantee a kidnapping victim in Mexico will be released.

But why should Americans care? Because this horror, this...

Spare Some "Fast and Furious" Anger for Mexican Cartels

What if it wasn't a "Fast and Furious" gun that was used to kill US Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry near Rio Rico, Arizona that fateful day in December 2010?

It's the question no one is asking, and the concept that everyone is ignoring. In the meantime, members of Congress, federal and local law enforcement, pro-gun and anti-ATF activists, and much of the American public is focused on skewering the ATF and Department of Justice—in many cases, rightfully so—for a botched operation designed to...

"Are American Drug War Bloggers And Tweeters In Danger?"

Here is an excerpt from my latest article for Homeland Security Today's Correspondents Watch:

"Citizens of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico were stunned to see two beheaded and disemboweled corpses hanging from a highway overpass in early September. It wasn't because they'd never been exposed to this level of brutality by Mexican transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), but rather it was because of the message that was left with the bodies signed by Los Zetas. The note implied the two unidentified...

"Mexican TCO Members Quietly Living Among Us - For Now."

Here's an excerpt from my latest article for Homeland Security Today's "Correspondents' Watch":

"Brownsville, Texas is what most people would call a working-class town. It has an industrial feel and there are areas of the community that have seen better days. One of the city's mainstays is its large port and its connection via three international bridges to Matamoros in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. Driving around town, you find plenty of taquerias along with typical chain restaurants...

"Texas sheriff: Drug war violence spilling over."

Here is an excerpt from this Associated Press story, published in The Houston Chronicle:

"A shooting that injured a sheriff's deputy was the first indisputable case of spillover violence from the Mexican drug wars in Hidalgo County, the local sheriff said Monday. Sheriff Lupe Trevino, who previously said there was no direct spillover violence in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, said the Sunday shootout erupted while one of his deputies investigated a reported kidnapping and drug deal. 'I have...