Covert War to Remove Mexico's Cartel Leaders Successful Robert Tilford - Examiner.com
go to original April 6, 2012

Mexico’s “decapitation” strategy of capturing or killing high-value drug cartel leaders with the help of U.S. advisers is successful insofar as 22 out of 27 cartel leaders have been otherwise disposed of. After all, cartel bosses are seriously bad dudes who corrupt, bribe, extort, kidnap and kill their way to power across swathes of territory across our border. The problem, according to the chief of U.S. military forces in North America, is that the strategy “isn’t working”.  According to wired news “the Mexican government has demonstrably (and frequently) succeeded in capturing and killing cartel leaders. But the impact of those strikes may be fleeting”…

“Tell that to the cartel leaders who are targets of this covert war who are literally scared to death they will be next to be killed or assassinated”, said Thomas Dunn a counterterrorism expert in Charlotte, N.C.  “The strategy does work. It is however a very dirty business after all”, he said.

MEXICO RACKS UP KILLS AND CAPTURES
 
According to various news reports the Mexican army killed a top Zeta cartel “capo” in the border city of Nuevo Laredo earlier this month. A move that sent shock waves through the Zeta’s organization and caused an internal power struggle and in fighting between members. The capo, named “El Guerra” (or “The War,”) was only eight months on the job — and his predecessor was also killed in what Mexican officials describe as a “Two for one” deal.

Mexican authorities just last week captured the boss of the Jalisco New Generation cartel, which has been battling the Zetas for control of the eastern port city of Veracruz. “This is huge”, says Pete Gomez of Charlotte, who said “Jalisco are ultra violent and responsible for a surge in violence in Veracruz. Now the leadership is in disarray and there is a power vacuum which is responsible for creating strife inside the organization. Instead of killing police they are killing and torturing each other. Others are on the run. They don’t know who to trust at this point. They fear the boss may talk and reveal the extent of their network in that port city.”

GOING AFTER “EL-CHAPPO”

Three weeks ago, Mexican federal police reportedly came within minutes of capturing Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman — boss of the Sinaloa Cartel described as “the world’s most powerful drug lord” — near the resort city of Cabo San Lucas (where US tourists and college students are being told it is safe to visit, despite the danger of violence).  “El Chapo is reported to have a security detail of up to 300 men and uses a helicopter for over watch, was likely lying low with minimal escort at the time”, says Gomez. “Anyway you look at it the decapitation program is working despite concerns by Washington officials who worry this may increase violence.

Meanwhile the U.S. is also helping out by sending Rear Adm. Colin Kilrain to Mexico City to serve as America’s “liaison” in Washington’s covert war efforts in Mexico. Kilrain is a former veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, who some say is a counterterrorism expert. “He won’t have much effect in Mexico against the cartels because of the corruption and network of spies inside the government and military. He will be working with people, he really can’t trust, most especially Mexican intelligence agency CISEN, which is comparable to the CIA in America”, said Gomez. “Well all have to wait and see if Kilrain can have any effect in the covert war. I doubt it look at Afghanistan, the drug problem is worse now than when the US invaded and occupied that country. It should have eradicated poppy production, but it didn’t, allowing the prime source of Taliban financing to continue. What did Kilrain do in all this. Well he went along with the policy. He didn’t criticize it or make any significant contribution to ending the problem. Now the US is pinning its hope on this guy to make a difference in Mexico. It won’t happen, because the man isn’t a leader who can think outside the box”, he said.

Gomez said the other problem is “money laundering”.

“You have to go after the money of the cartel. It is their life blood. The US seems unwilling or unable to do that”, he said. Despite the fact that Mexican drug cartels and their Colombian suppliers generate, launder and remove $18 billion to $39 billion from the United States each year, the U.S. and Mexican governments have been criticized for their unwillingness or slow response to confront the various cartels' financial operations, including money laundering.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has identified the need to increase financial investigations relating to the movement of illegal drug funds to Mexico.

 The DEA states that attacking the financial infrastructure of drug cartels has to play a key role in any viable drug enforcement strategy. However, the U.S. DEA has noted that the U.S. and Mexican financial services industry continues to be a facilitator for drug money movement.  Following suit, in August 2010 President Felipe Calderón proposed sweeping new measures to crack down on the cash smuggling and money laundering. Calderón proposes a ban on cash purchases of real estate and of certain luxury goods that cost more than 100,000 pesos (about USD $8,104.) His package would also require more businesses to report large transactions, such as real estate, jewelry and purchases of armor plating. In June 2010, Calderón "announced strict limits on the amount in U.S. dollars that can be deposited or exchanged in banks," but the proposed restrictions to financial institutions are facing tough opposition in the Mexican legislature.

In 2011 the Observer reported that Wachovia, at one time a major US bank, was implicated in laundering money for Mexican drug lords, through its lax laundering controls (a violation of the Bank Secrecy Act)

GOING AFTER THE CARTEL CASH COW - POT

Philip Gonzales of Charlotte, said Almost half the cartels revenue come from cannabis. Mexico, a major drug producing and transit country, is the main foreign supplier of cannabis (and a major supplier of methamphetamine to the United States). If we legalize pot and regulate and tax it we could cut in half the revenue to the cartels. But America seems unwilling to do that. It goes back to the money”, he said.

The U.S. Justice Department considers the Mexican drug cartels the greatest organized crime threat to the United States (see: “Testimony of Secretary Janet Napolitano before Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Southern Border Violence: Homeland Security Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Responsibilities”  ).

Clearly we have a long way to go in the secret covert war against Mexican drug cartels.

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