Topic: Drug Trafficking

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Osama bin Laden papers: top 5 revelations

A new trove of letters seized during the Osama bin Laden raid paint an intimate picture of the inner workings and struggles of Al Qaeda, from its dabbling in the stock market to practices that would make any Mafia don proud.
Afghanistan: 5 areas of concern after the US leaves

The withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan will have profound, direct effects on the country's security, economy, and society. Here are five areas that are likely to see an impact.
Zetas break out of prison in Mexico. Who are they?

According to Mexican authorities, the Zetas have become the biggest drug trafficking organization in Mexico. On Feb. 19 Zeta members allegedly instigated a prison riot, killing members of the opposing Gulf Cartel, and covering up their escape. Here are four questions about the Zetas, answered.
The Zetas now Mexico's largest drug gang. Who are they?

According to Mexican authorities, the Zetas have become the biggest drug trafficking organization in Mexico. A recent report from Stratfor, based on data from Mexico's attorney general's office, says the group now operates in 17 states, surpassing the geographical sway of the once-dominant Sinaloa Federation.
Sinaloa group 101: Five facts about Mexico's powerful drug cartel

The Sinaloa cartel is the most powerful drug trafficking organization operating in Mexico – and, some say, in the Western Hemisphere. Who are they?

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Latin America Monitor
Child drug traffickers: What can be done?

Between 5,000 and 14,000 children are recruited as soldiers in Colombia, writes a guest blogger, and the recruitment of minors by gangs is increasingly a problem across Latin America.
Massacre in Mexico deepens country's violent image

Forty-nine bodies were dumped on a highway in northern Mexico in the latest example of drug-related violence that is scaring off investors and changing citizens' behavior at home.
Osama bin Laden papers: top 5 revelations

A new trove of letters seized during the Osama bin Laden raid paint an intimate picture of the inner workings and struggles of Al Qaeda, from its dabbling in the stock market to practices that would make any Mafia don proud.
Latin America Monitor
Interpol launches anti-piracy operation across the Americas

There is evidence that drug trafficking organizations in countries including Mexico and Colombia have moved into counterfeiting, writes guest blogger Hannah Stone.
TSA officers charged in drug smuggling conspiracy

The screeners were accepting large cash payments to look the other way as drug couriers smuggled cocaine through security at LAX.
Latin America Monitor
Coast Guard siezes 'narco-sub' in Caribbean

Some 80 percent of cocaine leaving South America goes by sea, highlighting the importance of maritime routes to traffickers, writes a guest blogger.
Latin America Monitor
What are Rio's security crackdowns accomplishing?

How effective is Rio's 2008 public safety policy, if it pushes crime out of one neighborhood and into another, asks guest blogger Julia Michaels.
Lift Latin America's 'drug curse'

At the Summit of the Americas, Obama will likely be asked to discuss alternatives to the get-tough tactics on the drug trade – even to endorse legalization. He should point to Latin America's successes in giving economic alternatives to drug trafficking.
Latin America Monitor
Colombia to reassess policy of extraditing drug traffickers to US

Many think extradition to the US is a trafficker's worst nightmare, but many negotiate with US law enforcement for more lenient sentences resulting in dramatically reduced jail time, says a blogger.
Afghanistan: 5 areas of concern after the US leaves

The withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan will have profound, direct effects on the country's security, economy, and society. Here are five areas that are likely to see an impact.
Mexico and US trade accusations on border violence

President Obama and Mexico's President Felipe Calderon traded barbs after a three-party meeting that included Canada.
Latin America Monitor
Indicted: US soldiers offer to serve as hired guns for Mexican gangs

Four former and current members of the US military offered training, supplies, and assassinations-for-hire to DEA agents posing as Zetas, writes guest blogger Geoffrey Ramsey.
Latin America Monitor
Problem in securing Rio slums? Announcing police arrival ahead of time.

Brazil's Pacifying Police Units will enter a Rio favela this month to step up security. But announcing the 'clearing' of a favela gives powerful drug traffickers time to flee before security forces arrive.
Pope greeted by crowds upon arrival to Mexico

This is Pope Benedict XVI's first trip to the Latin American country; his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, made five trips over the course of his papacy.
Funny moments with Jonah Hill in '21 Jump Street': movie review (+trailer)

Actor Jonah Hill has some funny moments, but his co-star Channing Tatum and the movie itself both try too hard to be goofy.
If you build it, they won't come? US bases in Caribbean target drug trafficking.

With resources stretched thin, the US is now teaming up with small Central American and Caribbean nations to build military bases to combat drug trafficking.
Latin America Monitor
Is Ecuador prepared to counter rise in organized crime?

Ecuador has been described as the 'United Nations of organized crime,' but authorities may underestimate the repercussions, writes guest blogger Elyssa Pachico.
Marijuana legalization: Obama opposition too selective

When Latin America talks of legalizing drugs, Obama officials speak up. What about ballot measures in Colorado and Washington Sate to approve marijuana legalization?
Latin America Monitor
Mexico's Gulf Cartel increasingly relies on women

The number of women working in the drug trade is estimated to have grown in Mexico by 400 percent between 2007 and 2010, writes guest blogger Patrick Corcoran.
Act of Valor: movie review

Using active-duty US Navy SEALs boosts 'Act of Valor' beyond being a garden-variety action flick.
Latin America Monitor
Latin America's economic rise may be undercut by violence

Latin America is on the rise with strong regional GDPs and decreasing poverty rates. Yet homicide rates have grown by 30 percent in recent years, threatening to spoil 'Latin America's Decade.'
Zetas break out of prison in Mexico. Who are they?

According to Mexican authorities, the Zetas have become the biggest drug trafficking organization in Mexico. On Feb. 19 Zeta members allegedly instigated a prison riot, killing members of the opposing Gulf Cartel, and covering up their escape. Here are four questions about the Zetas, answered.
Mexico prison riot a cover for Zetas escape

Mexican prison guards may have helped 30 Zeta drug cartel members escape during a prison riot. Some 44 inmates were killed at the Apodaca prison in northern Mexico early Sunday.
New voice in drug-war debate: businessmen who are feeling the pinch

The drug trade has had a negative impact on the business climate in Central America, and the private sector is starting to speak out in favor of new approaches to the war on drugs.
As violent Puerto Rican drug trade seeps into mainland US, Washington must act

Drug trafficking is at the root of most of the 1,136 homicides perpetrated in Puerto Rico in 2011, the highest number ever recorded, exceeding even Mexico's murder rate. The Puerto Rican government cannot manage this crisis alone. Washington must intervene.