From the original 31 members, the Mexican organized criminal faction Los Zetas has grown into an organization in its own right, operating separate from the Gulf Cartel and just as violent. Click here to continue to the article ...

Mexican President Felipe Calderón met with his Canadian and U.S. counterparts in a “Security and Prosperity Partnership” summit, held August 20–21 in Montebello, Quebec. Trade and immigration were on the agenda, but the spotlight will be on what assistance President Bush will offer Calderón in his fight against extremely brutal drug organizations. The Miami Herald recently reported that the U.S. and Mexico were near agreement on a $700 million anti-narcotics assistance package modeled after the 2000 Plan Colombia, which included technology, training, and equipment such as Black Hawk helicopters.  Click here to continue reading this article ...

Mexico’s cartels are therefore increasingly targeting active duty and retired members of the armed forces. While by no means alone, Los Zetas, whose leadership sprang from the elite Special Airborne Group (GAFEs) trained by U.S. and other foreign instructors, have spearheaded the attack on military personnel. Click here to read the rest of this article ...

The number of drug-related deaths has increased in recent years: 2,120 (2006), 2,275 (2007), 5,207 (2008), and 5,071 through October 16 of this year. Among the victims, at least 399 were tortured and 152 beheaded. Twenty-four members of the armed forces and 326 law-enforcement agents have died this year.  Click here to continue reading this article ...

La Familia’s interaction with this social base, both as a group of Robin Hoods and as a terrorist organization, has painted the group as Mexico’s most unique criminal organization. More focused on socio-political control within its area of operation, selling narcotics appears to be an economical means to that end - one carefully masked by a wide range of psychological operations. Click here to continue to the article ...

Several factors explain why La Familia has shoved Michoacán to the brink of becoming a no-man’s land. First, the state is home to Lazaro Cardenas, the seaport that, along with nearby Manzanillo, Colima, provides the entry portal for cocaine from Andean nations and precursor chemicals for producing methamphetamines from China, Holland, Bulgaria, and other countries. Second, it forms part of the Tierra Caliente, an avocado, mango, and marijuana growing region where Michoacan, Guerrero, and Mexico State intersect. Finally, it bristles with hidden super-laboratories for manufacturing meth. Click here to continue reading this article ...

The death toll related to narco-trafficking in Mexico more than doubled last year, from 2,275 in 2007 to 5,207 in 2008. An increasingly important contributor to this ghastly mayhem is the shadowy Michoacana family, or La Familia. Click here to continue reading this article ...

The several dozen drug bands that operate in Mexico furnish the lion’s share of cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and methamphetamines that enter this country. They also accounted for more than 4,500 deaths during the past two years. Click here to continue to the article ...