Major Mexican Cartels are Joining Forces to Battle the Mexican Army

by Michael Webster: Investigative Reporter. Sunday May 18, 2008 3:00 PM PST
 
Mexican drug cartels angered by a nationwide military crackdown on their drug and other criminal actives are striking back. This powerful group of organized criminals and their alliance, also known as the Federation, is a cooperating group of the major Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) also known as Mexican drug cartels and their Para-military units and gangs that share resources such as smuggling drug, human and terrorist transportation routes both in Mexico and on into the United states, money laundering trained paramilitary personal and warring equipment.

The Alliance was formed originally to counter the powerful Gulf Cartel. DEA agent said. But now with the Mexican army operating along their trafficking routes its having a negative effect on their business and costing them billions. According to Mexican drug enforcement agents who want to remain anonymous.

This dangerous alliance now coming together includes organizations headed by some of the most feared Mexican drug cartel leaders in the country. These organizations together will have the manpower and money to wage a real war with the Mexican government headed by Mexican President Felipe de Jesus CALDERON Hinojosa. This alliance will now have access to, RPG’s, machine guns, bazookas, and a whole variety of other cutting edge military arms as weaponry and communications equipment far more advanced than those of the Mexican army.
Ever since the war began, President Calderón has continually appealed to the United States for support. He is quoted as saying "I think the American government must do its part in this terrible battle" and has made several appeals to U.S. President George W. Bush directly for aid against the drug cartels. Click or Google: Merida Initiative Will It Work?
On October 22, 2007, Bush pledged US$1.4 billion in funding to Mexico to aid in the drug war. Additionally, it was agreed that the United States would supply Mexico with logistical assistance and equipment, training for its military and police forces, a number of U.S. Military helicopters, and X-ray machines. However, the assistance package did not include any U.S. troops, and direct military involvement is largely opposed by the citizenry of both nations. But during a recent closed door emergency meeting of high level Mexican government officials of the Mexican National Security Cabinet it was openly discussed and many were calling for Calderon to ask for U.S. troops and more U.S. training of Mexican soldiers and police. Click or Google: Mexico's National Security Cabinet expected to declare a state of emergency
The drug cartel alliance is believed to now include: Juárez, Sinaloa, Los Negros, Tijuana, Gulf, (Los Zetas), Guadalajara, Sonora, and Colima drug cartels. And other cartels are being invited to join.
The board of directors of this alliance are believed the heads of the member cartels: Juan José Esparragosa-Moreno, Joaquín Guzmán-Loera, Carrillo family,Arellano Félix brothers, Ismael Zambada-García, , Arturo and Hector Beltrán-Leyva, Edgar Valdez-Villareal, Armando Valencia-Cornelio, and Ignazio Coronel-Villareal. And unknown others.
 
Even though some of the police chief’s and sheriff’s of U.S. Cities and County’s bordering Mexico say publicly they are not very concerned and claim they are well prepared for any type of event that may spill over into their communities. Even they recognize that the Southwest Border Region is the most significant national-level storage, transportation, and transshipment area for illicit drug shipments that are destined for drug markets throughout the United States. The DEA reports that the region is the principal arrival zone for most drugs smuggled into the United States; more illicit drugs are seized along the Southwest Border than in any other arrival zone. Mexican DTOs have developed sophisticated and expansive drug transportation networks extending from the Southwest Border to all regions of the United States. They smuggle significant quantities of illicit drugs through and between ports of entry (POEs) along the Southwest Border and store them in communities throughout the region. Most of the region's principal metropolitan areas, including Dallas, El Paso, Houston, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Antonio, Tucson and San Diego, are significant storage locations as well as regional and national transportation and distribution centers. Mexican DTOs and criminal gangs transport drug shipments from these locations to destinations throughout the country.
Homeland Security points out that the threat posed to the nation by Mexican DTOs that operate in Mexico and the Southwest Border Region extends well beyond drug trafficking to other criminal activities, including border violence, firearms trafficking,  alien and terrorist smuggling.
Violence is often associated with drug trafficking along the border; however, law enforcement officials have noted a significant escalation in the level of violence since the first of the year. Much of the violence occurring along the Southwest Border has been a result of conflict between the Gulf Cartel and the cartels opposing each other. Since Calderon’s ordering Mexican troops to battle the cartels, drug-related violence is on an increase and reportedly is shifting somewhat from the Mexican interior states to the states bordering the U.S. According to recent law enforcement and open source reporting indicates that cartel-related violence is still prevalent in a few Mexican cities such as Manzanillo, Monterrey and others.
The escalation of drug-related violence occurring along the border among DTOs increasingly involves DTO use of violent paramilitary enforcement groups. Mexican DTOs use such groups to protect operations and drug shipments as well as to target members of rival drug cartels and law enforcement officers. Los Zetas, the enforcement arm of the Gulf Cartel, may be the most technologically advanced, sophisticated, and violent of these paramilitary enforcement groups. Some Los Zetas members are former Mexican Special Forces soldiers and maintain expertise in the use of heavy weaponry, specialized military tactics, sophisticated communications equipment, intelligence collection, and countersurveillance techniques. Click on or Google: They're known as "Los Zetas
Even before the armies arrival much of the violence attributed to conflicts over control of smuggling routes has remained in Mexico, some has spilled into the United States. Murders and kidnappings linked to Mexican DTOs as well as assaults against U.S. law enforcement officers are becoming increasingly common along the Southwest Border. Violence directed at law enforcement officers along the Southwest Border, primarily U.S. Border Patrol agents, often is intended to deter agents from seizing illicit drug shipments or as a diversion during drug smuggling operations. In addition, drug-related violence has expanded from Tijuana, Baja California Norte; Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua; and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, into other geographic areas along the border, including Agua Prieta and Cananea, Sonora, and Palomas, Chihuahua. American kidnappings, and hostage situations attributed to this conflict are increasing, particularly in Dallas, El Paso, Tucson, Phoenix, San Diego and other U.S. border cities and towns. Click or Google: Americans Being Kidnapped, Held and killed in Mexico
Sources:
DEA
Mexican Federal Police
Mexican Officials
Juarez, Palomas, Tijuana and Mexico City police Dept’s.
Ranking Mexican army officers
Mexican and other open source reports
Laguna Journal