Tagged: drug trafficking

Distrito Bravo: The Outlaw District

READ THIS TERRIFIC NEW MEMOIR about drug enforcement along our increasingly lawless southern border by retired U.S. Customs James C. Marchant. Stationed out of El Paso, Texas, the author spent three decades confronting drug traffickers, modern-day gunslingers, and desperados of every stripe in the badlands along the Rio Grande downstream from El Paso. A truly remarkable story, told with a writer’s eye for telling detail.

From the Amazon book page:

Conflict at the U.S./Mexico border has been brewing for decades . . . but the drug lords aren’t the only enemy.

In the lawless Distrito Bravo region, U.S. Customs Special Agent James Marchant develops a fearsome reputation for his uncanny ability to ambush drug smugglers and thwart their deals.

Surprisingly, his success is largely due to his determination to treat all people with respect and dignity. Marchant forges indelible friendships with civilians on both sides of the border and also with some of the very criminals he pursues. The brave souls in Marchant’s network risk everything to help him.

When his victories attract attention in Washington, D.C., Marchant soon learns the cartels aren’t the only enemy he faces. Corrupt individuals within U.S. government agencies are profiting from the continued war on drugs—but he stands in their way.

Marchant confronts dangerous foes both within his government and across the border, finding courage in his commitment to truth and justice. His experience on the front lines of America’s drug war shines a light on current border policies, their effect on the region, and the truth about how high-stakes decisions are actually made.

A sampling of praise for Distrito Bravo:

“I started this book and could not put it down!” Sgt. First Class (Ret.) William “Bill” Baggs

Distrito Bravo Is an eye-opening account of crime, families, crime families, friendships, and faith along the U.S.-Mexico border. The dual threat of narcotics-murderers in Mexican cartels and cowardly, corrupt political operatives in the U.S. government is put into clear focus . . . a detailed, compelling, firsthand overview of 30 years of bungled border policy that people of all political stripes concerned about border security, concerned about the safety of women and children at the border, and concerned about civil liberties in the United States, should read.” —Marcel Sanchez, El Paso educator

Distrito Bravo is an accurate, detailed record of events that took place on the U.S. border around El Paso, Texas. Exemplary job performances and dedication to duty of U.S. Customs agents are shown struggling with bureaucratic oversight that frequently hindered real border enforcement operations. Senior officials never hesitated to disavow of pull support from such operations should any unforeseen event disrupt their political agendas. These agents put their lives on the line in service to our country, fighting the free flow of narcotics into our cities and communities.” —Michael Warren, pilot (Ret.), Governor’s Office, State of New Mexico

“This book had to be written! Marchant makes the reader aware of what happened at our borders from the ‘70s to the ‘90s, and it is still happening at the present time. The book shows how difficult it is for dedicated law enforcement officers to do their jobs. It is essential reading to be able to understand the current situation at our southern border. Hopefully, it will trigger the changes necessary to secure our border. Unfortunately, those changes must come from the top, initiated by competent leaders who put the well-being of our nation before their own personal interests.” —Gerd R. Holz, former E-8 MSG, German Air Force and U.S. citizen

[AMAZON]

Gulf Cartel’s top boss pleads guilty in U.S. court

(BREITBART) — by Ildefonso Ortiz and Brandon Darby

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — The man who once had full command of the Gulf Cartel during its heyday pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy and charges of assaulting a federal officer.

Jorge “El Coss” Costilla Sanchez went before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald Morgan and entered a guilty plea to one drug conspiracy charge and two separate counts of assault on a federal officer.

From 2003 until his arrest in 2012, Costilla controlled the criminal organization known as the Gulf Cartel (CDG). According to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office, since the 1990’s the Gulf Cartel has been Mexico’s leading drug trafficking and money laundering organization in the northern part of Tamaulipas.

Costilla inherited the command of the Gulf Cartel from its previous leader, Osiel Cardenas Guillen, who is currently serving a 25-year sentence in a U.S. prison. Cardenas was arrested in 2003 and extradited to Texas in 2007.

According to prosecutors, Costilla-Sanchez was responsible for making strategic decisions and trying to manage the various factions of the Gulf Cartel, including Los Zetas who eventually broke away. Beginning in 1998, Costilla helped the Gulf Cartel move tons of cocaine and marijuana into the country through the international bridges in Hidalgo and Cameron County, as well as through the waters of the Rio Grande and through the Gulf of Mexico into the Texas coast.

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Women kicked out organized crime in this Mexican town

(MY SAN ANTONIO) — More than 180,000 people have been killed in Mexico since then-President Felipe Calderon sent the army to fight organized crime groups in his native state of Michoacan in 2006.

But one small town in that state says it hasn’t had a homicide since 2011 because its residents – led by women – took up arms to kick out groups who had expanded from drug trafficking into illegal logging.

While overall in Michoacán, federal authorities say 614 people have been killed this year, a 16 percent increase from 2016, the people of Cherán say they’ve become immune to serious crime. They expelled the politicians and local police, and community members now patrol the area wearing uniforms emblazoned with the slogan “For Justice, Security and the Restoration of Our Territory.”

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About Drug Lord, the Life and Death of a Mexican Kingpin

Donald Trump wants to build a wall between the United States and Mexico, and he vowed to do so if he became president of the United States. The wall, he argued, will stop the flow of drugs into the country as well as impede the illegal entry of people across the border. Whether Trump is right or wrong about the need for a wall is a matter of fierce debate that will only grow in intensity now that he is president.

What cannot be disputed, however, is that there is a huge volume of drugs coming across the border, no different than in the past. There is also a greater influx of people coming now from all parts of the world than ever before. Who are these people? What is their motive for entering the United States?

Another matter than is beyond dispute is that smuggling activities related to drugs and people are controlled by organized crime groups, and to some extent organized crime is controlled by agencies of the government of Mexico. Read more »