Tag Archives: mexican cartel violence

Infamous Mexican cartel leader `El Mayo' Zambada pleads not guilty to narcotics trafficking, murder charges

Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a powerful longtime leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel, pleaded not guilty Friday to U.S. narcotics trafficking and murder charges. Participating in a court hearing through a Spanish-language interpreter, Zambada didn’t speak, except to give yes-or-no answers to a judge’s standard questions about whether he understood various documents and procedures and how he was feeling — …

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Biden's border crisis: Why his new executive order doesn't really matter

Border security is a top issue with American voters. President Biden is responding by signing executive action that he claims will help secure our borders. Is this a meaningful step to rein in the chaos at our borders or political theater? I served as a U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) agent for nearly 30 years and retired as chief during the …

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Mexicans go to the polls amid record violence against candidates, officials

MEXICO CITY – As Mexicans prepare to vote in the country’s presidential election on Sunday, 2024 has proven to be one of the most violent years for candidates and election officials in the country, with more than 225 killed, according to reports. On Wednesday, José Alfredo Cabrera Barrientos was murdered in front of supporters while campaigning for mayor of Coyuca …

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Mexico's drug cartels and gangs appear to be playing a wider role in Sunday's elections than before

Mexico’s drug cartels and gangs appear to be playing a wider role in Sunday’s elections that will determine the presidency, nine governorships and about 19,000 mayorships and other local posts. The country’s powerful drug cartels have long staged targeted assassinations of mayoral and other local candidates who threaten their control. Gangs in Mexico depend on controlling local police chiefs, and …

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‘Symbolic’ $4.6B punishment against cartel that murdered Americans takes creative legal turn to become reality

A $4.64 billion punishment for a Mexican cartel’s massacre of American women and children was considered symbolic. The families of the victims, who ranged from an 8-month-old baby to a 43-year-old mom, were never expected to see a dime. But a law firm representing the families, Motley Rice Law Firm, inundated federal courts with over 1,200 claims against U.S. law …

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Mexican presidential candidate Sheinbaum, who promises to cut crime, faces huge hurdles from powerful cartels

In early May, Claudia Sheinbaum, the favorite to win Mexico’s upcoming presidential election next month, suddenly pulled out of a planned visit to Apatzingan, a town in the violent state of Michoacan. Three sources from her inner circle told Reuters the decision was taken because a drug cartel set fire to several vehicles shortly before the rally, forcing the federal …

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Indiana beauty queen arrested in Mexican cartel bust that included one of feds' most wanted fugitives

An Indiana beauty queen was swept up in a sweeping drug bust with ties to a Mexican cartel that’s been years in the making. Glenis Zapata, 34, who was crowned Miss Indiana Latina in 2011, allegedly used her job as a flight attendant to move drug money from Chicago to the southern states and into Mexico, according to a federal …

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Mexican authorities find bodies of 4 men, 2 women piled up in resort city

Prosecutors in Mexico say they have found the bodies of four men and two women piled up on a street in the Pacific resort city of Acapulco. The victims, who were strangled and had their hands tied behind their backs, were discovered late Monday. The killings remain under investigation and their identities have not been released. Last week, five dismembered …

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'Most ruthless' Mexican cartels operate in all 50 states, bring turf wars to US: DEA

Mexico’s “most powerful and ruthless” cartels operate in all 50 states and clash in American cities, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said in a May report. The Jalisco and Sinaloa cartels have flooded major U.S. cities with meth and fentanyl and use violence to protect their turf, the report found. “The deadly reach of the Mexican Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels …

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Killers in Mexico 'can look like anyone' as cartels use women, kids as assassins, PI warns

With the high-profile murders of three surfers in Mexico grabbing headlines ahead of the busy American summer travel season, a private investigator is warning that killers in the country may not be who you expect. Cartels are increasingly using women and children to carry out violent acts, Jay Armes III, who specializes in kidnappings in Mexico and works cases all …

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