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Brian

Feb 22, 2010, 5:43 PM

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“The narco in Sinaloa has not been touched”

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Although the heartland of narco activity has always been an attribute of Sinaloa and Culiacan in particular, why hasn't the military been deployed there in greater numbers? M3 Report offers one possibility:

"An expected candidate for governor of Sinaloa, Manuel Clothier Carrillo, decided not to throw his hat in the ring, stating, “In Mexico, in order to be a candidate means having to kiss someone’s bottom.” Clothier is presently a representative in the federal Chamber of Deputies [House] and says that to accept the candidacy would require him to compromise his opposition to some of his party’s policies. He said that to be governor of Sinaloa, one either has to make a deal with the narco or with the federal government; one can’t govern without a deal with one or the other. He said the federal government has not taken the war on narcotraffic into Sinaloa and has shown no interest in doing so, leaving the state untouched. ”I wouldn’t make any deal with the narco and since the federal government won’t commit itself in Sinaloa, what a mess that puts one in,” he said. When asked if he had suggested in an earlier interview that the present federal government was protecting the Sinaloa cartel, headed by “El Chapo” Guzman, Clothier answered, “I declared that they haven’t touched him, that everything indicates that in three years of war against narcotraffic, Sinaloa has not been touched; as one might read into this, they have hit all the cartels except the Sinaloa cartel. That is evident. What does that mean?”

Marlene / Moderator

Feb 22, 2010, 6:59 PM

Post #2 of 3 (3491 views)

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Re: [Brian] “The narco in Sinaloa has not been touched”

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I don't care to get all political, but the fact is we HAVE had a ton of extras sent here to Mazatlan (don't know about Culiacan because we don't venture there). And even more came in at the onset of Carnaval. It's noticeable and they are getting results. Tourists are rather wide-eyed....those of us that live here are used to it now. Road checks are a fact of life, and have been for months.

(This post was edited by Marlene on Feb 22, 2010, 7:01 PM)

Brian

Feb 23, 2010, 4:47 AM

Post #3 of 3 (3461 views)

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Re: [Marlene] “The narco in Sinaloa has not been touched”

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While it is true that the "retenes" or roadblocks are everywhere throughout the Republic, they are at best only preventative and at worst, merely windowdressing as many Mexicans would say. What doesn't seem to be occurring in any significant numbers in Sinaloa are "cateos" or takeovers of safe houses which are used by the narcos. These seizures produce not only caches of weapons and money but also criminal underlings who can then lead the authorities to the higher ups. You can tell that the interrogations are underway when the local stores are sold out of Coca-Cola. This article is just the tip of the iceberg. Many Mexicans feel that the government is enabling the Sinaloa cartel to emerge victorious over its rivals and a kind of peaceful coexistence will result as in times past. El Chapo and, especially, El Mayo are businessmen first and the violence and social unrest are bad for business in their eyes.

http://mienlace.com/stories/2010/feb/22/mexico-captura-supuesto-integrante-del-cartel-de-s/

http://www.correo-gto.com.mx/notas.asp?id=149952

(This post was edited by Brian on Feb 23, 2010, 5:19 AM)