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Rolly

Oct 22, 2010, 10:04 AM

Post #1 of 14 (4257 views)

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Drug wars come to Colima

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The government of the Pacific state of Colima, through the offices of the Attorney General (PGR), the Secretary of National Defense (SEDENA) and the Secretary of Marine Forces (SEMAR) have declared that the recent violence in the last few months has been the result of a confrontation between Los Zetas and La Familia Michoacana (LFM), both of whom are vying for control of the plaza, specifically smuggling routes and territories that were formally controlled by Ignacio Nacho Coronel, who died during a raid on his home by Mexican marines on July 29th this year.

Read more here.

Rolly Pirate

E-visit me http://Rollybrook.com
On Facebook as Rolly Brook

halfmexi

Oct 23, 2010, 9:19 AM

Post #2 of 14 (4151 views)

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Re: [Rolly] Drug wars come to Colima

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I read Blog del Narco religiously, but am not sure how accurate this story is. There has never been a mention of Los Zetas before in our drug wars. It has been La Familia above us and (what is left) of Beltran Levy to the south (that has a few Columbians in their employ now...). The best intel comes from the taxi drivers, some of which are the local police trying to make an extra $$$ for their families.

The story goes... El Chapo came for the Easter holidays, staying at a rancho up by the volcano and after he left things began to change. Within 2 months Nacho Coronel was dead and many little wars started here in the city of Colima and further south in Manzanillo - the drug pipeline. Since Chapo's visit, 78 people have been killed - mainly narcos. The town is full of narco juniors too unfortunately. Little rich kids of old Colima familias showing off their cuernos (AK-47's) to other teens (a experience that left my nephew mezmerized) and trying to recruit others.

We have had a couple local hits (within 4 cuadras of our casa), but we still feel pretty safe and have learned to keep our eyes open for people acting strange in restaurants and other public places - we are in survival mode like most of Mexico nowadays. We worry more about the recent earthquakes and our volcano erupting than the narcos at the moment.

VOTE MAYAN ...For A New Tomorrow!

wearechange

Oct 25, 2010, 12:52 PM

Post #3 of 14 (4022 views)

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Re: [halfmexi] Drug wars come to Colima

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Oh, how much Colima has changed over the last year and a half. The warning signs were there but nobody took it seriously.
Ever notice how many high end bars, clubs and restaurants never have customers yet they continue to stay in business?

halfmexi

Oct 25, 2010, 4:12 PM

Post #4 of 14 (3985 views)

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Re: [wearechange] Drug wars come to Colima

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In the past 4 years I have only seen the Bowling Alley open twice and that has been for private parties with "live" banda music - a narco thing. You have to remember, Colima is very small, nobody gets elected, nothing gets done without the approval of the 3 or 4 major families that run Colima. They don't approve, it doesn't happen...

This has been a quiet and protected state for many years by certain narco families, but now the cockroaches from Michoacan are scurrying across our borders to escape La Familia and lowering the quality of life for the Colimote in the capital city. This year we have extra security in place for the Feria de Todos Santos that starts this weekend and unfortunately we will have the presence of the Army this year as well. Hopefully things will stay safe, but wherever the Army goes there always seems to be more trouble.

VOTE MAYAN ...For A New Tomorrow!

Rolly

Oct 25, 2010, 4:59 PM

Post #5 of 14 (3968 views)

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Re: [halfmexi] Drug wars come to Colima

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wherever the Army goes there always seems to be more trouble.

I believe you have that backward, the army follows the trouble, not the other way round.
I will sing the praises of the army all day long because they have saved my town and continue to do so.
We still have some bad guys here, but nothing like it was before the army came.
The police are highly suspect, but the army are the good guys.

Rolly Pirate

E-visit me http://Rollybrook.com
On Facebook as Rolly Brook

halfmexi

Oct 25, 2010, 6:09 PM

Post #6 of 14 (3949 views)

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Re: [Rolly] Drug wars come to Colima

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Really???
Nobody here wants the Army and unfortunately we have a base very close to the capital center. The Army is lawless. If they are chasing a perp down your street and decide to do a house to house search, they come in your house, usually demand your wallet with ID. Take your money and anything else in your house they want (computers, TV's, stereos) and walk out and you can't do a bloody thing about it. 2 weeks ago an amigo was awoken at 7am from hearing footsteps on his roof, he looked out his back window onto the patio and there were 3 Military in black masks and garb. They told him to open the back door so they could go through his house and out onto the front street. (I would not have let them...) They grabbed his cel and a camera on the way through, he was still kinda asleep and in shock. When he tried to report the incident he was threatened with jail time for getting in the way of their investigation. This took place 2 blocks from the Zocolo in Colima.... there are hundreds of stories of the Army and Marines lawlessness - even raping and kidnapping of teenage girls! These claims are all over the internet!

Most states want the military back in their barracks and not illegally on the streets the way Calderon has allowed them to be - it's against the Constitution of Mexico! Maybe Lerdo is one of the few places that it would be less deadly to have the military than the narcos on their streets, I have never been there and will take your word for it - but that is the exception amigo. Glad they have helped your pueblito... not many people can say that. Be safe!

VOTE MAYAN ...For A New Tomorrow!

Rolly

Oct 25, 2010, 7:08 PM

Post #7 of 14 (3930 views)

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Re: [halfmexi] Drug wars come to Colima

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The army searched my house. They were very polite and professional. They took nothing.
A year or so ago there was a problem in Torreón where three soldiers were caught taking things from houses they were supposed to be guarding. The stolen items were returned, and those soldiers are now in prison.

Rolly Pirate

E-visit me http://Rollybrook.com
On Facebook as Rolly Brook

cbviajero

Oct 26, 2010, 8:29 AM

Post #8 of 14 (3855 views)

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Re: [halfmexi] Drug wars come to Colima

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In my opinion compared to the cops,local,state and federal,the army is much more proffessional and less corrupt,my truck has been searched by them many times, my mother inlaws house as well,they were always polite and never stole anything.

Peter

Oct 26, 2010, 11:01 PM

Post #9 of 14 (3772 views)

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Re: [cbviajero] Drug wars come to Colima

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...,the army is much more proffessional and less corrupt,my truck has been searched by them many times, my mother inlaws house as well...

I have had my vehicle inspected or searched at checkpoints while travelling, that all seems normal and expected. Why was your mother in-law's home searched? Was she a suspect in drug or gun crimes? Or is this just a friendly door-to-door, floor-to-floor service the military provides to make sure the citizenry is in compliance with all the laws of the land?

Nearly three years ago some of my neighbors got a 2am visit in their home by the military. These were two brothers and their families that have homes on lots side-by-side each other. The military were there ostensibly to look for drugs or guns, of which they found neither. I know these two brothers well enough to know they are not involved in the drug trade or gun running, they buy used cars repairing and painting them to re-sell. They told me cash they had on-hand was missing after their homes were searched.

Theirs were the only homes searched that night or any other time I know of in my colonia. According to one of the brothers they were apparently acting on a tip, perhaps by someone unhappy with a car they bought from them.

(This post was edited by Peter on Oct 26, 2010, 11:07 PM)

Reefhound

Oct 27, 2010, 7:33 AM

Post #10 of 14 (3748 views)

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Re: [halfmexi] Drug wars come to Colima

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Balancing civil liberties with law enforcement is a tough issue. The more you protect civil liberties the harder it is to get the bad guys because they hide behind those same civil liberties. The harder you make it to search for thugs and drugs, the more will get away.

Military deployment is usually done when standard law enforcement has failed. In general, when things move to a military level the line on civil liberties shifts, reducing or eliminating such limits on law enforcement. Hopefully it is a temporary shift until law and order can be re-established and conventional law enforcement can resume. There is a lot of abuse by officers in some police departments and there will be even more abuse by soldiers in a military operation, just by virtue of expanded powers and reduced civil liberty restrictions.

In my observations from afar, both Mexico and the rest of the world, how the military treats the local population is related to how the local population treats them. The military is going to act very different with a local population that is hostile and wants them out than one that is supportive and wants them there. A population that is against them will be perceived as for the enemy. So when you say "nobody here wants the Army", perhaps that plays a key role in how searches are handled when they get a tip or chase a suspect.

Peter

Oct 27, 2010, 9:40 AM

Post #11 of 14 (3719 views)

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Re: [Reefhound] Drug wars come to Colima

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The harder you make it to search for thugs and drugs, the more will get away.

As it should be. With drugs you have a case where the cure is much, much worse than the disease. The cure has created an epidemic. Now you have profiteers that are cashing in on the epidemic, profiteers at both the criminal level and those that dress in a sheepskin of legitimacy. And what do they propose as a solution? More of the same medicine that caused the plague. The only real losers in this game are those who do not wish to play or even be spectators.

The problems people cite as being caused by drugs are actually those caused by the illicit market created by the prohibition.

I would rather deal with the problems of having too much liberty than deal with those problems created by having too little of it.

cbviajero

Oct 27, 2010, 11:26 AM

Post #12 of 14 (3692 views)

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Re: [Peter] Drug wars come to Colima

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My in-laws live in a small ranchito outside of Salamanca,GTO, supposedly there was some narco activity in a neighboring rancho and the army was conducting random searches,the funny thing is that people from my in-laws rancho knew from neighboring ranchos that the army was coming and had time to stash their guns in the hills.My mother in-law has no need for guns if you know what I mean.I personally would not want the army searching my house as they might find my stash,I was simply agreeing with Rolly as regards cops versus the army,I could tell you stories about the AFI and state police here gdl related to me by good friends here who are in the know.
I wish I could figure out this quote thing so my replies would be easier to understand.

cbviajero

Oct 27, 2010, 11:38 AM

Post #13 of 14 (3681 views)

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Re: [Peter] Drug wars come to Colima

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PS
If you want to see a good movie about mexican army abuses check out 'El Violin' ,you can probably get it at the tianguies it was featured the magazine El Processo a couple of years ago.

Peter

Oct 27, 2010, 11:59 AM

Post #14 of 14 (3677 views)

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Re: [cbviajero] Drug wars come to Colima

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In Reply To

If you want to see a good movie about mexican army abuses check out 'El Violin' ,you can probably get it at the tianguies it was featured the magazine El Processo a couple of years ago.

Thanks, I'll check out that movie. Being a pot smoker since age 13 I've always led a secret life as a "criminal" while maintaining a facade of respectability. Knowing the Drug War is all about anything but its public-stated reasons has left me a bit cynical about life in general.