Can you visit Baja amongst Mexico’s drug-fueled violence
Yes, you can is the short answer. Read below set of Q&A and you will see that, as bad the situation might is, for you as Baja visitor – using common sense and avoiding “hotspots” – Baja is a safe place to enjoy!
What is the scale of the violence? If the violence is judged by the number of homicides linked to organized crime, the situation appears extremely serious. There were approximately 6,000 such murders in Mexico in 2008. That figure is similar to the number of US soldiers and civilians killed in Iraq in the same year. Government officials say that the statistics need to be seen in context, and suggest that nine out of 10 of all the deaths involve people connected with the drug trade, or law enforcement officials.
Where are the worst-hit areas? Is it spreading across Mexico?Mexico’s northern border towns are experiencing the worst of the violence, with Ciudad Juarez (just across the frontier from El Paso in Texas) standing out as the country’s most violent city. The murder of a general in Cancun, violence in Monterrey, and arrests in Mexico City have been cited as evidence that the problem is spreading, but it is probably too early to judge. Mexico is a large country, and there are still many areas where the serious crime rate is unexceptional.
Why is the violence seemingly increasing?There are two main points of view on this. The Mexican government’s position is that the violence, however regrettable, can be seen as a reflection of the success of its policy of taking a hard line against drug-running. It suggests that the “monster” has been wounded, and what we are witnessing is a brutal fight between leaderless cartels for fewer spoils. But others argue that the cartels have become so powerful that they effectively control some parts of the country, and the violence, which is getting worse, is evidence of their gang law.
President Felipe Calderon has deployed troops. Is this strategy working or is it backfiring?Around 40,000 troops are actively involved in Mexico’s war on drugs. The Mexican government says that the strategy is working. It is true that record amounts of drugs have been seized, and senior cartel leaders have been imprisoned or killed. But another consequence has been an explosion of violence, as the drug cartels fight both the army, and each other.
There are regular cases of police officers being arrested on corruption charges, or being in the pay of the drug gangs – how serious a problem is this?The problem is far-reaching. One reason why the government has deployed the army so extensively in its war on drugs is that it feels the police cannot be trusted. Drug cartels with massive resources at their disposal have repeatedly managed to infiltrate the underpaid police, from the grassroots level to the very top. Efforts are underway to rebuild the entire structure of the Mexican police force, but the process is expected to take years, if not decades.
Reference is often made to Mexico’s powerful cartels, who are they? Who are the Zetas?
The cartels control the trafficking of drugs from South America to the US, a business that is worth an estimated $13bn (£9bn) a year. Their power has increased in recent years, mainly as a result of increased US anti-narcotic operations in the Caribbean and Florida, which has pushed more of the flow of drugs through Mexico. In a report on 23 March naming the 24 top drug lords, the Mexican Attorney General’s office listed six main cartels, indicating that the gangs have splintered.
Read thew whole report here…
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