Mexico's monthly murder rate reaches 20-year high

[Kontinuum]

Mexico marked another murderous milestone in its conflict with organised crime as the monthly homicide rate hit its highest level in 20 years.

Government statistics showed that 2,186 murders were committed in May, surpassing the previous monthly high of 2,131 in May 2011, according to a review of records that date back to 1997.

Mexico recorded 9,916 murders in the first five months of 2017, roughly a 30% increase over the same period last year.

The situation has hit such calamitous levels in states such as Guerrero, to south of Mexico City – where armed groups are fighting for control of the heroin industry – that morgues there have been unable to handle the dead bodies.

Analysts say the surging violence stems from various factors, including the increased cultivation of heroin to meet US demand and the legalisation of marijuana in some US states, which has caused cartel profits to plummet and prompted criminal groups to diversify into crimes such as kidnap and extortion.

Last month, the federal government boasted of neutralizing 107 of its 122 top criminal targets since President Enrique Nieto took office in December 2012, though the efficacy of the strategy of killing and capturing cartel kingpins has raised questions.

“Much of the increase in violence is related to the fragmentation of organized crime groups. When leaders are taken out, groups tend to fragment or suffer from battles for leadership,” said Tom Long, an international relations professor at the University of Reading.

“The state response continues to be characterised by a military-first approach” as state governors often pawn off their security responsibilities on federal forces and fail to create proper police departments, Long said. “It is also characterised by impunity. Security forces shoot first and most of the time no one asks questions later.”

A study released Monday by cyber security analysts showed evidence that journalists, activists and human rights lawyers had been targeted with sophisticated surveillance malware that had been supplied to government agencies ostensibly for tracking the activities of suspected criminals, but used instead on critics.

The crackdown on drug cartels and organised crime has consumed Mexico for more than a decade. Then-president Felipe Calderón declared war on the cartels upon taking office in December 2006 and sent soldiers into the streets to stamp out illegal drug activities.

The ensuing conflict has cost an estimated 200,000 lives, left 30,000 Mexicans missing and failed to improve policing, implement the rule of law or stop human rights abuses.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...s-20-year-high

[ParanoiD84]

Still have a long way to go before they reach stuff like honduras, el salvador and south africa, it's getting there though i think mexico is number 20 atm counting murder rates and have climbed a few spots.

Honduras have 90.4 murders per 100,000 people
Mexico have 21.5 murders per 100,000 people

[Tumble]

Despite these numbers, people still want to remove boarders and just let everyone come on in as they please.

[Deleted]

Despite these numbers, people still want to remove boarders and just let everyone come on in as they please.

Im sure its only doctors and engineers coming from there. They are 100% sending their best people. Dont be a racist.

[Deleted]

Maybe getting rid of the war on drugs would stop this?

[Deleted]

Despite these numbers, people still want to remove boarders and just let everyone come on in as they please.

It's amazing that there are people in the US that don't want tight borders between Mexico and the US.

The country (especially the border regions) has some of the highest murder rates in the world.

[Karon]

Are you americans proud of what you did to Mexico?

Oh wait, you act as if it wasn't your fault and want a wall now.

[Mifuyne]

Despite these numbers, people still want to remove boarders and just let everyone come on in as they please.

And then there are also people that don't want to let a single person in.
Pot calling the cattle black.

There is a grey area, you know?

[Tumble]

And then there are also people that don't want to let a single person in.
Pot calling the cattle black.

There is a grey area, you know?

I know, and it's called legal immigration for valuable members of society.

[Mifuyne]

I know, and it's called legal immigration for valuable members of society.

No real point in telling us that there are people on the opposite of your ideals that are extreme.
Because the same is true for your side.

Instead of (useless)nitpicking on what the other sides extremists want, it's better to find a proper middleground with people that aren't extremists which is the majority in whatever side there is.

[Machismo]

Brought to you by the war on drugs.

[Tumble]

No real point in telling us that there are people on the opposite of your ideals that are extreme.
Because the same is true for your side.

Instead of (useless)nitpicking on what the other sides extremists want, it's better to find a proper middleground with people that aren't extremists which is the majority in whatever side there is.

We have a proper system now. Despite what people think, America takes in a fair bit of immigrants, they just want to go about it the legal way.

[Themius]

I know, and it's called legal immigration for valuable members of society.

America has a terribly slow legal immigration system... it needs revamping. It shouldn't take 6-10 years to immigrate here.

- - - Updated - - -

We have a proper system now. Despite what people think, America takes in a fair bit of immigrants, they just want to go about it the legal way.

America takes in few immigrants relative to our size and we do show extremely slow with long drawn out processes that take many people years.

[Magical Mudcrab]

America has a terribly slow legal immigration system... it needs revamping. It shouldn't take 6-10 years to immigrate here.

And you - as part of the American people - should speak out to enact change in the system, rather than complaining when people who break the law suffer consequences. Just because it takes years to immigrate, that doesn't mean you should be able to enter the country and live there illegally.

[Themius]

And you - as part of the American people - should speak out to enact change in the system, rather than complaining when people who break the law suffer consequences. Just because it takes years to immigrate, that doesn't mean you should be able to enter the country and live there illegally.

Uh huh... there are a lot of people with the same opinion but you should know the opinion of the masses really doesn't matter.

What that means is that we shouldn't be surprised when people illegally immigrate here, and we should be lenient if they're contributing.

[unbound]

Despite these numbers, people still want to remove boarders and just let everyone come on in as they please.

lol

You do understand that drug use is relatively inelastic, don't you? Try reading US history regarding the Prohibition period. Crime went way the hell up when we disrupted the easy flow of that drug.

So what happens if we do manage to make drug trafficking more difficult? (TBH, there is no compelling reason to think the stupid wall will do anything useful in that regard, but let's play out your fantasy) Prices will go up. What do you think will happen in both Mexico and the US? Crime will get worse.

Part of the reason for the escalating violence in Mexico is because they are starting to shift towards a very lucrative market area when any drug use is punishable by execution (Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia) which means prices are going way up there...so Mexico is having drug drop-offs just outside those countries, which means drug lords are fighting each other for a piece of that piece in Mexico.

BTW, despite all the claims by the CNB, the black market in Singapore is still very healthy.

[matt4pack]

Brought to you by the war on drugs.

Actually if you read you will see that the continuing legalization of marijuana has killed profits for the cartels so they're resorting to kidnapping and ransoms to fill the gap.

While I support legalizing drugs it's very naive to think that will solve the issues. It will probably make things worse.

[Freighter]

Part of the reason for the escalating violence in Mexico is because they are starting to shift towards a very lucrative market area when any drug use is punishable by execution (Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia) which means prices are going way up there...so Mexico is having drug drop-offs just outside those countries, which means drug lords are fighting each other for a piece of that piece in Mexico.

Any drug use is not punishable by execution here. Using something like cannabis will land you some prison time, you won't be executed.

[Machismo]

Actually if you read you will see that the continuing legalization of marijuana has killed profits for the cartels so they're resorting to kidnapping and ransoms to fill the gap.

While I support legalizing drugs it's very naive to think that will solve the issues. It will probably make things worse.

Well, it's making cartels desperate, and they are in a transition phase. The same thing happened with the ending of the Prohibition Era. The organized crime syndicates pushed to find alternative sources of income. They are fighting more fiercely for pieces of a shrinking pie.

Legalizing drugs will not solve the issue, at least not immediately. However, over time, it will diminish as those most impacted will switch to different work, even legitimate and legal work if necessary. The War on Drugs is the reason that the cartels were able to get so powerful in the first place.

[zenkai]

Are you americans proud of what you did to Mexico?

Oh wait, you act as if it wasn't your fault and want a wall now.

It's always someones else's fault! That should be the liberal motto.