Chelsea E Shambley
Blog #9
23 March 2011
2:25 AM
A team of over one hundred policemen was tipped off last September about a semi-vacant cattle ranch near the Salvadoran coast, which was said to be similar in size to approximately forty-two Manhattan blocks. At this ranch, officers dug up two plastic storage drums containing a combined total of over ten million U.S. dollars. Less than a week later, a third barrel was discovered under a patio in an upscale San Salvador suburb, which brought the total amount of cash to $14.5 Million. Ties between one of the two ranch owners and the leader of a Guatemalan branch of Mexico’s Gulf Cartel have led officials to believe the uncovered stash may likely be Mexican drug cartel money. Crackdowns in Mexico and Columbia, supported by the U.S., are said to have pushed traffickers into a region where borders have little or no immigration control and local gangs provide a ready-made infrastructure for organized crime. Authorities report that the murder rate in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, already higher than anywhere else in the world, is continuously climbing as a result from a rise in local drug dealing. When President Barack Obama makes his way through Latin America later this month, he will come upon El Salvador at a time said to be its hottest point since the civil wars in the 1980s. Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes says that the Obama visit will be focused on poverty, as El Salvador has seen little change in poverty since the war, and the lands that previously served as battlegrounds are now the domain of deadly gangs. The gangs are said to stick mostly to petty crimes and extortion, but have become increasingly involved in local drug sales. The Central American Integration System has planned a donors conference this June in hopes of raising the approximate one billion dollars needed to pay for a viable security plan to fight drugs in Mexico. The U.S. and international groups have also collaborated with Central America in many other ways, such as building regional programs for fingerprinting, wiretapping, police training, and establishing arms-tracking operations within the region.
Drugs, guns, and even human beings have long been trafficked within borders as well as internationally. In attempt to put an end to this, there have been several procedures taken and security systems designed. Still, trafficking continues to thrive worldwide. Because humans seek security, spreading awareness and educating them on the matter is important. The speech prepared for President Obama’s El Salvador visit is appropriate because it is focused on poverty, a key factor of violence and crime.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/mar/13/lt-salvador-obama-visit/
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