Devin Lenahan
9/23/11
Dr. Sills
In the Mexican port city of Veracruz, there was a startling discovery underneath a highway overpass. A group of armed men had proceeded to block of incoming travelers who bared witness to the men unloading bodies from two different vehicles. Veracruz isn’t usually a hot bed of drug activity, but a recent territory war between two rival cartels has caused a spike of violence in the area. They are fighting over Veracruz since it is a port city, and would have easy access for shipping their drugs out of the country. This specific crime however is especially shocking since it comes on the heels of recent prison breaks that have resulted in the escape of 32 convicts. So far none of the victims of this crime have been linked to escaped convicts; however some have been identified as known criminals. Also another shocking reason is that the dumping of the bodies was done in broad day light. The witnesses of the dumping’s had called the police as well as used social media to spread the word of the crimes. They detailed how some of the bodies looked as if though they had been tortured. Gang related violence isn’t uncommon in Mexico, since the year 2006 an estimated 40,000 people have died due to gang related violence.
This is a growing concern in many different places around North and South America, since these cartels reach is spreading. The cartels have become such money making machines that they are putting up strong resistance to their countries of origins government. This allows them to secure strong footholds in regions that they are then able to dominate through terror tactics. This has become a real issue for the United States along the US-Mexican border, because of small towns now being used as staging points by the cartels. The affects can also be felt globally because of México’s tourist industry; this has caused a lot of travelers to re-think trips to México. Causing a decline in travel, and hurting part of Mexico’s economy.
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