.Mexican Army takes over customs on US border
Mexico's Army took control of customs Sunday on the busy US border, as federal authorities pulled agents off the job in a massive anti-corruption shakeup, officials told AFP.
An Interior Ministry official said the dismissals were being carried out at all Mexican border facilities, and that the customs agents were being replaced.
Customs agents were sacked after some were found to be linked to contraband operations, according to sources at the ministry.
Agents in Nuevo Laredo, on the border with the southern US state of Texas, were called in Saturday to be told they were fired, and to hand in their badges and weapons. A total of 1,100 agents were sacked, Mexican media said.
Army troops took over customs border posts temporarily on Sunday.
Mexico and the United States share a border that stretches across some 2,000 miles (3,220 kilometers) and are partners with Canada in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Mexico is in the midst of a raging war on organized crime, and has expressed serious concern about US weapons crossing into the country.
During a visit to Mexico last week, US President Barack Obama praised President Felipe Calderon for his controversial military crackdown on the country's drug gangs, which involves more than 36,000 troops.
The United States has pledged around 1.6 billion dollars to tackle drug trafficking in Mexico and Central America under the Merida Initiative, which also includes funds for training and equipment to boost security on the Mexican side of the border.
The Obama administration has acknowledged the US role in the violence, pledging to stem the flow of weapons into Mexico and curb demand for drugs in the United States, one of the world's top cocaine consumers.
Breitbart
Strange news from the borders. Sleep with one eye open.
An Interior Ministry official said the dismissals were being carried out at all Mexican border facilities, and that the customs agents were being replaced.
Customs agents were sacked after some were found to be linked to contraband operations, according to sources at the ministry.
Agents in Nuevo Laredo, on the border with the southern US state of Texas, were called in Saturday to be told they were fired, and to hand in their badges and weapons. A total of 1,100 agents were sacked, Mexican media said.
Army troops took over customs border posts temporarily on Sunday.
Mexico and the United States share a border that stretches across some 2,000 miles (3,220 kilometers) and are partners with Canada in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Mexico is in the midst of a raging war on organized crime, and has expressed serious concern about US weapons crossing into the country.
During a visit to Mexico last week, US President Barack Obama praised President Felipe Calderon for his controversial military crackdown on the country's drug gangs, which involves more than 36,000 troops.
The United States has pledged around 1.6 billion dollars to tackle drug trafficking in Mexico and Central America under the Merida Initiative, which also includes funds for training and equipment to boost security on the Mexican side of the border.
The Obama administration has acknowledged the US role in the violence, pledging to stem the flow of weapons into Mexico and curb demand for drugs in the United States, one of the world's top cocaine consumers.
Breitbart
Strange news from the borders. Sleep with one eye open.
posted by madtom at 10:33 PM
3 Comments:
There will be blood, more of it, or the Mexican Army decided they wanted a bigger piece of the distribution expenditures and are cutting out some of their fellow middlemen. Is the Mexican army less prone to corruption than their customs officers?
15 years ago I was involved in shipping construction materials to central Mexico for the building of a new church in a little town. It took 8 days on the border in El Paso, loading and unloading trailers for inspection even when the materials were clearly visible on the trailer without unloading--- to end it took 2 grand in cash to pay for the inspectors trouble of having to come see us do all the work. Several truckers told us to just pay and get it over with. There were 'brokers' available for that purpose and we finally gave up and gave them the money. Then, the federales pulled us over in the middle of nowhere for a broken trailer tailight that somehow miraculously shattered at the exact point he pulled us over. I asked him how he thought all the pieces could have ended up on the ground below the light if it had been broken when he saw us half a mile earlier. but his English didn't go far when answering questions. His demands were pretty easy to follow, though. His brother in law charged us 300 to bring us a new light and watch us install it. Never going back, drug war or no.
You don't need to go to Mexico, Try a trade show in NY, and try doing it without greasing the wheels...Cops, meter maids, doormen, elevators, the dreaded electricians...
I'll never go there again, either. But I have had to deal with unions, governments and 'community organizers' before, even in Dallas. There are similarities to Mexico, but they can't throw you in a Mexican jail and forget about you. That's a big difference. I suppose if you have experience and know from the beginning who you need to hire to handle the payoffs, things would go a lot easier. But I don't have to deal with their shit, so I won't.
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