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21 Feb 2012 00:58

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World: Massive Mexican prison riot: Not exactly what it seems?

  • whatIn a Mexican prison, 44 prisoners died in an early-morning riot Sunday. The riot, wich lasted around two hours, stemmed from a conflict between two cell blocks of around 750 prisoners each, many of whom were held without convictions. It was one of the deadliest prison riots since the Drug War gained steam.
  • why? Some rioters may have belonged to rival gang factions. Those rivals were normally separated within the prison, however, leading some to suspect that the guards used the fight as a cover to allow for a prison escape. The guards on duty at the time have been detained, along with their supervisors and the director of the prison. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Nov 2011 11:26

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World: Brazil raids notorious Rio de Janeiro slum ahead of World Cup, Olympics

  • An attempt to clean up a big problem: Tanks rolled through Rio’s Rocinha neighborhood early Sunday morning, in an effort to show some authority in the region, which is a hotbed for the country’s drug trade. “We’re taking back this territory for the 100,000 citizens of Rocinha, people who have needed peace,” said Sergio Cabral, the governor of the Rio de Janeiro state. But there’s also a bigger goal happening — officials want to clean up the region ahead of two major events heading to the city in the next few years — 2014’s World Cup and 2016’s Olympics. Roughly a third of the city’s six million residents live in slums — of which Rocinha is the largest one. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Oct 2011 22:51

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U.S.: Federal attorney: Medical marijuana laws lead to drug trafficking

  • Where there’s marijuana there’s money. And lots of it. People are using the cover of medical marijuana to make extraordinary amounts of money. In short, (they’re) engaged in drug trafficking.
  • U.S. Attorney for Northern California Melinda Haag • Comparing medical marijuana dealers to drug traffickers — a harsh take, considering medical marijuana is legal in California. The U.S. government is planning a crackdown of medical marijuana dispensaries in the state within the next two months. This actually follows something Eric Holder said about a year ago, when Prop 19 looked like it might have a chance of passing in California. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Oct 2011 21:15

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Politics: Rep. Darrell Issa may issue subpoenas over “Fast and Furious” program

  • Clearly, he knew when he said he didn’t know. Now the question is what did he know and how is he going to explain why he gave that answer.
  • Rep. Darrell Issa • Asking on “Fox News Sunday” why Attorney General Eric Holder gave Issa, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman, a seemingly false answer on his knowledge of Operation Fast and Furious, a failed gun-tracking program. The program has since been tied to numerous murders in the U.S. and Mexico — and the results of which are still showing up in the hands of Mexican drug cartels. Issa wants answers. “People at the top of (the) Justice (Department) were well briefed, knew about it and seemed to be the command and control and funding for this program,” he claimed. Holder told him during a May Judiciary Committee hearing that he had only known about the program for a few weeks — an answer which doesn’t please Issa, and may lead to him issuing subpoenas to the Justice Department later this week. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Sep 2011 01:18

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World: In Acapulco, Mexico, a brutal manifestation of the drug war’s violence

  • 5 severed heads discovered in front of a primary school in Mexico source
  • » A sign things are getting worse: The city, once noted as a popular tourist destination, is now one of the drug war’s most violent battlegrounds, and this particular story is no exception in this often-disturbing tome. In this case, the heads were discovered while young students and pedestrians stood nearby, causing panic. But for those perpetuating the violence, that’s not their concern; their concern is power and control. (And apparently, stealing teachers’ salaries.) The police say it’s likely that the heads to belong to five decapitated bodies they discovered on Monday.
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jun 2011 10:26

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World: Mexican drug gang leader arrested, authorities say

  • With this capture, what was left of the command structure of this criminal organization is destroyed.
  • Mexican security affairs spokesperson Alejandro Poire • Discussing the arrest and capture of Jose de Jesus Mendez, also known as “El Chango.” Mendez is a reported leader of the La Familia drug-trafficking gang, and Mexican authorities accuse him of a number of crimes of many types — extortion, murder, kidnapping and so on. La Familia, a cult-like group, reportedly makes and ships lots of methamphetamine to the U.S. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Mar 2011 21:00

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World: Depressing: Super-brave Mexican police officer forced to retreat

Marisol Valles, 20, was called the “Bravest Woman in Mexico” for taking up a dangerous post as a police sheriff. Now, she’s seeking asylum in the U.S. She’s still brave. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

08 Jan 2011 12:48

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World: Mexico’s drug war: The gruesome deaths keep happening

  • 15 dead bodies were found in a Mexican resort town of Acapulco today
  • 14 of the bodies had their heads decapitated (ugh, disgusting)
  • 30k+ people killed in Mexico since the drug war heated up in 2006 source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Dec 2010 13:31

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Politics: Pat Robertson: We need to stop criminalizing marijuana (really!)

  • I mean, I’m not exactly for the use of drugs, don’t get me wrong, but I just believe criminalizing marijuana, criminalizing the possession of just a few ounces of pot, and that kind of thing, I mean it’s costing us a fortune, and it’s ruining young people.
  • Televangelist Pat Robertson • Leaving us speechless. (via thenewrepublic by way of thedailywhat) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Dec 2010 19:47

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World: Captured Mexican politician freed, looks like he’s been through hell

  • The good news is that Diego Fernández de Cevallos, a well-known Mexican political figure better known as “El Jefe Diego,” former presidential candidate and top national figure in the country, was freed on Monday after seven months of captivity. The bad news is that he looks like this, has probably been through many horrible things and usually looks like the photo in this CBS article. The worse news is that his family reportedly paid $20 million to get the prominent politician released from captivity. The worst part? His captors released him into the world looking like Santa Claus during Christmas week. Can you get more evil than that? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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