US-Mexican border threatened by 'super-cartels'
Imagine, if you will, a network of well-armed, expertly trained paramilitary units on the US border collaborating with narcotics gangs whose finances rival that of most countries. Nightmare scenario? Not really. This is reality just south of the US border in what some experts have called the region a new narco-state within Mexico.
For years, the main threat in the region has been FARC and its relationship with Colombian drug cartels. However, that threat has remained isolated to the Colombian jungles and bordering nations. The US-funded War on Drugs has indeed taken its toll on the Colombians, weakening its leaders and cutting into their finances. This would normally indicate that the US has been succeeding in its efforts to curtail the narcotics supply to the US and cut funding to the terrorist group FARC, but a dangerous side effect occurred. Diminishing power of the Colombians has opened the door to Guatemalan and Mexican cartels much more dangerous than what the US has faced before from the region: Guatemalan paramilitary forces trained by the US teaming up with its Mexican counterparts operating just south of the Texas border.
Who are they?
Only recently has the media outlets began to cover the deteriorating situation in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico with it's drug killings and border incursions into the US.
A select few in law enforcement and US government officials recognize the name, Joaquin Guzman, the leader of the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico otherwise known as the Zetas.
Joaquin Guzman and his cartel have dominated the narcotics trade to the US for nearly 5 years now. His henchmen are former US-trained paramilitary troops initially slated to fight the War on Drugs but have since defected to Guzman's control. These ultra-violent individuals have conducted assassinations, bombings, narco-trafficking operations as well as human smuggling and also impose a 10% tax on any other gangs partaking in the underworld business. The region of Sinalao where Guzman controls his operations is virtually a new narco-state. With the lack of police presence compounded by the scale of corruption and unwillingness of local Mexican officials to counter the Zetas, Vicente Fox was forced to send in national troops in Operation Safe Mexico to restore some sort of order to the region. Mexican government has succeed in disrupting Guzman's operations aggressively hunting down his paramilitary units, however, a much more dangerous decision was made by Guzman: call on Guatemala's Kaibiles gang to replenish his organization.
The Kaibiles are another US-trained paramilitary unit that was originally a Cold War answer to the growing Soviet-Cuba funded insurgencies. After numerous human rights violations allegedly conducted by the Kaibiles, they defected from the Guatemalan military and formed their own narcotrafficking operation. For years, the Kaibiles were intermediaries between Colombian cartels and US bound shipments. Today, the Kaibiles are the most dangerous group the United States government has faced near its own border. New contacts with the Zeta's and rumored links with the MS-13 street gang should make the Kaibiles a priority target for Pentagon planners. Guatemala's dense Peten jungle, corruption and locals wary of outsiders will make any move other than military intervention useless.
Threat Assessment
Narco-trafficking remains the biggest problem the cartels impose on the US with it's ties to US street gangs(MS-13). The FARC model of paramilitary protection for narcotics gangs nets them nearly $800 million a year in financing allowing them to buy top of the line military supplies, similar assessment of the Kaibiles-Zetas operations is likely. Excessive wealth would drive the cartels to keep it's stranglehold on the US narcotics market by any means necessary.
Human-smuggling operations conducted by the cartels, increase the risk that terrorist groups along with hostile countries could utilize this route to place sleeper cells and/or espionage missions into the United States. Venezuela, Cuba, al Qaeda, and Iran could all in theory place agents into the US unnoticed and conduct missions without tripping the US security services.
Destabilization of governments also pose problems for the US. Corruption remains the biggest problem to overcome in Latin America with the cartels deep tentacles in the region. US foreign and economic policy issues such as CAFTA and other US sponsored agreements could all come to a halt if these cartels succeed in influencing government officials with bribery and threats of physical violence. Agreements by the US and nations on the War on Drugs would be first on the list to be affected.
Conclusion
With depleting influence in Latin America and an increased danger brewing south of its border, the United States cannot afford to ignore a growing threat. This new "super-cartel" should be a top concern for defense officials with the possibility of the cartel acquiring sophisticated military equipment or working along with terrorist organizations for the purpose of infiltrating the US border. Recently, a US general had flown over the Guatemalan jungles and was stunned by the vast and sophisticated network that has emerged, "What I saw in this region was startling," said Gen. Brantz Craddock. What would be more startling, is the potential for these two cartels and the MS-13 street gang becoming more structured and organized. Apart from a military intervention, the United States must work harder to stabilize Central America and start to root out the Kaibiles while isolating Guzman and allowing Operation Safe Mexico to run it's course.
For years, the main threat in the region has been FARC and its relationship with Colombian drug cartels. However, that threat has remained isolated to the Colombian jungles and bordering nations. The US-funded War on Drugs has indeed taken its toll on the Colombians, weakening its leaders and cutting into their finances. This would normally indicate that the US has been succeeding in its efforts to curtail the narcotics supply to the US and cut funding to the terrorist group FARC, but a dangerous side effect occurred. Diminishing power of the Colombians has opened the door to Guatemalan and Mexican cartels much more dangerous than what the US has faced before from the region: Guatemalan paramilitary forces trained by the US teaming up with its Mexican counterparts operating just south of the Texas border.
Who are they?
Only recently has the media outlets began to cover the deteriorating situation in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico with it's drug killings and border incursions into the US.
A select few in law enforcement and US government officials recognize the name, Joaquin Guzman, the leader of the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico otherwise known as the Zetas.
Joaquin Guzman and his cartel have dominated the narcotics trade to the US for nearly 5 years now. His henchmen are former US-trained paramilitary troops initially slated to fight the War on Drugs but have since defected to Guzman's control. These ultra-violent individuals have conducted assassinations, bombings, narco-trafficking operations as well as human smuggling and also impose a 10% tax on any other gangs partaking in the underworld business. The region of Sinalao where Guzman controls his operations is virtually a new narco-state. With the lack of police presence compounded by the scale of corruption and unwillingness of local Mexican officials to counter the Zetas, Vicente Fox was forced to send in national troops in Operation Safe Mexico to restore some sort of order to the region. Mexican government has succeed in disrupting Guzman's operations aggressively hunting down his paramilitary units, however, a much more dangerous decision was made by Guzman: call on Guatemala's Kaibiles gang to replenish his organization.
The Kaibiles are another US-trained paramilitary unit that was originally a Cold War answer to the growing Soviet-Cuba funded insurgencies. After numerous human rights violations allegedly conducted by the Kaibiles, they defected from the Guatemalan military and formed their own narcotrafficking operation. For years, the Kaibiles were intermediaries between Colombian cartels and US bound shipments. Today, the Kaibiles are the most dangerous group the United States government has faced near its own border. New contacts with the Zeta's and rumored links with the MS-13 street gang should make the Kaibiles a priority target for Pentagon planners. Guatemala's dense Peten jungle, corruption and locals wary of outsiders will make any move other than military intervention useless.
Threat Assessment
Narco-trafficking remains the biggest problem the cartels impose on the US with it's ties to US street gangs(MS-13). The FARC model of paramilitary protection for narcotics gangs nets them nearly $800 million a year in financing allowing them to buy top of the line military supplies, similar assessment of the Kaibiles-Zetas operations is likely. Excessive wealth would drive the cartels to keep it's stranglehold on the US narcotics market by any means necessary.
Human-smuggling operations conducted by the cartels, increase the risk that terrorist groups along with hostile countries could utilize this route to place sleeper cells and/or espionage missions into the United States. Venezuela, Cuba, al Qaeda, and Iran could all in theory place agents into the US unnoticed and conduct missions without tripping the US security services.
Destabilization of governments also pose problems for the US. Corruption remains the biggest problem to overcome in Latin America with the cartels deep tentacles in the region. US foreign and economic policy issues such as CAFTA and other US sponsored agreements could all come to a halt if these cartels succeed in influencing government officials with bribery and threats of physical violence. Agreements by the US and nations on the War on Drugs would be first on the list to be affected.
Conclusion
With depleting influence in Latin America and an increased danger brewing south of its border, the United States cannot afford to ignore a growing threat. This new "super-cartel" should be a top concern for defense officials with the possibility of the cartel acquiring sophisticated military equipment or working along with terrorist organizations for the purpose of infiltrating the US border. Recently, a US general had flown over the Guatemalan jungles and was stunned by the vast and sophisticated network that has emerged, "What I saw in this region was startling," said Gen. Brantz Craddock. What would be more startling, is the potential for these two cartels and the MS-13 street gang becoming more structured and organized. Apart from a military intervention, the United States must work harder to stabilize Central America and start to root out the Kaibiles while isolating Guzman and allowing Operation Safe Mexico to run it's course.
posted by Marko at 2/16/2006 03:37:00 PM
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