Pubdate: Thu, 27 Jan 2005
Source: Dallas Morning News (TX)
Copyright: 2005 The Dallas Morning News
Contact:  http://www.dallasnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/117
Author: Alfredo Corchado, The Dallas Morning News
Note: Belo Television Mexico Bureau Chief Angela Kocherga contributed to 
this report

MEXICO'S DRUG WAR ENTERS 'NEW PHASE'

Killing Of 6 Prison Workers Raises Fears In Border Towns

REYNOSA, Mexico -- Truckloads of federal police wearing military-style 
jumpsuits and carrying assault weapons patrol the streets of this border 
town. In nearby Matamoros, army soldiers in tanks surround a 
maximum-security prison where drug traffickers are held.

The killing of six prison employees last week and the government's swift 
response -- deploying hundreds of federal troops and police in towns along 
the Texas border -- have raised fears that the confrontation between 
Mexico's government and drug-trafficking organizations may be moving toward 
the kind of political violence that rocked Colombia's foundations in the 
1980s and 1990s.

"The real question is: What will the cartels do next? How will they 
respond?" said Jorge Chabat, an expert on organized crime at the Center for 
Economic Research in Mexico City. "I fear we're entering a new phase in the 
drug war in Mexico, much like in Colombia in the 1980s and 1990s, where 
judges, policemen and elected politicians became the target."

Ana Marma Salazar, a former Clinton administration official and expert on 
the international narcotics trade, downplayed the Colombia comparison.

"The differences between Mexico and Colombia remain huge," she said, "but 
that doesn't mean it's not a big concern for the Mexican government. It has 
to be."

Turf wars

Both experts agreed that the relatively peaceful coexistence of drug 
traffickers and the federal government in Mexico has been shattered, in 
part by what U.S. officials say is President Vicente Fox's success in 
bringing down several top cartel figures. As leaders have been jailed, 
bloody turf wars have ensued to fill the vacuum.

Officials and local residents expressed concern that the escalating 
confrontation between the government and drug gangs will mean that public 
servants and "other targets of opportunity" could be caught in the crossfire.

"Mexico has never been challenged like this before, so boldly and so 
blatantly by drug lords," said Omehira Lspez, a recently elected city 
councilwoman and member of the nongovernmental Center for Border Studies 
and the Promotion of Human Rights, based in Reynosa.

Asked if she feared for her life, Ms. Lspez said, "The thought has crossed 
my mind, but I try not to think about it."

Very much on the minds of residents was the killing of six prison employees 
last week in what authorities believe was a hit by one of Mexico's most 
powerful drug gangs, the Gulf cartel. The attacks took place after the 
government sent federal troops to reinforce security at a prison near 
Mexico City that houses some of the country's most notorious drug lords.

After the attacks on the prison employees in Matamoros, the government 
responded by deploying 700 armed federal agents and troops and 30 tanks to 
patrol Reynosa, near Matamoros and its federal penitentiary where top drug 
lords are suspected of still conducting business from behind bars.

Ghost town

An eerie calm has settled on Reynosa, a normally bustling border town 
bordering McAllen, Texas, as convoys of federal agents in pickups whiz in 
and out of downtown and patrol main thoroughfares.

In late afternoon, long lines of cars heading back to the United States 
clog the main streets as workers who live in Texas skip the usual 
after-hours drink or meal to return home, frustrating merchants and 
restaurant owners.

To be sure, clashes between the government and drug cartels aren't new, and 
Mexicans have witnessed the presence of federal agents patrolling streets 
on other occasions. But to some residents, this time it's different.

Zenaido Rammrez Lspez, a local policeman, looked up at the three trucks 
full of heavily armed federal agents passing by and pumped his fist in the 
air in support. He welcomes the high-profile security but said that an 
escalation of the conflict could put him and other public servants directly 
in the line of fire.

"We're standing toe to toe with drug traffickers," Mr. Rammrez said as he 
directed traffic in front of City Hall. "But in this war, the men in 
uniform may end up paying the ultimate price."

Since the killing of the prison employees, his wife has urged him to look 
for another job, "a job worth dying for," he said, quoting her.

Low wages for police officers remain one of Mexico's thorniest issues. 
While politicians and their aides earn thousands of dollars a month, 
including health care benefits and other perks such as drivers and expense 
accounts, police officers remain near the bottom of the pay scale.

Mr. Rammrez's biweekly paycheck is about $140. He has no health insurance 
and must pay for his uniform. He does not have a radio or gun, which is 
prohibited for traffic police. He wryly described trying to pull over 
"certain motorists."

"They're shady characters in their shiny black Suburban," he said. "They 
laugh at me, sometimes shove me, or just ignore me and drive off. And if I 
try to say anything they simply show me their AK-47. We get no respect."

Asked if he's ever been approached by drug traffickers with a bribe, Mr. 
Rammrez pondered the question and nervously shook his head.

His fellow police officers, Francisco Sias, 45, and Jeszs Jaime Alejandro, 
34, offered their perspective.

"It doesn't take much to bribe a cop here," Mr. Sias said.

"Often you don't have a choice: Take the bribe or a bullet," Mr. Alejandro 
added.

"But now," said Mr. Ramirez, "you may get a bullet either way."
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager