Pubdate: Wed, 20 Jul 2011 Source: Nevada Appeal (Carson City, NV) Copyright: 2011 Nevada Appeal Contact: http://www.nevadaappeal.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/896 Author: Tyrus W. Cobb, Former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan. MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS, GANGS BRINGING VIOLENCE TO NEVADA, U.S. I've got some bad news for you today, and the situation appears as if it will only get worse. The cartel wars in Mexico continue unabated, and the violence and the gangs themselves are increasingly appearing in American cities, including here in Northern Nevada. The gangs are tied into Mexican cartel drug operations, and they also smuggle illegal immigrants into the U.S., ship other contraband and carry cash for money-laundering. The cartels control large swaths of territory in Mexico and many municipalities. They are waging violent turf battles over control of key smuggling corridors, employing hit men and groups of enforcers. Some of the cartels are using grenade launchers, auto matic weapons, and even ar mored vehicles against outgunned Mexican law enforcement. More worrisome, many have mastered the road side-bomb techniques employed by insurgents in Iraq and Afghan istan, and are using these improvised explosive devices against badly outgunned law enforcement agencies. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agen cy estimates that 90 percent of the cocaine entering the U.S. comes through Mexico, primarily from Colombia, and heroin is increasingly part of the mix. Mexico is also a major drug-producing country itself, now the leading supplier of marijuana and methamphetamine. In Mexico, the violence is primarily the outgrowth of rival cartels expanding their areas of domination. Just since 2006, the body count from cartel-related violence is over 46,000 dead. While most of the casualties are members of one cartel or the other, more than 1,000 Mexican police, military and political figures have been slaughtered, as have numerous innocent civilians who were caught in the crossfire. The cartels have established a presence here as well, and are regarded as far more sophisticated and dangerous than any other organized criminal group in the United States. Larry Martines, former director of homeland security in Nevada and a retired Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department official who carefully tracks gang and cartel activities, worries that inter-gang warfare may break out in this area. Gangs tied into different cartels are working in this region as paid associates in the smuggling of drugs and people. This in volves mostly Chicano gangs such as the Surenos and the Nortenos, but Martines has identified members of the Crips and Bloods operating here as well. Martines believes that many members of the Nortenos (from Northern California) and the violent MS-13 gang have established a presence here. He says that some Surenos (from Southern California) are in Northern Nevada, as well. All three of these groups are associated with different Mexican cartels that are at war with each other and may be competing for control of turf in this region. Why? The Reno-Sparks area is located on I-80, a major transit route for drugs and illegal aliens. Estab lishing control over this route would represent a major advantage for a cartel or gang, giving it significant influence over a key cross-country shipping grid. Martines worries that once one of these gangs establishes control over part of the community, it would take a long, difficult and ex pensive effort to take back our streets. Washoe County Sheriff Mike Haley recognizes the increasing presence of gangs in this region but believes that the associations they have with the Mexican cartels are not particularly strong. He characterizes the relationships more like "mercenaries," with gang members renting their services out to different cartels at various times. The local gangs, he says, are "Reno-centric" and will do whatever rewards them the most. What to do now? Martines advocates stepping up border security and argues that many of the illegal immigrants coming into the U.S. from Mexico are also carrying drugs and other contraband. He believes that the federal government should stop suing states for trying to enforce measures to halt illegal immigration into the U.S. and instead focus its efforts on securing the border. However controversial, he also recommends "profiling" here as part of an invasive surveillance and harassment program to identify gang members. That won't be hard to do since the gangs go to great efforts to openly identify themselves with explicit and easily seen tattoos. Let's hope that political correctness doesn't stop us from taking the measures necessary to stop this growing threat before it becomes permanently emplaced. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.