Drug War Side Effects - Towns Digging Their Own Moats

Check out John Robb's latest posting (March 24, 2009) entitled:  "Journal:  Tribal Raids and Medieval Defenses."  Original news article by Dudley Althaus of the Houston Chronicle. 

Seems like that the town of Cuauhtemoc, Mexico, has a problem with the local bullies otherwise known as terrorists, drug runners, or good ole fashon pistoleros.

When 15 SUVs loaded with bad guys recently raided the nearby town of San Angel, Mexico, they took five men hostage. Four were returned unharmed.  The fith, a teenager was held longer in exchanged for the intended target that the raiders missed. 

To defend themselves (the police and military uanble to defend the small village), they dug themselves a moat around the town.  Including the all access roads.

President Felipe Calderon's war on the Mexican drug gangasters hasn't met much success since he started deploying 45,000 troops and federal police in December 2006.  The federal forces have been able to defeat the gunman in open combat, but not to extinguish the bloodshed or the crimes committed.  Narcotics-related violence killed at elast 6,000 people in 2008.  Crimes like kidnappings, extortions, and bank robberies are on the rise in many cities and out in the rural areas such as Cuauhtemoc, and San Angel.

While its not politically inspired, the gangasters' hit and run tactics are mirroring those used by insurgents when staging a revolution.  Thus, the Mexican government finds itself without adequate manpower to be everywhere at once.  

The gangs, known as Zetas - area in league with the Gulf Cartel.  The Gulf Cartel is located in Matamoros and other cities in and around South Texas.  The Zetas were originally Army deserters and they ahve been fighting other gangs to gain control fo the drug smuggling corridors and other rackets.

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Original news article by Dudley Althaus, Houston Chronicle, March 22, 2009( http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6328994.html ).