Mexico's Drug War

[Dr. Shane]

I posted this on my Face Book page:

Quote:

We were stopped twice today by military road blocks in Mexico during our excursion to go to church there. Mexican soldiers were armed with assault rifles and high-caliber machine guns. They wore bullet-proof vests and helmets with sun glasses and black scarfs covering their faces. (This is to prevent the drug cartels from identifying them and going after their families) Three military helicopters patrolled the sky of Nuevo Progreso - a small, Mexican, border, tourist village where we do missionary work. There were not just a handful of soldiers. They were all over the town - the back streets as much as the main drag. Some were in military vehicles. Others were in crew-cab pick-ups. Those in the pick-ups had five in the cab and at least six in the bed - all armed with assault rifles and dressed for battle. Yesterday, the military arrested the village's entire police force for corruption with the drug cartels.

The cartels have been forcing many of the local businesses to pay them for protection. Some Mexican businessmen who refused to pay the cartels were kidnapped and returned after a ransom was paid. There are no known incidents of Americans being kidnapped there. A friend I have made there, who is a Mexican lawyer, told me he hopes this large military build up drives the cartels out of the village and keeps them out. He sounded pretty confident it would. But Nuevo Progreso is just one small town. Those living in large cities in northern Mexico cannot be so confident. The large cities are just too large for the Mexican Army to completely control.

I very much felt like I was in a war zone. I sympathized with many of the soldiers I saw. I am not envious of their position. These guys are fully armed. It almost freaked me out when I saw all the grenades they are carrying. Each soldier must have had eight strapped to them. And I didn't just see them from a distance. They are all over in this town. When we went into a store to get some food for lunch, (commonly done by Mexican Adventists on Sabbath because they do not have refrigerators) soldiers were in the store. I had to actually squeeze between a couple to get into the store. The cartels and Mexican mafia are so strong there it is a real war between the government and these criminal elements.

[phkrause]

Sounds pretty scary Shane. I'm glad to hear that you are safe and that God is with you as you travel back and forth to church in Mexico.