Mexico: Corruption Scandals and the Deadly War on Drugs

Reports of corrupt U.S. police officials along the Mexico-U.S. border surfaced a few days ago in an article published by Associated Press. Agents from U.S. Department of Homeland Security, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), are more commonly being charged with criminal corruption, for accepting money or sex from drug and human smugglers or undocumented migrants. Since 2007, Associated Press found corruption-related convictions against over 80 enforcement officials at each the federal, state and local levels, not long after President Calderon began cracking down on the drug cartels. While Calderon sent thousands of troops to the border region to reduce on drug violence, the U.S. increased its border forces by 44%, or 6,907 additional officers and agents. The next year, CBP noticed increased numbers of officers charged with corruption crimes, causing them to begin to take action. CBP is not only taking punitive measures against corrupt officials, but the agency has also preempted four job applicants whose polygraph tests and background checks proved they were infiltrators from drug trafficking operations. Despite the Mexican police officials being notorious for corruption, Calderon told AP that it takes more than just Mexican officials to allow the drugs in the United States, stating, ''To get drugs into the United States the one you need to corrupt is the American authority, the American customs, the American police -- not the Mexican. And that's a subject, by the way, which hasn't been addressed with sincerity.” As CBP works towards eliminating this corruption, it is left unknown whether there are other undercover gangsters who are supposed to be protecting the U.S. border.

Corruption within Mexican prisons was also reported in a New York Times article yesterday, as a video last May revealed prison guards in Zacatecas allowing 53 inmates – the majority associated with one of Mexico’s biggest drug cartels – to escape. Marc Lacey claims that this was just one instance of many of how Mexico’s overcrowded and harsh prison system “represents a critical weak link in the drug war.” Rather than serving as a correctional facility, Mexico’s prisons are a place that allow drug traffickers to flourish by finding a new base of operations, recruiting others, and bribing their way out. Rich drug lords enjoy many of the same freedoms in the prisons as they did before serving time, such as nice clothing, the privilege to watch television, and frequent visits from girlfriends. As Pedro Héctor Arellano, who is in charge of the prison outreach program in Mexico for the Episcopal Church, says, the prisons should be called “Universities of crime,” rather than Centers for Social Rehabilitation. The Mexican government has even resorted to extraditing high numbers of drug traffickers to the United States, where it is much harder to run the operations. The Obama administration has committed $4 million to help fix Mexico’s corrupt system, and have begun to take action by providing tutorials for Mexican guards to establish ethical guidelines and professional practices. The government is also trying to improve the system by focusing on personnel, boosting guards’ salary, training them better, and screening them for corruption.

Another article from Associated Press on Tuesday revealed that U.S. refineries bought millions of dollars worth of oil that was stolen from the Mexican government and smuggled across the border. It is likely that criminals and members of organized crime steal oil by tapping remote pipelines or even building pipelines of their own. Today, U.S. Department of Homeland Security is supposed to return $2.4 million to Mexico’s tax administration, and the U.S. plans to work with Mexico on taking action against oil theft, although there has only been one indictment so far. However, just like drug criminals, oil thefts will be difficult to stop as long as they find a way to make a profit. Kent Chrisman, director for global security with Oklahoma City-based Devon Energy, claims that oil theft has recently increased, because “we've seen a big spike in recent years because oil prices went up. Every year it seems to get worse and worse.'' On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal ran an article saying that the U.S. government is inspecting whether U.S. companies that took part in this scheme were aware that the oil was smuggled illegally. The government has already executed 10 search warrants in Texas. Increasing activity of organized crime in Mexico has recently raised concerns that smuggling oil will only become more violenct. As Wayne Wilson, managing director with risk-management consulting firm, Protiviti, puts it, "You could eventually end up in the same situation that you have in Africa. In Nigeria, violent gangs tap into oil pipelines and raid oil company facilities to steal hundreds of millions of dollars worth of oil each year.”

The Washington Post reported yesterday on the role of religion in organized crime, as a way for people to calm their fears over the recently escalated violence throughout the country. As Calderon’s war on drugs has increased human rights violations, citizens are left on their own to survive. Particularly, Michoacan is where the notorious cartel “La Familia” operates. La Familia also uses religion in its daily activities, as it cloaks itself in religious extremism as it dismembers enemies. Similar to other Latin American Catholic priests who used their moral authority to “defend the disenfranchised,” Father López lives within and among the drug violence. He fears for his own life, though he fears not being able to save his people more. La Familia is seen as an enemy to the church, as Ramón Pequeño García, chief of anti-drug operations at Mexico's Public Security Ministry, states, “La Familia is a new kind of cartel that takes advantage of the religious nature of the Mexican people," and that the cartel is trying to become "a kind of parallel institution to satisfy the social demands of the people." Since authorities cannot or will not solve murders and kidnappings, victims sometimes directly appeal to La Familia for help and protection. However, Lopez claims that "This is not a form of religion, it's a perversion."

Associated Press published another article on Mexico, reporting that federal police arrested four alleged suspect of the Pacific drug cartel yesterday – one of them being Dimas Diaz – accused of planning to assassinate President Calderon for his policies on organized crime. It is unknown when or how Calderon was threatened, but it is likely that the threat was a response to a 2007 drug bust, in which Mexican officials seized 26 tons of cocaine. Calderon brushed off this occurrence, since his fight against the drug cartels makes him susceptible to such threats.

An Update on Honduras:

Today, the Wall Street Journal reported that thousands of Hondurans in support of returning legitimate President Zelaya to power united to stage on of the largest demonstrations since he was ousted in late June. Zelaya supporters gathered in both Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, carrying Honduran flags and signs denouncing the de facto president Micheletti. The demonstrators aimed to arrive in the capital with a delegation led by the Organization of American States, but Micheletti stalled the mission’s arrival. Zelaya supporters also demanded that the United Nations suspend economic aid for the country's general elections, which are scheduled to take place on November 29, as reported in Xinhua News.

An editorial in the LA Times was published today on Honduras, claiming that the Micheletti government is simply “dragging its feet until elections in November,” most recently by delaying the OAS-led delegation to visit Honduras. The editorial claims that Micheletti’s actions are only causing further political divide within the country, and calls for the U.S. to take increased action. Rather than just stating its support for the return of President Zelaya, it needs to do more than just suspend aid, such as convincing supporters of the Micheletti government that Zelaya’s return to power will not cause President Chavez to intervene, something that they currently fear.

Also on Wednesday, an Associated Press article revealed that the OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza reaffirmed on Tuesday its commitment to send its delegation of foreign ministers to Honduras to work on bringing President Zelaya back to power. Insulza plans to attend only as an observer, and expects the delegation to travel to Honduras at the end of next week, despite concerns that Micheletti will try to maintain the status quo until after the elections scheduled Jan. 5. "Whoever thinks that this problem will go away the day elections take place is mistaken," Insulza stated. "This problem will continue to be bothersome."

Regional Summits: “Three Amigos” and UNASUR

The “Three Amigos Summit” in Guadalajara wrapped up with Obama reiterating his plans for a comprehensive immigration reform, which the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the LA Times reported he would hope to pass in 2010. Aside from cracking down on border patrol, Obama will seek a way for undocumented immigrants already in the United States to be able to obtain citizenship and to avoid tensions with Mexico. Other than immigration reform, Obama, Calderon, and Harper discussed issues of climate change, swine flu, trade and organized crime. Obama supported Calderon’s efforts in the fight against the drug cartels, a fight that has killed nearly 4,200 people just this year. Obama echoed Calderon’s long-standing assertion that “the biggest, by far, violators of human rights right now are the cartels themselves that are kidnapping people, extorting people and encouraging corruption.” (NOTE: Although it has been suggested in recent years that non-state actors which carry out governmental functions, such as private contractors, can commit human rights abuses, it’s not yet accepted to say that drug traffickers can commit human rights abuses.) Lastly, all three leaders were unanimous in their support for ousted President Zelaya. Obama dismissed the hypocrisy of some Latin Americans – clearly intended for Chavez – who believe that the United States has not done enough to bring Zelaya back to power, noting: “The critics who say that the United States has not intervened enough in Honduras are the same people who say that we’re always intervening, and that the Yankees need to get out of Latin America.” And Obama did use the “coup” word again.

The Third Summit of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) ended yesterday, as President Bachelet handed over the regional presidency of UNASUR to Ecuador’s President Correa Correa vowed to work on projects such as the Bank of the South, which would create a common reserve fund and monetary system, as well as formulate new policies on restructuring external debt, for the member nations. He also introduced an idea to create an observation commission for the region’s electoral process, according to a report in the Santiago Times.

The UNASUR summit was not without divisions, however, as a strongly worded statement on US access to military bases in Colombia was proposed by Bolivia at the UNASUR summit and supported by Venezuela and Ecuador but rejected by Chile and Brazil. The issue will be taken up again at another summit on August 24. Also, Chile and Uruguay reported vetoed a proposal by Venezuela to include in the summit’s official declaration a paragraph regarding “the ethical responsibility” of the press. This paragraph was seen to permit restrictions on the freedom of the press in the region, as per Chavez’ recent proposal against “media offences,” which would imprison journalists found guilty of “false information.”

Venezuela

Today, a Miami Herald article reported that the populist message that President Chavez has been sending to Peru in attempts to gain influence has failed. Peruvians are optimistic that their economic woes have ended, giving them an even greater reason to oppose Chavez’s policies. Peruvian citizens and congressman now have a negative image of Chavez and have begun breaking ties with him. Chavez’s failure in Peru signals the limits of achieving his idea of the Bolivarian Alternative for the People of our Americas, or ALBA, and creating a Latin American union, with himself as the leader.

The Miami Herald also reported on Wednesday that opponents rallied against President Chavez’s education bill that will open up education to political interference by the government, a bill that they have dubbed as the “Cubanization” of the country's schools and universities. Some citizens believe that the government is passing the bill behind their backs and have taken to the streets to fight for their rights. Also within Venezuela, advocates for freedom of the press are concerned that the media should be banned from transmitting material that could cause ``damage mental health'' or “terror among children.”

Other articles of interest

On Colombia, Diego León Montoya pleaded guilty in Florida on Tuesday to smuggling $10 billion of cocaine into the U.S, to running Colombia's most prolific cocaine cartel, to laundering millions earned from the transcontinental trade, and to ordering assassinations to keep quiet members of his organization, as reported by the Wall Street Journal and the Miami Herald. The charges could give him 10 years of prison, but he will probably be sentenced to 45. After Montoya was captured in Colombia in September 2007, he was extradited to the U.S. in December 2008. However, an extradition treaty between Columbia and the U.S. prohibits him from being sentenced to life in prison.

On Brazil, the Wall Street Journal reported today that the corruption scandal involving the head of Brazil's senate and former president José Sarney moved closer to President Lula “after a former tax official said she was pressured to stop an audit of Mr. Sarney's family businesses.” The tax official, Lina Maria Vieira, claimed that President Lula’s chief of staff, Dilma Rousseff, contacted her last year to ask her to "facilitate" the audit of Mr. Sarney's family businesses, though Ms. Rousseff denied the allegations. President Lula initially backed Mr. Sarney when allegations first surfaced two months ago, but his support has recently dwindled. Mr. Sarney is being pressured to step down as senate president, though he rejects the pressure and denies that he did anything wrong. He may be able to stay in power, but at this point, his future remains unclear.

Lastly, an article published in the Wall Street Journal today claimed that remittances from the U.S. to Latin America are expected to fall by 11% in 2009, since the global economic crisis has reduced employment opportunities for immigrants. Global remittances to Latin America are expected to decline to the 2006-level of $62 billion this year from $69 billion of remittances last year. An Inter-American Development Bank survey revealed that the decline will affect nearly four million Latin Americans. The survey also revealed that 12% of Hispanic immigrants in the U.S. are unemployed, but 25% of unemployed immigrants still find ways to send money home, either by withdrawing from their savings accounts or reducing personal spending. The countries most affected by the decline are Haiti, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic, since they are most dependent on remittances.

Editorials

An editorial in the LA Times yesterday notes that “Washington too should be working hard to quell the fears it has raised in the region” following the bungling of the Colombian base issue. Elsewhere, Mark Weisbrot sounds off at the New York Times Online about policies in the region, saying that “President Obama has continued the Bush policies and in some cases has done worse.”

(Maddie Thomson of WOLA is writing these summaries this week and next.)