Mexico drug war deaths over five years now total 47,515

[ewitwins]

[QUOTE][IMG]http://static.bbc.co.uk/frameworks/barlesque/1.21.3/desktop/3/img/blocks/light.png[/IMG]

[IMG]http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/57829000/jpg/_57829412_57516039.jpg[/IMG]

Mexican officials say nearly 13,000 people were killed in violence blamed on organised crime between January and September last year.
This means there have been 47,515 drug-related killings since President Felipe Calderon launched his crackdown on drug traffickers in late 2006.
Officials said the 11% rise in murders was far slower than in previous years.
But with presidential elections in July, violence is set to be a key issue for voters, correspondents say.
On Wednesday, Mexico's Federal Attorney General's office (PGR) released figures showing that 12,903 people had been killed in drug-related violence during the first nine months of 2011.
It was the first time official statistics had been released since January 2011 and came in response to a series of freedom of information requests over several months.
The PGR said that the 11% rise was "a significant decrease" on previous years.
In 2009-2010, murders jumped 70%; 2008-2009 saw a 63% rise and there was a 110% jump in 2007-2008.
But with the 2011 figures running just until September, the overall number of murders could be some 16,000.
The PGR said that the violence was concentrated in a quarter of Mexico's states.
Cartel control
There have been improvements in security in some areas, including the border city of Tijuana.
Ciudad Juarez, also on the US-Mexico, continues to be among the most violent municipalities, with 1,206 murders, although this was a sharp drop on the estimated 2,500 killings the year before.
However, experts say the decline in killings may be the result of one cartel exerting overall control rather than specific success by the military or police.
Last year also saw drug violence spread to previously calm areas, including the eastern port city of Veracruz.
The capital, Mexico City, had also been relatively untouched.
But on Wednesday, two decapitated bodies were found inside a burning vehicle outside an upmarket shopping centre in the Santa Fe district of Mexico City.
Two heads were found in front of the car.
The government stresses that Mexico's murder rate is still lower than several nations, including Honduras, Guatemala, Brazil and Venezuela.[/QUOTE]

[B]SOURCE:[/B][url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-16518267[/url]

Jesus H. Christ, not a good time to be living in Mexico, to be sure. I didn't know that the fatality rate was that insanely high, however.

[MrTwicks]

walter white

[ewitwins]

[QUOTE=usaokay;34174008]Some deaths include innocent bystanders.[/QUOTE]

Well, of course, why wouldn't it?

[Spacewolf]

And just imagine how many more dead people are unaccounted for.

[HolyCrusade]

[quote]The government stresses that Mexico's murder rate is still lower than several nations, including Honduras, Guatemala, Brazil and Venezuela.[/quote]

You're really reaching for the stars there aren't you Mexico

[DarkCisco]

That's more than the number Afganistan and Iraq deaths. And those wars were over 10+ years.

[sir whoopsalot]

[quote]The government stresses that Mexico's murder rate is still lower than several nations, including Honduras, Guatemala, Brazil and Venezuela.[/quote]
Dear Mexican government, there is such a thing as being too optimistic.

[HolyCrusade]

[QUOTE=DarkCisco;34175979]That's more than the number Afganistan and Iraq deaths. And those wars were over 10+ years.[/QUOTE]
uhhh what

There are estimates ranging from 100,000 to over one million

Unless you don't include civilians, because those people don't matter, am I right?

[Headhumpy]

Holy SHIT that is a HELL LOT of people.

Is it safe to travel there as a tourist, though?

[The DooD]

[QUOTE=Headhumpy;34176107]Holy SHIT that is a HELL LOT of people.

Is it safe to travel there as a tourist, though?[/QUOTE]

I'd be amazed that anyone would want to travel there at the moment.

[Mr. Someguy]

[QUOTE=Headhumpy;34176107]Is it safe to travel there as a tourist, though?[/QUOTE]

I wouldn't.

[Drsalvador]

[QUOTE=Headhumpy;34176107]Holy SHIT that is a HELL LOT of people.

Is it safe to travel there as a tourist, though?[/QUOTE]

I'm actually afraid to make any snarky comments because they might beat down my door and skin me alive.

[HkSniper]

[QUOTE=Headhumpy;34176107]Holy SHIT that is a HELL LOT of people.

Is it safe to travel there as a tourist, though?[/QUOTE]

Depends on where you go. A friend of mine went to the more established tourist areas and had no issues.

I would not venture out beyond the areas well known for tourism, though.

[Civil]

[QUOTE=HkSniper;34176774]Depends on where you go. A friend of mine went to the more established tourist areas and had no issues.

I would not venture out beyond the areas well known for tourism, though.[/QUOTE]

Then suddenly when he is there they attack the tourist areas.

[Mr. Someguy]

[QUOTE=Civil;34177220]Then suddenly when he is there they attack the tourist areas.[/QUOTE]

Weren't there some tourists killed when their bus was shot up?

[StormHammer]

That would be like the entire population of my town x5 lined up and shot. Scary shit.

[Master X]

[QUOTE=Headhumpy;34176107]Holy SHIT that is a HELL LOT of people.

Is it safe to travel there as a tourist, though?[/QUOTE]

A girl in my class did a presentation on visiting Mexico (she was born there). She basically said that you just need to stay informed and alert.

[Daniel Smith]

Just legalize the damn thing.

[FullStreak]

[QUOTE=Daniel Smith;34186423]Just legalize the damn thing.[/QUOTE]

The people running the marijuana deals and other drug stuff do more than deal drugs. I gues it may help but we'll still have problems.

[lulzbocksV2]

Places like Cancún and Acapulco aren't dangerous at all.

[kybalt]

[QUOTE=FullStreak12;34187214]The people running the marijuana deals and other drug stuff do more than deal drugs. I gues it may help but we'll still have problems.[/QUOTE]

it'd help a lot more than doing NOTHING

[andy85258]

Thats the war on drugs for you

[Sexy Eskimo]

Legalize drugs, if violence still spills over the border the US and Mexican government should help each other with some joint operations. Military and Media will be happy to since they love shit like that.

[zarthalan]

This doesn't mention the other problems of the war and why it is so bad. Firstly there is no real goal for either side, and no sight to the end. And also sex trafficking is extremely common and so are kidnappings.

[DarkZero135]

Why is it that everytime we get a thread about Mexico everyone goes "LEEGALIZE DA W33D 420"
It wont help as much as you think guys

[ChilColdCoolaid]

[QUOTE=DarkZero135;34187878]Why is it that everytime we get a thread about Mexico everyone goes "LEEGALIZE DA W33D 420"
It wont help as much as you think guys[/QUOTE]

But clearly doing nothing will help.

[Loriborn]

[QUOTE=ChilColdCoolaid;34188049]But clearly doing nothing will help.[/QUOTE]

It's obvious that the political climate in Mexico is too prime for corruption. The government cannot afford to keep its officers and troops well equipped or to pay them more than cartels can. I'm usually against United States intervention, but the conflict in Mexico is reaching a critical point and is constantly spilling over into the United States.

We need to send in our military and attempt to stabilize the region. After the country has been stabilized we leave. Mexico wasn't always a shit hole, in the 80s it was a tropical paradise. We need to protect ourselves and the Mexican people and send troops in, not for oil, or to stop "terrorists", but to get rid of our real enemies, and enemies that actually harm U.S. citizens everyday. The cartels need to be stopped, and honestly, Mexico needs our help.

[BananaFoam]

[QUOTE=Loriborn;34188133]It's obvious that the political climate in Mexico is too prime for corruption. The government cannot afford to keep its officers and troops well equipped or to pay them more than cartels can. I'm usually against United States intervention, but the conflict in Mexico is reaching a critical point and is constantly spilling over into the United States.

We need to send in our military and attempt to stabilize the region. After the country has been stabilized we leave. Mexico wasn't always a shit hole, in the 80s it was a tropical paradise. We need to protect ourselves and the Mexican people and send troops in, not for oil, or to stop "terrorists", but to get rid of our real enemies, and enemies that actually harm U.S. citizens everyday. The cartels need to be stopped, and honestly, Mexico needs our help.[/QUOTE]

I vote we pull a Pablo Escobar on this and just hunt down the gangs and kill them.

It kind of worked on Escobar, maybe it will work better here.

[Eluveitie]

[QUOTE=Sexy Eskimo;34187362]Legalize drugs, if violence still spills over the border the US and Mexican government should help each other with some joint operations. Military and Media will be happy to since they love shit like that.[/QUOTE]

Legalizing drugs won't stop gang activity like this. Plus the cartels don't just specialize in drugs, they traffic humans and all that jazz as well.

[editline]13th January 2012[/editline]

[QUOTE=Loriborn;34188133]It's obvious that the political climate in Mexico is too prime for corruption. The government cannot afford to keep its officers and troops well equipped or to pay them more than cartels can. I'm usually against United States intervention, but the conflict in Mexico is reaching a critical point and is constantly spilling over into the United States.

We need to send in our military and attempt to stabilize the region. After the country has been stabilized we leave. Mexico wasn't always a shit hole, in the 80s it was a tropical paradise. We need to protect ourselves and the Mexican people and send troops in, not for oil, or to stop "terrorists", but to get rid of our real enemies, and enemies that actually harm U.S. citizens everyday. The cartels need to be stopped, and honestly, Mexico needs our help.[/QUOTE]

You could even say that right now, Afghanistan is in a better place than Mexico.

[BananaFoam]

Legalizing won't help for shit. If anything, it may increase unrest as cartels will start looking for other means of making money, which may likely be even worse. Hell, weed may become legal but there's no way in hell that other drugs such as cocaine will ever be legal, as they have far worse health repercussions. Cartels will then step up their game in the trade for these illegal drugs and things will get more competitive. Gangs will begin fighting and unrest will increase even worse to try and ring-out the competition. The only reason things aren't like that already is because the marijuana trade yields enough money for all the cartels, so they don't need to fight as much over it.

On a related note, legalizing marijuana won't stop illegal drug use. Plenty of marijuana users are influenced into using the drug because it's illegal, and breaking the rules seems cool to them. So if it becomes legal, those people will delve into much harsher, more damaging drugs.

And just remember, next time you're about to smoke some weed, just think that there are innocent people just southwards of you dying just so you can fucking "mellow-out".