Mayor Garcia (photo El Paso Times)
On Thursday afternoon, the bullet-riddled body of Mayor Estanislao García was discovered, along with his burned-out truck. Garcia had been mayor of Palomas, Mexico for nearly two years, and is only the latest of several Mexican officials to be gunned down by the drug cartels. Palomas is just across the border from Columbus, NM. Deming, New Mexico Mayor Andres Silva told the El Paso Times: "It's just really sad. This hits home. We're just shocked right now.” Palomas is a popular location for illegal crossings into the U.S. It has also become a war zone in the ongoing battle between Mexico’s drug cartels. In 2008, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced that they have had several encounters in Palomas with the paramilitary group known as the Zetas, who work for the Gulf Cartel. In addition to dozens of murders occurring last year in the small town of Palomas, two police officers were kidnapped and murdered, their charred remains were later found at a nearby ranch. Facing an imminent threat, the police chief quit and sought refuge in the U.S. In July 2009, the mayor of Namiquipa, Mexico was murdered by drug traffickers. In February 2009, two members of the town council of Guadalupe were gunned down. In July 2008, Villa Ahumada Police Chief Jesus Blanco Cano was shot to death after only one day on the job. The town had been without a police chief since May after a band of 70 gunmen raided the town and murdered the previous chief, along with two of his officers. After the attack, the rest of the town´s 20-officer police force resigned. On June 4, 2008, husband and wife police officers Gabriel Padilla Perez and Claudia Tovar Carreon were shot to death in front of their Juarez home, as they left for work. The couple left behind two small children. A day earlier, a 25-year-old pregnant woman was killed outside a shopping mall a few miles away, as a shootout broke-out between rival gang members. In May 2008, the chief of Mexico´s federal police force was assassinated entering his home in Mexico City. Commander Edgar Millan Gomez and his bodyguards were gunned down by several men in an ambush-style attack. He was shot nine times and died a short time later. Since January 1, 2008, there have been 3,480 murders in Juarez, Mexico, just across the border from El Paso, TX.
?
?
?
?
Comments
the u.s.a. should leave IRAQ,an patrol the MEXICAN BORDER,but the u.s.government is a JOKE,but when it happens to the PRESIDENTS family maybe they will change their minds?we will have to wait &see.
Ron Paul - War on Drugs a "Complete Failure"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvFYCky0muY
If Mexico did not exist, if the border were hermetically sealed and there were no Mexicans in the USA whatsoever...the law of SUPPLY AND DEMAND dictates that the USA would still have a "drug problem".
In the 1920s and 1930s, blood flowed in the streets of America as gangsters battled each other over control of the illegal booze business. This is no different.
How many murders was there in the USA last year anyway? Why then should Americans be up arms over a fraction of the number of killings (in the USA) that occur in Mexico?
They will destroy this country like their own country if all these sympathizers have their way. In the last few years over 12,000 Americans have been killed by these people, regardless of the ignorance spewed above.
Mexico is a dangerous country period. It is not just the border towns, the swine flu or the drug cartels that you need to worry about. To read tragic Mexico vacation death stories, many written by heartbroken family members as well as stories written by victims that "survived" their Mexico vacation to to: WWW.MEXICOVACATIONAWARENESS.COM
Oh, right. The victim in this situation isn't the man in the picture who was killed, or the hundreds of towns being terrorized by drug lords in southern Mexico. Or the Mexican police officers who are trying to REDUCE the drug cartels and are getting killed.
The victims are the unfortunate people who have to hear about this across the border.
Drug lords sell more drugs because there's more demand for it.
But where is the demand coming from?
If you don't want to deal with drug cartels, ask the people they're bringing it for in the United States to stop buying it.
the mayor of palomas was involved in the drug trade he was geting paid by the cartels. they do not pick out random people just to kill
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!