Mexican Drug War

Mexican authorities are investigating the assassination of Hidalgo, Tamaulipas Mayor Antonio Leal-Garcia whose killers are suspected gunmen allied with Los Zetas. The Zetas have also been blamed for the massacre of 72 Central and South American immigrants just a couple hours away in San Fernando. The police chief in Hidalgo, Tamaulipas was killed back in May.

Phenomenally rich due to drug prohibition, Mexican drug gangs, which used to focus exclusively on ferrying narcotics such as cocaine to the United States, have diversified into other lucrative criminal activities such as human smuggling and extortion.

Central America is struggling to contain rising drug prohibition violence as powerful Mexican drug traffickers, facing a government crackdown at home, expand southward and intensify operations in neighboring nations.

While escalating violence in Mexico's war on drugs may be prompting some would-be tourists to think twice about visiting the country, others see it as a chance to try a different kind of travel experience. A new type of traveler is flocking to the country, keen to experience a dark underworld of drug traffickers, leftist rebels and illegal migration.

After the possible kidnapping attempt of a college student last Friday, the U.S. Consulate is warning Americans who travel to Monterrey that they face a greater risk of being kidnapped.

Mexican marines have found 72 corpses at a ranch after a shoot-out with drug traffickers that left one soldier and three gunmen dead near the town of San Fernando in Tamaulipas. It appears to be the largest dumping ground for the victims of drug prohibition violence found in Mexico since President Felipe Calderon began a stunningly unsuccessful offensive against traffickers in late 2006.

At least eight bullets have been fired into El Paso, TX in the last few weeks from the rising violence in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, one of the world's most dangerous places. And all American police can do is shrug because they cannot legally intervene in a war in another country. The best they can do is warn people to stay inside.