Monterrey Casino Massacre

[BDBoop]

BBC News - Monterrey casino attack leaves dozens dead

At least 53 people have been killed and dozens injured in an attack on a casino in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey.

A group of armed men men broke into the building and doused it with fuel before setting it alight.

What the hell?! Somebody sure is raging.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

BBC News - Monterrey casino attack leaves dozens dead

At least 53 people have been killed and dozens injured in an attack on a casino in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey.

A group of armed men men broke into the building and doused it with fuel before setting it alight.

What the hell?! Somebody sure is raging.

If the Mexican authorities really want to stop this shit they will have to suspend their laws and send in the Military. To prevent payoffs and kickbacks rotate units every month. Actively and aggressively investigate the most minor of apparent pay offs and mistakes in the favor of the gangs.

 

[Douger]

Idiots in a casino ? No loss there.

 

[waltky]

Uncle Ferd says to nuke Mexico, Granny says it'll cut down on alla illegal immigration an' Hispexican drug gangs...

Mexico Shaken by Deadly Casino Attack
August 26, 2011 - Mexico has been shaken by another act of violence, this time , where gunmen set fire to a casino, killing more than 50 people. Mexican authorities vow to bring the perpetrators to justice, but, in spite of military deployments, the government so far has been unable to stop drug-related violence that has claimed more than 41,000 lives in the past five years.

Speaking to the Mexican people in a broadcast address Friday morning, Mexican President Felipe Calderon had harsh words for the criminal gangs that have terrorized his country with acts like the fire attack in Monterrey Thursday. “It is clear to everyone that the enemies of Mexico are the criminals. Yesterday they showed to what point they are capable of going in their stupid and irrational violence," he said. He also called on the Mexican Congress to approve judicial reforms that would help the nation fight criminals, and renewed efforts to fight corruption in police forces that often help criminals act without fear of capture or punishment. Only a small percentage of major crimes in Mexico are resolved through the capture, let alone conviction, of the persons responsible.

In a news conference Friday, Rodrigo Medina, the governor of the state of Nuevo Leon, where Monterrey is located, showed video from security cameras of the gunmen arriving at the casino Thursday. He said at least four vehicles pulled up in front of the casino. Several gunmen can be seen getting out and entering the building, some carrying containers that the governor speculated contained the fuel used to start the fire. Shortly after, frightened patrons are seen rushing out before black smoke obscures the view. The horrific crime, which has been condemned by some as terrorism, was likely intended as a strike against a casino owned and operated by one of the major drug cartels. The Gulf Cartel and the group known as Las Zetas have been fighting for control of criminal enterprises in northern Mexico for the past few years.

Scott Stewart, Vice President of Tactical Intelligence for the Austin, Texas-based Stratfor global intelligence company, follows the Mexican drug wars closely. “We are trying to run down some rumors that we have received that basically there were some attacks on Wednesday evening against Gulf Cartel-controlled casinos in Reynosa and that this was either a continuation of that or it was retaliation by the Gulf against a Zeta-controlled casino,” he said. Stewart says that details that have surfaced suggest the gunmen wanted to burn down the building, but did not consider that the people inside would panic.

“We had gunmen who went in, ordered the patrons out and then torched the place. Basically, my take on it is that someone was trying to torch the cash cow of an opposing cartel, was not looking for mass casualties, but mass casualties resulted when people did not evacuate and they were caught by the fire,” he said. Although President Calderon has sent military units to various parts of Mexico, including Nuevo Leon, Stewart says they have been ineffective in carrying out what are essentially police operations and that the lack of honest, effective local police has allowed the criminal gangs to dominate the scene. “Usually they are bringing in military units from outside the city, so they also lack the community policing element that is so necessary to understand the area, who belongs, who is out of place, the sort of street intelligence that really helps cops,” he said.

MORE

 

[percysunshine]

If all the players in the casino were packing Glocks,...well...it would have turned out different.

 

[B. Kidd]

American media pays little attention to this stuff. They don't want to bring attention to an 'Afghanistan' on our southern border.

 

[waltky]

Granny says Obama oughta smack his sassy salsa mouth...

Mexico's Calderon berates U.S. after casino attack
- President Felipe Calderon declared three days of mourning on Friday and demanded a crackdown on drugs in the United States after armed men torched a casino in northern Mexico, killing at least 52 people.

Under intense pressure as violence soars, Calderon said he would send more federal security forces to the city of Monterrey, where gunmen set fire to an upmarket casino on Thursday in one of the worst attacks of Mexico's drugs war. Lashing out at corrupt officials in Mexico and "insatiable" U.S. demand for drugs for fomenting the violence, Calderon urged Congress to stamp out drug consumption and stop illegal trafficking of weapons across the border into Mexico. "We're neighbors, we're allies, we're friends, but you are also responsible," a somber and angry Calderon said to the United States in a speech after meeting his security advisers.

Pledging to step up the fight on organized crime, Calderon said Mexico was under attack from "true terrorists", and told all Mexicans to come forward and denounce those responsible. "They aren't and cannot be the ones in charge of our streets, our cities and our future," he said, shortly before departing to Monterrey to take stock of the situation.

President Barack Obama called the attack "barbaric" and said his government stood shoulder to shoulder with Mexico in the battle against the gangs. "We share with Mexico responsibility for meeting this challenge and we are committed to continuing our unprecedented cooperation in confronting these criminal organizations," Obama said in a statement issued by the White House. Washington provides money and resources to Mexico in the drugs war, but joint cooperation has been damaged by mistrust, a botched U.S. plan to track down weapons smugglers and the killing by suspected hitmen of a U.S. customs agent in Mexico this year.

Calderon first ordered a crackdown against the cartels when he took office in late 2006 and several senior traffickers have been arrested. However, turf wars between rival cartels have killed about 42,000 people, battering Mexico's reputation. The president insists his campaign has weakened the cartels but critics say it simply brought a surge in violence and has done little or nothing to slow the flow of cocaine, marijuana and other drugs into the United States. The carnage has hurt support for Calderon's conservative National Action Party (PAN), which already faces an uphill battle to retain the presidency in elections next July.

BITTER BLOW

 

[waltky]

Mexico arrests 5 suspects in casino arson...

Mexico casino arson: Five arrested over Monterrey attack
29 August 2011 - Extra police and troops have stepped up security in the wake of Thursday's attack

Mexican police have arrested five men in connection with the arson attack that killed 52 people in a casino in the northern city of Monterrey. State governor Rodrigo Medina said the suspects were believed to belong to the Zetas drug cartel. Police were investigating whether the casino was attacked because protection money had not been paid, he said. Security in Monterrey has been boosted by the arrival of hundreds more police and troops since Thursday's attack.

Mr Medina, governor of Nuevo Leon state, told Mexican television that the five suspects had confessed to being involved in the arson. He said that two other people were being sought in connection with the blaze. The attack was one of the deadliest episodes of violence since President Felipe Calderon launched his crackdown on drug gangs in late 2006.

Rising anger

Several gunmen burst into Monterrey's Casino Royale in broad daylight, dousing it with fuel and setting it alight. Panic ensured with people inside struggling to reach the emergency exits or taking refuge in back offices or toilets. Many were overcome by smoke which spread rapidly through the building. The horrific nature of the attack brought several hundred people onto the streets of Monterrey on Sunday to urge an end to the violence. There were also calls for local leaders - including Mr Medina - to resign.

Speaking to the media on Monday, the governor insisted he would not quit his post. "I am not going to resign; on the contrary, it is the time to stay united, to fight and remain here," he said. Monterrey and the state of Nuevo Leon have seen rising violence as the Zetas and Gulf cartels vie for control of trafficking routes to the US. The drug gangs are also increasingly involved in kidnapping and extortion. Some 40,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence across Mexico in the past five years.

BBC News - Mexico casino arson: Five arrested over Monterrey attack

 

[signelect]

That's horrible! I feel for the people that lost their loved ones in such massacre. Crimes are never going to stop not in Mexico not here in the US. not nowhere!

 

[waltky]

Felipe gonna continue to take names an' kick butt...

Mexican President Vows to Continue Drug Gang Crackdown
September 03, 2011 - Mexico's president is vowing to fight to the last day of his term against the drug cartels that have spread insecurity and taken over towns and police forces across Mexico.

In a speech to the nation Friday, President Felipe Calderon said if the government backed down from its military crackdown, the country would be "totally dominated" by the drug gangs. He said the current strategy is the only way to "end this cancer" of drug trafficking and the ensuing violence. A recent study by the Pew Global Attitudes Project found that less than half of Mexicans believe the government is making any progress in its campaign against drug cartels.

With the next presidential election taking place in July 2012, polls indicate the main opposition party - the former ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party - is in the lead. The party held power for more than 70 years until 2000, when Vicente Fox, a member of the National Action Party that Calderon belongs to, was elected president. It is estimated that more than 41,000 people have been killed since Calderon launched his hardline offensive against drug cartels after taking office nearly five years ago.

On Friday, a leader of Mexico's Gulf Cartel, with a $5 million bounty on his head from the U.S., was found shot to death across from the U.S. border town of McAllen, Texas. Authorities say Samuel Flores Borrego also known as" Metro 3" and a police officer were found dead along a highway. Borrego was being sought on drug trafficking charges. Last week, 52 people were killed in one of the worst single attacks against civilians, when gunmen set fire to a casino in the northern city of Monterrey.

Source

 

[waltky]

Zetas casino arson mastermind arrested...

Mexicans unite over arrest of alleged leader in Los Zetas cartel
October 13, 2011 - Mexico has arrested Carlos Oliva Castillo, also known as 'the frog,' who was the alleged mastermind of a horrific arson attack on a casino that killed 52 people in August.

Each time a top drug boss is captured or killed, Mexicans debate whether this is good or bad news for the so-called drug war here. The government heralds such arrests as a clear sign of victory; critics contend it only fractures groups and ultimately makes the game more deadly. But with the arrest, announced Thursday, of Carlos Oliva Castillo, “The Frog,” that debate is likely to be overshadowed by a unifying sense of relief, given the claims made against him. Mr. Oliva Castillo is an alleged top leader of the Zetas drug group, and more significant, the alleged mastermind of the arson attack that killed 52 people in a casino in August, most of them middle-aged women.

The casino attack, in the northern city of Monterrey, is largely considered to be one of the most horrific acts of violence in Mexico, since Mexican President Felipe Calderon took office in 2006 and announced that federal forces would fight drug traffickers. "People despise the Zetas because they are very violent. Other organizations, their only business is drugs. Not kidnapping or extortion. If you have to make a choice, if you can say there are 'good criminals,' the Zetas are considered the bad ones," says Javier Oliva Posada, a drug expert at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. "When the criminal organizations attack the civic population, they are lost."

Oliva Castillo was captured at a safe house in Saltillo on Wednesday, according to the Defense ministry, after a firefight between gunmen attempting to rescue their leader and soldiers. Oliva Castillo was presented to the news media Thursday in a red, white, and black checkered buttondown and an orange fluorescent vest similar to what road workers wear. He is considered the No. 3 within the organization. The two leaders above him are still at large.

Former special forces

The arrest is a blow to the Zetas, who are former special forces who deserted. They were the armed wing of the Gulf Cartel until those two groups splintered in 2010. They have amassed foes in the past two years. A group called specifically the “Kill Zetas” has emerged to do exactly what they say – a feud now playing out in Veracruz state. Oliva Castillo's capture is also good news for Mexicans weary of their tactics, which, instead of focusing solely on drug trafficking, include extortion and kidnapping. Most of all, his arrest will be hailed because of his involvement in the Casino Royale tragedy. About a dozen suspects have been arrested so far. But officials say it is he who ordered a colleague to set fire to the casino (believed itself to be a case of extortion). He was reportedly captured after an anonymous source alerted officials to his activities and sent a photo.

Source

See also:

What deters illegal immigrant border crossings into the US? Violence in Mexico.
October 14, 2011 - The number of illegal immigrants apprehended while crossing Mexico en route to the US has dropped by almost 70 percent in the past five years, according to Mexican official data.

The perfect deterrent for illegal border crossings into the US? Violence in Mexico. The number of Central American migrants apprehended while crossing Mexico en route to the US has dropped by almost 70 percent in the last five years, reports the Associated Press. The estimate, provided by Mexico’s immigration commissioner Salvador Beltran del Rio, is based on apprehensions, which plummeted from 433,000 Central Americans in detention in 2005 to 140,000 last year. While immigrant rights advocates argue that border fences, ever higher and more technologically advanced, do not deter illegal immigration – they just make it more dangerous – it does appear that the threat of kidnappings, forced recruitment, and mass murder at the hands of drug traffickers is keeping migrants home.

Not that the journey has ever been particularly pleasant – Central Americans have long dodged criminals and corrupt officials, and taken their chances jumping on and off Mexican cargo trains headed north. (See this story here from Mexico's southern border, or, for a more uplifting one, this tale of an amazing woman who cares for injured migrants.) But now the scenarios are grimmer. The most chilling example of dangers faced: the 72 migrants, mostly Central American, found dead on a ranch in northern Tamaulipas in August last year. Mexicans are also being dissuaded from traveling through northern Mexico, where some of the nation’s worst violence is playing out. You only have to read the story about Veronica Coronilla’s husband, who has gone missing since he left their home in March to find a job in construction in Houston, to understand why many would opt to stay home – even with no jobs.

National statistics show that migration from Mexico has fallen. Those figures jibe with US Customs and Border Protection data showing the number of those arrested trying to cross the US-Mexico border is down sharply. The Monitor asked upon the release of those US figures whether violence was having a sizable impact on keeping Mexicans and Central Americans – and others – home. The anecdotal evidence remains strong. Ms. Coronilla said that no one in her town is considering the journey. Instead they will stay home, depend on remittances from those relatives already in the US, and try to get day work on nearby farms.

But violence is not the only factor contributing to downward migration trends. There is slower population growth in Mexico and more border patrol presence on the US-Mexico border. And a well-known migration expert in Mexico, Rodolfo Casillas, brought up a good point upon the release of the newest figures from Mexico about drawing conclusions about migration trends using data like apprehensions. He said to the AP: "What's dropping is the number of people being detained by immigration agents, which is different from the Central American migration flow that goes through Mexico.”

Source

 

[waltky]

9 killed in Mexico over $460 debt...

Mayor: Slaying of 9 at Mexican drug house was over $460 debt
Apr 20,`16 -- The violent slayings of nine men at a drug house in northern Mexico were motived by a debt of about $460, officials said Wednesday.

The weekend killings in the Apodaca suburb of the northern city of Monterrey shocked area residents. The victims were bound, and two appeared to have been stabbed while the other seven were strangled. Apodaca Mayor Oscar Cantu was briefed on the investigation Wednesday by state prosecutor Roberto Flores. "It had to do with drug consumption," Cantu said. "It was a very small debt these people had. It is a very shocking thing."

Cantu said one man survived the attack over the weekend and has provided investigators with key information. The man survived by playing dead. The fact that he survived was not previously acknowledged in an effort to protect his security. Two suspects have been arrested in the killings.

Nuevo Leon state Gov. Jaime Rodriguez Calderon said Sunday that the initial investigation suggested the house was used for drug consumption. The house where the killing occurred was the scene of another crime in 2014, when a 17-year-old stabbed his father to death as he fought with the young man's mother.

News from The Associated Press

 

[Iceweasel]

They are trying to make Pablo Escabar look good!