Bloody Tijuana: a week in the life of Mexico's murderous border city
The Guardian Tom Phillips in Tijuana, The Guardian 4 hours ago.
' . . . Mexico now suffers an average of about 96 murders per day, with nearly 29,000 people killed since Amlo took office.
Tijuana has seen a methamphetamine-fuelled murder epidemic which produced a record 2,518 murders in 2018 and looks set to cause even more this year.
"The state has lost control," said Victor Clark, a security expert and activist based in the city.
Negative headlines sparked government action and by 2012 the number of annual murders had plunged. But Tijuana's murder rate is now soaring once again with the slaughter so routine that one local newspaper features a muertómetro (deathometer) to help readers keep track.
Authorities and academics blame the new wave of violence on a largely hidden dispute for Tijuana's drug trade – particularly that of crystal meth – although Brianna Rojas's murder did not seem to fit that mould.
"These deaths aren't about the fight for control of the routes into the US. They're fighting over the local market," said Clark."
[URL]https://www.yahoo.com/news/bloody-tijuana-week-life-mexicos-090021250.html[/URL]
Comments: "Only the police, military, gangs & drug dealers have guns in that country. This is what happens."
"What they don't mention is that Mexico has one gun store and the strictest gun regulations in North America. Essentially, civilians can't own guns. And they are protected by the police and military. "
"Please go call President Rodrigo Duterte he was the one who turned Davao City in the southern island of Mindanao around and his own country of the Philippines. Crime fighting 101. "
If you are visiting Tijuana, remember to bring a crime alert whistle. . . This will intimidate the local gangbangers and muggers once they see you pull it out and whistle for the local Tijuana policia! LOL.
Policia check point on Coahuila East of Revolucion
8 PM Sunday night, I was driving east on Coahuila with 2 wingmen to dinner at Mr. Pampas.
At the Madero intersection, I stopped at the flashing red lights but a patrol car followed us and flashed their beacons. I stopped behind another flashing patrol car checking a CA car on the right.
2 fat pigs searched my car, my wallet and all my wingmen's bags but did not find or take anything. They went though my wallet and all my cash, one note at a time, total about $1,000 plus 2,000 pesos in cash, but did not take anything. They picked out a small pouch in my wallet with broken pills, asked me what it was, I told them "Viagra. " In broken English, they accused me of not stopping at red light. Their sergeant showed up with a few other pigs in a car behind mine. Total there were 3 patrol cars flashing beacons with 6 pigs.
I kept arguing and they kept accusing. Pigs told me they would write a ticket and showed me a link in their tel with 2,300 pesos fine. One of my wingmen was very hungry, saving his stomach for the feast at Mr. Pampas so I did not want to go to the station. I gave the sergeant a 100 peso note but he refused to take it. The 2 original pigs were smiling, telling me they got me red handed but would let me go with a propina. They said there were cameras on the sergeant 's car, so they had to turn their back to block it. I gave them 200 pesos; they balked. I added another 200 pesos; they were smiling broadly. They blocked traffic so I could pull out to the street. Damn. I was out 400 pesos. Another small cost to visit La Zona's chicas.
Looks like policia are patrolling Coahuila aggressively with reinforcing Marinas in face-saving operations after the botched arrest of El Chapo's son Olivia Guzman Lopez. Instead of taking Coahuila back to the border, I will Consitucion or Revolucion South to Benito Juarez where we saw no policia activities.