Scariness South of the Border

I've written before about the potential "Failed State in Our Own Backyard," but a recent memo put out by retired Four-Star General, former U.S. Drug Czar, and former Gulf War commander Barry McCaffrey, following a visit to Mexico, is a real eye-opener.

In McCaffrey's view, "drug-related violence in Mexico is as severe as terror-related violence in Afghanistan and [he] calls on the new Administration to urgently focus on the growing security threat to the U.S. southern border."

Here is a brief but scary snippet from the write-up, entitled "After Action Report - Mexico":

5. THE PROBLEM IS DRUGS:

A. Mexico is on the edge of the abyss---it could become a narco-state in the coming decade. Chronic drug consumption has doubled since 2002 to 500,000 addicts. Possibly 5% or 3.5 million people consume illegal drugs. (the US figure is 8.3% or 20.4 million). Since 2002--- past month Mexican national drug consumption has increased by 30% and cocaine use has doubled. The fastest growing addiction rates are among the 12 to 17 year old population -- and the consumption rates among women have doubled.

B. Drug criminal behavior is the central threat to the state. Mexico probably produces 8 metric tons of heroin a year and 10,000 metric tons of marijuana. 90% of all US cocaine transits Mexico. Mexico is also the dominant source of methamphetamine production for the US market. The drug cartels have criminal earnings in excess of $25 billion per year ---and physically repatriate more than $10 billion a year in bulk cash back into Mexico from the US.

C. The bottom line--- nearly 7000 people murdered in the internal drug wars since 2006--- 3,985 murdered this year alone through 25 November. The outgunned Mexican law enforcement authorities face armed criminal attacks from platoon-sized units employing night vision goggles, electronic intercept collection, encrypted communications, fairly sophisticated information operations, sea-going submersibles, helicopters and modern transport aviation, automatic weapons, RPG’s, Anti-Tank 66 mm rockets, mines and booby traps, heavy machine guns, 50 cal sniper rifles, massive use of military hand grenades, and the most modern models of 40mm grenade machine guns.

To read the rest, click here.

Comments

[ArtE]

One of these days, we'll all pull our collective heads out of the sand, ignore the howls of police, lawyers, prison guard unions, prison construction industry, prison logistics providers, parole officers, conservative activists, law and order types, and everyone else and simply make all this stuff legal and taxable at the "state drug store".

The state will buy direct from the growers in other countries or we could even fire up our own national industry and grow/refine it here. Bring some jobs back. I'm sure that Altria and those fine folks know exactly how to get this whole industry up and running at warp speed. The profits and tax revenue would be massive. Make it dirt cheap, high quality, and taxed and drive out all the national and international drug gangs. In many Latino areas, the Mexican Mafia runs an overlay government taxing drug dealers. I think I want Governor Schwarzeneggar to collect those takes and get Cali back into the black.

You'd let out many folks from prison or at least they would go up for property crimes instead of drug crimes. Maybe instead of money leaving the country via laundered wire transfer, it could go out as addiction recovery help, education funding, paying underfunded state/local pensions, and contracted employee union pay increases?

Too bad our governing leaders can't think this through...

[weinerdog43]

ArtE is of course, correct. Not only would the taxation of drugs reduce crime, it would be an additional source of revenue instead of a drain on revenue.

[thedude]

How about we get a "History Czar" or at least get Barry McCaffrey to watch "The Untouchables". Then he can reflect on the historic 21st amendment to the US Constitution which reflects the only time that a constitutional amendment has ever been repealed (that being the 18th - alcohol prohibition).