Mexican gang leader offers drug war truce
source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/16/mexico-drug-war-gang-truce
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- bansheewail
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Man claiming to be head of La Familia gang blamed for police murders tells TV show his group wants 'peace and tranquility'.
The alleged leader of a notorious drug-trafficking gang in Mexico has offered a truce in the country's brutal drug wars during a telephone call to a television show.
The offer , swiftly rejected by the government, was made by a man who identified himself as Servando "La Tuta" Gomez. He is the leader of La Familia, a cartel blamed for a wave of recent attacks, including the torture and shooting of 12 police officers found earlier this week.
In a call to a local TV show in the western state of Michoacán he said his gang was only responding to attacks by police. "What we want is peace and tranquillity. We want to achieve a national pact.
"We want the president, Felipe Calderón, to know that we are not his enemies, that we value him, that we are conscientious people."
The Mexican government, which launched a war on drug cartels in December 2006, rejected the offer.
The interior minister, Fernando Gomez Mont, said: "The federal government does not ever dialogue, does not negotiate, does not reach deals with any criminal organisation. There is no other alternative for their members but to submit to the law."
The government would not comment on whether the call was genuine.
Police have charged eight mayors in Michoacán for helping La Familia, and have arrested some leading figures in the cartel and their relatives.
....more at link....
The alleged leader of a notorious drug-trafficking gang in Mexico has offered a truce in the country's brutal drug wars during a telephone call to a television show.
The offer , swiftly rejected by the government, was made by a man who identified himself as Servando "La Tuta" Gomez. He is the leader of La Familia, a cartel blamed for a wave of recent attacks, including the torture and shooting of 12 police officers found earlier this week.
In a call to a local TV show in the western state of Michoacán he said his gang was only responding to attacks by police. "What we want is peace and tranquillity. We want to achieve a national pact.
"We want the president, Felipe Calderón, to know that we are not his enemies, that we value him, that we are conscientious people."
The Mexican government, which launched a war on drug cartels in December 2006, rejected the offer.
The interior minister, Fernando Gomez Mont, said: "The federal government does not ever dialogue, does not negotiate, does not reach deals with any criminal organisation. There is no other alternative for their members but to submit to the law."
The government would not comment on whether the call was genuine.
Police have charged eight mayors in Michoacán for helping La Familia, and have arrested some leading figures in the cartel and their relatives.
....more at link....
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heatherpierce
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I wonder if (and I hope for everyone's sake) that this is an early sign of fatigue on the part of the war on drugs.
if we have a gang leader calling for a truce, perhaps the business can turn legitimate with legalization and coercion can come from law enforcement instead of gangs (though the former is not free of corruption by any means).
- 2 years ago
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heatherpierce
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afitzgerald
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I wonder if (and I hope for Mexico's sake) this is an early sign of fatigue on the part of the drug gangs.
- 2 years ago
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afitzgerald
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corylol
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although yes, they should be obiding by the law, wouldnt it just of been clever politics for the Mexican goverment, to go into talks with "La Tuta" and negotiate a deal?
- 2 years ago
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corylol
