tagged w/ Mexican cartel
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In this exclusive clip from the upcoming three-part Vanguard special, "War On the Border," correspondent Adam Yamaguchi embeds with an elite task force that targets Mexican drug trafficking organizations growing marijuana in the United States.
California has become one of the leading producers of marijuana in the world -- most of it produced by Mexican drug trafficking organizations. And the proceeds from marijuana have become the cash cow for traffickers, generating greater profits than cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin combined.
In the second part of "War On the Border," Adam Yamaguchi embeds with a task force working to take down Mexican drug trafficking organizations operating in the US.
"War On the Border" premieres on Current TV on Monday, November 15 at 9/8c.
"Vanguard," airing weekly on Current TV Mondays at 9/8c, is a no-limits documentary series whose award-winning correspondents put themselves in extraordinary situations to immerse viewers in global issues that have a large social significance. Unlike sound-bite driven reporting, the show's correspondents, Adam Yamaguchi, Kaj Larsen, Christof Putzel and Mariana van Zeller, serve as trusted guides who take viewers on in-depth real life adventures in pursuit of some of the world's most important stories.
For more, go to http://current.com/vanguard.In this exclusive clip from the upcoming three-part Vanguard special, "War On the... more
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The rival cartels battling for control of Mexico's multibillion-dollar narcotics trade are as notorious for their consumption of drugs as their use of extreme violence. But the fastest-growing faction in the country's bloody drug wars is a quasi-religious sect that celebrates family values and keeps its members teetotal.
According to a steady leak of intelligence documents to the Mexican press, La Familia recruits members from rehab clinics and forbids them from drink and drugs. Advancement within the organisation depends as much on regular attendance at prayer meetings as on target practice.
The cartel's leader, known as El Mas Loco, the Maddest One, preaches his organisation's divine right to eliminate enemies and insists the group only traffic drugs outside their home territory. According to local press reports, he carries a "bible" of his own sayings and insists that his army of traffickers and hitmen avoid the narcotics they sell.
"La Familia uses religion as a way of forcing cohesion among its members," said Raúl Benítez, an expert on Mexican trafficking organisations. "They are building a new kind of disciplined army that we have never seen here before. It makes them more dangerous."
The first hints that something unusual was afoot came in November 2006 with the appearance of a newspaper advert in which La Familia formally announced its existence.
"Some of our strategies are sometimes strong but this is the only way to impose order for the good of the people," the advert said. "Maybe some people won't understand at first, but they will."
From trading in cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine, La Familia has diversified into kidnapping, armed robbery and counterfeiting. It is also alleged to have financed and supported dozens of local politicians. Once a local partner of the powerful Gulf cartel, La Familia is now considered one of the country's five largest trafficking organisationsThe rival cartels battling for control of Mexico's multibillion-dollar narcotics... more
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