Mexico prison riot leaves at least 23 dead »
By zef427 on Jan 21, 2010 in Homework | 0 Comments
A violent rivalry-based fight broke out in a Mexican prison this week, and at least 23 inmates were killed. This bloody outbreak took place in Durango, a northern state that witnesses a lot of drug related violence as it is the battleground for two competing cartels: the group led by Joaquin Guzman, the most powerful drug lord in Mexico, and the Zeta gang. More than 600 people died in separate outbreaks in Durango last year, and its violence is due to the area being part of the Golden Triangle, through which drugs are most trafficked.
A row of prison inmates stand before guards.
Mexican prisons are infamous for being overcrowded and not separating rival gang members, despite the danger it poses. Over 67,000 drug-related arrests have been made in the past 3 years, and the government is not able to keep up with the sudden influx of convicted criminals. Gangs often attempt to free their members from prisons, and are sometimes successful as the government is filled with corruption.
A guard stands in front of a Mexican prison.
This article brings to light how much the outburst of drug trafficking in the last three years has affected Mexico. The government seems to be making progress (recently, some major drug cartel leaders have been arrested or killed), but this story shows how hard it is for Mexico to overcome drug trafficking. The killing of the major drug lord Arturo Beltran-Leyva was seen as an opportunity (http://tinyurl.com/yl7nz8g) for the government to get a step up against traffickers, but news out of Mexico is somewhat limited as press rights are restricted there. Mexico’s democratic ambitions have been crushed by the drug war as their government is filled with corruption and their country is overrun with a drug war. As cartels grow stronger and more violent, schools close and police forces crumble. Mexico’s sovereignty is threatened by this situation, and even those progress is being made (http://tinyurl.com/yza88vz) people are still dying and the drug war is nowhere near under control.
http://tinyurl.com/y86p3zy
