The Progress Report

Zetas, Gulf and Sinaloa cartels the most hit in the war of drugs in Mexico.

Since President Felipe Calderon declared war on drug trafficking in December 2006, just days after taking office, more than 22,700 people have died in different instances, almost 10,000 fewer than are handled Unofficially, according to a report classified as "confidential" which was distributed among the legislators who participated yesterday in a meeting with the security cabinet of the federal government.

Also it was highlighted that 2009 was the most violent year since Calderon launched a military offensive against drug cartels to 9,635 registered deaths.

The document also details that in the first quarter of drug violence it has cost the lives of 3,365 people and stresses that Ciudad Juárez is the most violent city in the country with 4,324 homicides so far in this administration.

According to the report, the state of Chihuahua, located north of the country has been the state most affected by drug-related violence with 6,757 murders so far in the six-year term of Calderon, Sinaloa and Guerrero followed with 3,136 and 1,826 homicides respectively.

At the same time according to data provided by the federal government, between December 2006 and March 2010 121,199 people have been detained with links to organized crime.

The Gulf cartel and the group of Los Zetas have registered the most arrests for drug trafficking. Both of these organizations accounted for 27% of the arrests, followed by the Pacific/Sinaloa cartel with 24% of the arrests.

The document was delivered late Monday to federal legislators during a private meeting held with members of the security cabinet, including the secretary of Interior, Fernando Gómez Mont, secretary of Defense, Guillermo Galván; secretary of the Navy, Francisco Saynez; secretary of Security Public, Genaro Garcia Luna, and Attorney General of the Republic, Arturo Chavez.

In this regard, the chairman of the Senate, Carlos Navarrete of the PRD, said in a radio interview that the issue presented at the meeting regarding the government combating gangs of organized crime gangs is bias. He went on to say that although the response was overwhelming "there is no strategy to make peace with some or fight others."

Calderon's offensive against organized crime and the drug cartels has forced the displacement of over 45,000 soldiers in the streets in different states to support the security work of civil authority. However, the presence of federal forces in the streets has not slowed down the violence. Evidence of this is the 3,365 murders so far this year.

According to the report in December 2006 there were 62 homicides, in 2007, 2,837. By 2008, murders shot up 6,844 and went up to 9,635 in 2009, which made 2009 the most violent year. From January 2010 to March 3,365 homicides have already been recorded.

Categories: organized crime, politics, president felipe calderon