Drug cartels 'gaining ground' in drug war
Published: June 2, 2010 at 6:51 PM


PHOENIX, June 2 (UPI) -- Mexican drug traffickers using Guatemalan ammunition and muscle to intimidate weak police forces are "gaining ground," Guatemalan pro-democracy advocates say.

Mexican drug cartels have begun recruiting Guatemalans and training them in camps in Guatemala and Mexico, where they have carved out "safe zones" beyond the reach of authorities in either country, The Arizona Republic reported Wednesday.

Despite a U.S.-backed crackdown on the cartels that began in 2006, the new developments show a majorp shift in drug-smuggling operations, said Helen Mack, president of the Myrna Mack Foundation, a group that studies crime issues and promotes democracy in Guatemala.

"The Mexicans are gaining ground here, and the police can't stop them," Mack said.

"There's been so much focus on the U.S.-Mexico border that people forget about the back door," said Fred Burton, vice president of Stratfor, a global intelligence firm based in Austin, Texas.

"Entire regions of Guatemala are now essentially under the control of (drug-trafficking organizations), the most visible of which is the Mexican group known as the 'Zetas,'" a U.S. State Department report said in March.

Street gangs in Guatemala that once used homemade weapons are now equipped with assault rifles provided by Mexican cartels, Mack said.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/06/ ... 275519094/