July 2, 2010

Greater Threat: KGB or Cartel Spies?

Naturally a cartel hit-man must be treated with a heavy filter. Jesus Ernesto Chavez claims that Lesley Enriquez, a US embassy employee murdered in Juarez, Mexico last March, was no innocent by-stander. US officials ignore his confession that she somehow helped a rival gang obtain US visas. Enriquez reportedly worked a position uninvolved with the process.

Says the AP
, “A U.S. federal official familiar with the investigation said Friday that after the killings, U.S. officials investigated possible corruption involving Enriquez and found none.”

Without being too conspiratorial, this is exactly what US officials would say if a cartel had in fact infiltrated the consulate. Analyzing spy-craft and infiltration demands abnormal skepticism, and in the wake of a Russian spy-ring why would Mexican moles be any different? Government infiltration is one of the cartels’ specialties, it allows them to thrive.

They have a greater need than Russia.

Maybe Enriquez has no connection to any cartel. Chavez has a dozen reasons to lie - but so do US officials. And if not Enriquez why not someone and somewhere else? The cartels have so much money they don’t know what to do with it. While the US government and security forces are harder to turn than their Mexican counterparts, believing America is inscrutably impenetrable would be an arrogant defensive lapse.

As President Barack Obama stalls on immigration reform and the cartels continue operating at will, albeit ran by a younger, lesser skilled cadre, no signs suggest the Drug War ravaging the Americas will improve in the near and mid future. The long term outcome won’t be any brighter without the proper political and social response centered on economic programs and public health.

And opportunities for infiltration will persist.

No comments:

Post a Comment