Book Review:

Gutiérrez C., Alejandro. 2007.

Narcotráfico: El gran desafío de Calderón.
México, D.F. México: Editorial Planeta Mexicana, S.A. de C.V.
464 pages, Spanish
Reviewed by James Creechan (Ph.D.), Toronto Ontario Canada
A broad review and comment about a comprehensive book (Spanish language)
describing the serious threat that cartels pose to Mexico and the world. The
author situates the political and international context of cartel activity, but is
particularly insightful in describing threats to human rights and democratic
advance in Mexico. It's uncertain whether Felipe Calderon will win his war
against drugs, and Alejandro Gutiérrez C. outlines a comprehensive overview of
what he called greatest threat to Felipe Calderon's sexenial. Given the events of
2008, this book can now be judged to be powerfully prescient about the war on
drugs.
Alejandro Gutiérrez is a journalist for the weekly
magazine Proceso (http://www.procesco.com.mx)
and previously published a book describing the
politics of Energy in Mexico. This book represents
an important contribution to a growing set of
documents and reports that are fearlessly
addressing serious problems related to narco-traffic
and narco-violence in Mexico. Proceso magazine
has gathered an impressive team of investigative
journalists whose collective works are certainly
inspired by a tradition of courageous journalism of
the deceased Jesus Blancocornelas who was the
driving force of Seminario Zeta in Baja California,
Mexico (Tijuana, Mexicali).
The material in this 2007 book represents a
comprehensive and frightening overview of narco-
traffic in Mexico. Reliable intelligence reports from the United States report that
90% of all cocaine entering the US "bounces" through Mexico, and also indicates
a surge in the importation of marijuana and synthetic drugs from Mexico after
2001. The drug market was estimated to be worth $30 billion at the turn of the
millenium, and may now be as large as $70 billion dollars due to rising prices and
increased shipments of synthetic drugs. Multiply those estimates by a factor of 2
to 3, and one can generate an estimated cost associated with policing and
controlling the illegal drug market centered in Mexico. The money involved is no
small chunk of change, and is capable of distorting the global economy through
money laundering and corruption— a fact that became increasingly evident to the
United States and other European governments during 2009


 
  











 

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Violence in Mexico
Violence continued to escalate and reached levels more typical of war zones
than homicide rates typical of modern civil society: newspapers provide the only
reliable source of information about narcoviolence, and Reforma (Mexico City)
identified almost 2700 narcoexecutions during 2007. After the publication of this
book, the numbers virtually tripled in 2008 and reached the unimaginable total of
6700+ drug related deaths. These numbers are disturbing in their magnitude but
are even more horrifying examined against a forensic context : many were
preceeded by torture that was videotaped and posted online as warnings to other
cartels and to the government; the executions were rarely committed with
handguns —and most often carried out with heavy weaponry such as AK-47's or
even bazookas; and the most recent and disturbing trend involved beheading
and mutilation of the victims. Recent figures indicate that at least 245 beheadings
have taken place since the beginning of Felipe Calderon’s presidency. Even so,
the visible toll of violence is an under-representation of the overall scale because
it doesn't include bodies that are never found after a form of kidnapping known as
a " levantón" in Mexico.

Overview of Book
This book is a comprehensive overview of the total impact of drugs in Mexico and
describes the serious and intense threat that it represents to the Mexican State
and its ongoing lurch toward democratic and political reform— especially in terms
of how crime and violence affects Human Rights. The cover of this book includes
a Spanish "abstract and summary" of the themes and content, and this is an
accurate and relevant summary of the contents. My translation of the publisher
abstract follows:
"The rules that have been operating in Mexico with respect to narcotraffic have
radically changed. Clandestine wars of the past have become public battles. In
this bloody battle for power and territory (plaza), the protagonists described in
this book are relying on never before seen strategies that foster fear and social
terror in their methods of settling accounts (ajusticimientos). Narcotics
challenges presidential power and the army equally. The result: violence without
limits that threatens, as never before, the stability of the country.
Narcotráfico: El gran desafío de Calderón is a journalistic work that pulls together
the pieces of puzzling events that have previously been presented in detached
pieces of information in the media. Beginning with the political transition of 2000
and covering the appointment of the current cabinet, and paying specific
attention to the most recent executions in Guerrero and emerging political
scandals, Gutiérrez unveils many historical plots and a related bloody and
frightening history that allows the reader to appreciate the overall reality that is
undermining the foundations of society— and which has begun to shift the terms
for control of the state."


 
  











 

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Personal Observations
Felipe Calderón Hinojosa initiated a radically different strategy in a new battle
against cartels almost immediately after his controversial election victory over
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Those strategies were almost immediately
followed by an escalation of violence, generated accusations that he was too
eager to sacrifice Human Rights in deploying the army for law enforcement, and
made him a vulnerable target for nationalist critics who believe he was
Americanizing or Colobianizing Mexico in exchange for American support and
praise. But most frightenly, —he unleashed an unholy war of terror where all
cartels felt cornered, lacking maneuverability and without traditional options to
negotiate with a Mexican Federal government. The cartels fought back and
targeting government ministers, officials and even innocent bystanders in a
strategy to erode public confidence and return to older ways of negotiating
power.
Felipe Calderón is not the first president to employ the army in a war against
drugs or in battles to control cartels. But unlike earlier Presidents—most recently
and notably Vicente Fox Quesada— Calderón-Hinojosa is not content to "cherry
pick" sacrificial lamb cartels while permitting others (most notably the
Juarez/Sinaloa/Federation cartel) to operate almost untouched.

The reason for Calderon's action? — a bloody internal" adjustment of accounts"

and " battles for plaza (turf)" resulted in a major escalation in hostilities between
the Golf Cartel (Osiel Cardenas and later Los Zetas) and the Federation
(Sinaloa/Juarez/Arrellano Felixgroup of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera). The battles
between these powerful dark forces turned Guerrero, Vera Cruz, Michoacan and
other states in central Mexico proxy battlefields, and resulted in a horrendous
upsurge in violent events in Acapulco and Zihuatenejo due to their strategic
location along an important Pacific drug route.
Long time observers of cartels and Mexican governments described a form of
"symbiotic" relationship where corruption and drug violence were linked together
in a delicate balance. (e.g. political observer Jorge Chabat at
http://www.eluniversal.com.mx) Governments traditionally allowed some cartels
to prosper because those cartels were quite willing to funnel millions of dollars
back to officials in various institutions charged with controlling crime and drug
flows. Corruption was an outlet that kept violence in check, and drug movements
were permitted to flow at "tolerable" levels because they were sanctioned
government intervention, "mediation" and a form of regulatory balancing of power
between the cartels. Periodically — about every 10 years — it became necessary
to "selectively suppress" cartels that had become disruptive forces in this
balancing act, and some cartels or their leaders were identified as "loose
cannons" when they had became too powerful or too blatantly violent in their
activities. Not intervening would unnecessarily irritate the United States and
threaten the arrangement for everyone.
Vicente Fox took office during a period when one of those major "disruptions"
distorted the equilibrium among cartels, and this is where Gutiérrez begins his


 
  











 

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overview of Narcotraffic in Mexico. The Federation and the Gulf cartel were
arguing over the "plaza" in the State of Tamaulipas in the northeast, and the
border cities such as Matamoros and Nuevo Laredo became a major
confrontational points. There were two other internal battles festering, one on the
far west where the forces of the Sinaloa Federation were engaged in a bloody
battle for turf with the Arellano-Felix family, and another in Juarez where the
same Federation forces were becoming increasingly disenchanted with the
remnants of Amado Carrillo-Fuente’s domain now headed by his brother Vicente
(El Viceroy) Carrillo-Fuente.
Even though the Federation was apparently stirrung up the pot on three fronts,
President Fox selectively employed the army and federal authorities to target the
Gulf cartel. It’s capo, Osiel Cardenas Guillen (with the frightening nickname of
‘Friend-Killer’) responded by establishing a "paramilitary" force of ex-army
deserters who were highly skilled in counter-insurgency techniques and who had
access to powerful military ordnance smuggled in from the US and deep-water
ports on the Gulf of Mexico. This paramilitary group now headed by Heriberto
Lazcano was named Los Zetas and it unleashed an unholy war of terror on the
Federation of Chapo Guzman, El Mayo Zambada and El Azul Esparraza
Moreno— forcing the Federation/Sinaloa to fight back by creating at least two
teams of their own sicarios (hitmen) who captured Zetas and executed them
under the leadership of Hector " El Guero" Palma and the Beltran-Leyva
brothers.
When Felipe Calderon assumed office in 2006, he was faced with the unpleasant
dilemma of either negotiating a peace between the cartels or attacking all
unselectively with equal zeal. He chose the latter strategy, and the bloody
consequences have been evident since his choice was made in 2006.
Gutiérrez presents a description and analysis of those complicated events and
identifies key players in the government, the army and in cartels. He also
presents a compelling interpretation of the high stakes in this bloody war of
readjustment among the cartels and the Mexican government. His analysis of the
importance of Nuevo Laredo for both the North American Free Trade Agreement
and for the cartels is an especially frightening example that can only lead to a
conclusion that drug-trafficking and cartel violence represents an unintended
consequence and cost of doing business after the southern US border was
opened up to massive levels of international trade. Building a wall to keep out
immigrants will do nothing to control this larger and more dangerous threat to civil
life. Gutierrez reports that 40% of all trade moving between North and South
America transits the Laredo/Nuevo Laredo border. Not only is this the focal port
for trade and international exchanges, it has become the key port of entry for
drugs into the US and for illegal arms and money movement back into Mexico.
Alejandro Gutierrez provides horrific details that provide a "hueso y carne/meat
bones" on the personal impact of narcoviolence. A notorious DVD documenting
the torture and eventual murder of 4 Zeta mercenaries was mailed to Dallas
newspapers and posted temporarily on YouTube.com. (still available on some
alternative video sites). Gutierrez provides the details of that horrific incident and


 
  











 

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locates it within a broader context of political events, personal motivations,
horrifying brutality and international events.
Gutierrez had access to information and resources seen by few others. Unlike
most, he has not shied away from telling this horrific story and has done a
marvellous job of pulling pieces of information together in a way that raises
chilling questions about the future of civil society in Mexico and the threat it
represents for neoliberal models of economic development.
Original review was written in October 2008, and modified on April 1, 2009


 
  











 

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