Mexican Army troops cross into US to aid drug smugglers

[22WRF]

Source:
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
http://www.dailybulletin.com/

Police face Mexican military, smugglers
Armed standoff along U.S. border
http://tinyurl.com/2mchfd
By Sara A. Carter and Kenneth Todd Ruiz, Staff Writers

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Reporter Sara A. Carter MSNBC Video interview on Border incursion
http://lang.dailybulletin.com/projec..._interview.wmv

Mexican soldiers and civilian smugglers had an armed standoff with nearly 30 U.S. law enforcement officials on the Rio Grande in Texas Monday afternoon, according to Texas police and the FBI.

Mexican military Humvees were towing what appeared to be thousands of pounds of marijuana across the border into the United States, said Chief Deputy Mike Doyal, of the Hudspeth County Sheriff's Department.

Mexican Army troops had several mounted machine guns on the ground more than 200 yards inside the U.S. border -- near Neely's Crossing, about 50 miles east of El Paso -- when Border Patrol agents called for backup. Hudspeth County deputies and Texas Highway patrol officers arrived shortly afterward, Doyal said.

"It's been so bred into everyone not to start an international incident with Mexico that it's been going on for years," Doyal said. "When you're up against mounted machine guns, what can you do? Who wants to pull the trigger first? Certainly not us."

An FBI spokeswoman confirmed the incident happened at 2:15 p.m. Pacific Time.

"Bad guys in three vehicles ended up on the border," said Andrea Simmons, a spokeswoman with the FBI's El Paso office. "People with Humvees, who appeared to be with the Mexican Army, were involved with the three vehicles in getting them back across."

Simmons said the FBI was not involved and referred inquiries to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

ICE www.ice.gov/ did not return calls seeking comment.

Doyal said deputies captured one vehicle in the incident, a Cadillac Escalade reportedly stolen from El Paso, and found 1,477 pounds of marijuana inside. The Mexican soldiers set fire to one of the Humvees stuck in the river, he said.

Doyal's deputies faced a similar incident on Nov. 17, when agents from the Fort Hancock border patrol station in Texas called the sheriff's department for backup after confronting more than six fully armed men dressed in Mexican military uniforms. The men -- who were carrying machine guns and driving military vehicles -- were trying to bring more than three tons of marijuana across the Rio Grande, Doyal said.

Doyal said such incidents are common at Neely's Crossing, which is near Fort Hancock, Texas, and across from the Mexican state of Chihuahua.

"It happens quite often here," he said.

Deputies and border patrol agents are not equipped for combat, he added.

"Our government has to do something," he said. "It's not the immigrants coming over for jobs we're worried about. It's the smugglers, Mexican military and the national threat to our borders that we're worried about."

Citing a Jan. 15 story in the Daily Bulletin, Reps. David Dreier, R-Glendora, and Duncan Hunter, R-San Diego, last week asked the House Judiciary Committee, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, the House Homeland Security Committee and the House International Relations Committee to investigate the incursions. The story focused on a Department of Homeland Security document reporting 216 incursions by Mexican soldiers during the past 10 years and a map with the seal of the president's Office of National Drug Control Policy, both of which were given to the newspaper.

Requests by Dreier, chairman of the House Rules Committee, and Hunter were made in jointly signed letters.

On Wednesday, Chertoff played down the reports of border incursions by the Mexican military. He suggested many of the incursions could have been mistakes, blaming bad navigation by military personnel or attributing the incursions to criminals dressed in military garb.

Mexican officials last week denied any incursions made by their military.

But border agents interviewed over the past year have discussed confrontations those they believe to be Mexican military personnel.

"We're sitting ducks," said a border agent speaking on condition of anonymity. "The government has our hands tied."

- Sara A. Carter can be reached by e-mail at mailto:sara.carter@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 483-8552.

- Kenneth Todd Ruiz can be reached by e-mail at mailto:todd.ruiz@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 483-8555.

[358 winchester]

Sooner or later POW and the battle will be on all we need is for Hilary to be in office so she can send our troops to Mexico to help fight our Texas citizens

[Tom Militano]

There's a cure for all the drug smugglers and they come in various calibers.

[358 winchester]

30 caliber works best

[Pistolenschutze]

Originally Posted by Tom Militano

There's a cure for all the drug smugglers and they come in various calibers.

I couldn't have put it better myself, Tom! Personally, I think ol' Ma Deuce would work just fine.

[catfish83861]

Sorry Pistol, But I just have to disagree with you on this one. I believe that we should have stationed on ready alert at least four squadrons of Apaches fully armed and with a Green light to engage any foreign dressed individuals with weapons. (Two in Texas,1 in Arizona , 1 in California) This has to stop,we are not even close to being a secure nation with the borders so open. I guess maybe we should all just learn to speak Spanish and forget English. YA RIGHT, When Hell freezes over! You know, I would just make a bet that if they would authorize for some of the senior citizens that have some military experience (with full authority to do what was required) the problem would be solved in short order. catfish

[Marlin T]

Good one Cat, shoot EVERYONE that crosses illegally.

A very simple policy that will stop the tide of illegals, kind of like it would stop the problem dead in it's tracks.

[millwright]

Well, before we declare war agin' Mexico we'd better examine the intel...... I suspect the facts reported are true - to the extent the invaders wore Mexican military uniforms - but I also suspect their 'orders' originated somerwhere outside the Mexican military command structure. I.e. they're 'renegades' operating under the Mexican uniform, but in the pay of drug cartels.

All that being a given, however, the U.S. cannot tolerate an armed incursion of soverign territory - regardless of who's doing it. The answer, as expressed here, is lethal force used unremittingly and accurately. Yes, there will be some 'collateral damage' -which is a sanitary way of saying some of the bodies will be women and children and young males. That doesn't change the reality of the threat, nor should it change the nature of our response. We, the American public, just have to have the guts to recognize the reality of the threat and the justification of the needful response. >MW

[catfish83861]

Now here I go again, running my mouth but I normally try to back up what I say. We as Americans are allowing a huge amount of drugs across our borders. Yes, we as Americans pay money for those drugs. Some say solve the drug problem and there would be no drug trafficking. I say make the punishment so severe for trafficking in drugs that it is no longer a profitable venture. We have all saw one or more friend or at least close acquaintance that became drug dependant. I truly believe that an individual that is bringing large amounts of narcotics into our country should be eligible at the minimum for a mandatory 25 years to life. When they get out (if they do) and are caught again then a mandatory life sentence should be required. Now before I get strung up for my beliefs, think about this:
1) You take a gun and kill someone - that can make you eligible for the death penalty.
2) You get a teenager hooked on Meth or Cocaine - 1st conviction,probably probation. WHY SO LITTLE?

Just how much money can an individual make selling Marijuana. According to some accounts it can be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars in a year. Just how many dreams do you kill with that money? I submit that by killing those dreams,you are in fact killing those individuals. Now if you know that if you get caught you loose all your personal property and your freedom for 25 years, Maybe just maybe you would think about it. Then if you go ahead and smuggle drugs into my country-enjoy your stay in a real jail,not a country club. Sorry about the rant here but you can tell that I am pretty much anti dope. Period. So in actuality you can take to the bank, I would support the death penalty for drug smugglers. Just my opinion. catfish

[glocknut]

And Bush probably still thinks the minute men are still "vigilantes"....

mike
gn

[358 winchester]

So in actuality you can take to the bank, I would support the death penalty for drug smugglers. Just my opinion. catfish

Me too
Hang them on Saturday in the Town square and cut them down on Monday!
Let all the folks see them over the week end and I will bet you some of them younger kids would look for a different line of work. But then I am a little different, They tell me

[Pistolenschutze]

Originally Posted by catfish83861

I would support the death penalty for drug smugglers. Just my opinion. catfish

It's my opinion as well, Cat, assuming we don't get them all first with those Apaches you mentioned.

Crossing of a nation's border by any armed entity has always been considered as a legitimate causus belli (cause of war) under international law. I'll bet you dollars to donuts though, that this incident will be hushed up and allowed to die away. Nothing will be done by the Bush government.

[Bruce FLinch]

Gee, why didn't we see this on the National News?

So if the bad guys were troops of Mexico or impersonators. We engage them on our soil. What has Mexicao got to complain about? Obviously in the name of Law Enforcement, they couldn't really complain. Either they were supporting an illegal act or we were helping to rid their country of "bad' people.

I still think the US should employ & outfit retired Military folks to play "Protect the Border". The only rule is : Legal people only get to come across at the proper place.

Yep, smugglers & distributors of dope should be dealt with harshly.

[Nighthawk]

Originally Posted by Bruce FLinch

Gee, why didn't we see this on the National News?

So if the bad guys were troops of Mexico or impersonators. We engage them on our soil. What has Mexicao got to complain about? Obviously in the name of Law Enforcement, they couldn't really complain. Either they were supporting an illegal act or we were helping to rid their country of "bad' people.

Mexico still considers large portion of USA as theirs and we don't have enough sense to realize their still fighting a war.

[dcd_enterprises]

This is unbelievable. What is it going to take to wake this country up to the real and present threat of alien invasion!?

[delta13soultaker]

If the Mexican Army can be bought to smuggle weed over the border....

they could be bought to smuggle a chemical or biological weapon over too!!!

Gee...if I thought of that I wonder how many extremists have thought of it?


Boycott Mexican Weed! Buy American!

[Tom Militano]

Screw 'um. If they try to cross our borders illegally, with or without drugs, bust a cap in them. Problem solved. I volunteer for duty. Another option would be for Ted Kennedy to drive them home like he did at Chappaquiddick Island.

[catfish83861]

Originally Posted by delta13soultaker

If the Mexican Army can be bought to smuggle weed over the border....

they could be bought to smuggle a chemical or biological weapon over too!!!

Gee...if I thought of that I wonder how many extremists have thought of it?


Boycott Mexican Weed! Buy American!

DELTA SHAME ON YOU! Suggesting we only buy weed grown here in the good old USA. Just how would those Columbian drug lords have their million dollar jets and be able to but the islands they so richly desire? Oh well heck, it would give our "Navy" jest more targets when we needed some target practice, Oh maybe we should leave the target practice to the Army and the Marine Corps. They probably need it more than Navy pilots do. ducking as I leave. I'm out of here. catfish

[BobMcG]

This sure has a familiar ring to it... when did this occur?

[DAIRISHMAN85]

HELLO ALL. IM CURRENTLY CALLING ALL THE NEWS AGENCIES HERE IN ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO. DONT KNOW IF IT WILL DO MUCH GOOD BUT IF A UNITED STATES CITIZEN IS NOT THOROUGHLY P.O'D BY THIS THEN THEY SHOULD BE SENT TO MEXICO AND BE LOADED UP WITH MONTEZUMAS RAGE. AND YES, BY LIVING HERE PERSONALLY I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT BOTH THE INDIANS HERE AND THE MEXICANS BELIEVE THAT THIS IS STILL THEIR TERRITORY.

[DAIRISHMAN85]

UPDATE. NEW MEXICO STATE REPRESENTATIVE GAIL CHASEY ( 505-266-5191) HAS BEEN CONTACTED AND WILL INVESTIGATE. SHE SAYS SHE HAD NOT HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT THESE INCURSIONS. IF YOU HAVE ANY INFO PLEASE CONTACT HER.

[berto64]

Irish,

I'm originally from Carlsbad and lived in S. AZ for 30 yrs. before retiring to Idaho.

Mexican military aiding smugglers is nothing new, Mex military being the smugglers is not new.

I remember in the 60's living in Carlsbad hearing about the goins on at the border but it didn't make the paper that often if at all and nobody showed any real concern over it in those days.

It's been going on in AZ for 50 yrs. Just not talked about until the last few yrs. when patriotic Americans found their spines and started act like true American.

My grandparents went thru Ellis Island in 1922, LEGALLY.

My dad, my older brother and I are all veterans of the US Army. I am rated at 100% disability after three tours in Asia.

I am sorely upset about the condition my government has allowed this nation to fall into.

Gun towers every 500 metres along the border fence armed with M2's and a platoon at each for security upon their recall from foreign soil.

Our servants in congress need to grow a pair and quit giving away MY (OUR) COUNTRY.

[obxned]

We have two problems her. First of all, prohabition of any knid never works. It just makes crimminals very wealthy. Secondly, it is not PC to suggest that we secure our borders in any meaningful way. There are just too few of us that understand the size of the problem.