As reported by the Mexican press, 72 migrants (from Central and South America) were found dead in a ranch in Tamaulipas, courtesy of Los Zetas (El Universal and Proceso). In addition to the massacre in Tamaulipas, Los Zetas have also been implicated in the kidnapping and murder of Mayor Edelmiro Cavasos Leal (Noticieros Televisa).
What could Los Zetas possibly gain from both tragedies?
The answer is very simple, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist or an expert criminologist to figure them out: They don’t gain or lose anything and it’s obvious that they couldn’t care less about it.
Mayor Cavasos Leal, from Santiago, Nuevo Leon, was simply doing his job (something most politicians in Mexico don’t do), he chastised local police officers and cut their salary, unfortunately, what the mayor did not know is that these officers were also working for Los Zetas. So they kidnapped an innocent man, who clearly had an enormous amount of potential and whose presence would have contributed to a brighter future for Mexico (given the fact that he refused to get involved with any criminal organization), and executed him. The citizens in Santiago are right to be upset and disturbed by what happened and they deserve answers from the Mexican government.
What could they gain from such a careless and senseless act? Once again, nothing! What we undoubtedly know is that they are extremely brazen, malicious, and they couldn’t care less about the consequences.
I read on the Examiner, as they were reporting the massacre in Tamaulipas, the following: “The Zetas are especially dangerous considering they were founded by highly trained assassins who deserted the Mexican army.” Although, Los Zetas were founded by highly trained ex-federal officers (who were corrupt to begin with), the majority of the original members are either dead or currently incarcerated. So, what Los Zetas is presently composed of are younger men (new recruits), armed to kill (their craft), moreover, they are extremely violent and unpredictable. Their policy appears to be: “Kill first and ask questions later.”
The main issue is that they are not financially sustained by any of the drug cartels, so they have to supplement their income somehow and that’s what they are doing. Thus, instead of attacking and targeting their opponents (drug cartels), they are going after the general public (Mexican citizens), which for them is easy prey.
I believe I read somewhere, a couple of months ago, about the federal police raiding a Zetas camp site; however, they were unable to apprehend anyone. During the raid, they found apparel with the Zetas logo and a disturbing amount of firearms and grenades, it’s very clear that the government is not doing everything they can to apprehend them. Additionally, I’ve also noticed that they don’t care about the media coverage, because the more fear they instill in Mexican citizens, the better. In the mean time, I can only imagine that other lifeless bodies will be found and the kidnappings will continue.
How many more bodies need to be found before the idle Mexican government does anything substantial about this?
And by substantial, I mean successfully arresting them, not just attempting to.
Sources: El Universal, Proceso, Noticieros Televisa, The Examiner, and The Associated Press.
Picture: El Universal/AP
