Recent Violence in TJ

[Pompal 09.]

No worries amigomيo, Amigomio.

 

[Freddy H]

Super... am sorry my post came out a little agresive.
I was watching Packers Vs. Giants... and pissed of by the way things were turning out.

Sorry about that.... I get the point of view and I apologize for my agresive rethoric.

 

[imyour101]

Con todo respeto Amigomio, I understand. The locals only clubs in NLBT have not suffered at all. It is the clubs that cater to both the local and gringo that have had problems since the violence in Mexico happened. The working class Mexicans cannot afford $80+ chicas. But I have noticed lately, more and more locals filling the seats in the upper end places.

The crown jewel of NLBT is Danash and I'm often the only gringo in there. If the US-Mexico border was sealed tomorrow, there would be some severe economic problems in the border towns, but I think the boystowns Tamaulipas, Coahuila or Zona Norte in Tijuana wouldn't suffer a bit.



I've never claimed to be an expert on the narcotraficantes and the border. My comments were about Nuevo Laredo specifically, I'm aware of the gangster style shootout at the casino and the cops getting killed in Reynosa. I also never claimed that Nuevo Laredo was "safe". When you have tons of dope going over those bridges and billions of dollars at stake, there will be violence. The billions the US is giving Mexico along with Mexico's own money pales in comparison to amount of dope coming into the US.

The US media (Dallas Morning News) is saying that Calderon is going on the offensive against the Zetas and that is why the military is back on the border. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...thwest/stories/011008dnintborder.2c86d9b.html

I think Calderon's offensive will lead to the arrest of several Zetas, but there will be more where they came from. I also think that many more police and military will get killed. And yes, innocent bystanders as well. There is too much money in drug trafficking to stop it. Building the border fence won't stop it. There are tons of people in Mexico that will be soldiers for the Gulf Cartel. There are US Customs Agents on the payroll happy to allow the train car and semi-truck full of dope into the country. The only way to stop it is to to stop the demand. And that isn't going to happen either.

 

[whatever]

Supergato, remember that the core of the customers giving life to the Zonas are the locals, not Americans... Americans only tend the girls since they cut straight to the chase, locals consume and leave money in the clubs...

It is an awkaward balance, but critical... remember that we have discussed this elsewhere.
This balance has been broken in NLBT and that is why the Zona is going down with the clubs closing and others changing to higher end SCs that will atract customers with more money....
.... and not only money, but giving the customer the idea that they will be safe from hassel.

And Supergato, with all due respect, you are very wrong on what is going on in Nuevo Laredo: the Zetas have Nuevo Laredo in the old gangster style of extorting money from individual business and even trying to get a hold of the gambling business, like the Caliente sports book owned by Jorge Hank.
Being him a force to reckon, he refused to yield, starting a new front in the narc war.
Narcs bullet riddled in June one of his Calientes in Saltillo, Coahulia, killing an 18 year old girl and started a persecussion of Zetas all over the North...

Back in May, more or less, give or take, in 15 days, around 50 followers were killed, including the ones killed in the wild chase that happened in Cananea, Sonora where casualties were savage, including civilians.

The reason the elite army force were sent to Nuevo Laredo is simply becasue it is far distant from being "safe".
Goverment is trying to wrench control of the border points in Tamaulipas from the Cartel del Golfo.

Just a couple of days ago there was also a big shoot out at Reynosa after a bloody one happened at Rio Bravo.

Here are the links to pictures:

http://www.freedomgalleries.com/lafronteratx/main.php?g2_itemId=2055

and the article in Reynosa:

http://www.lafronteratx.com/articles/reynosa_16271___article.html/heridos_cuerpo.html

At one point the tide might change, but right now it's on the bad guys side.


and this is what happend in May in Cananea and Arizpe in Sonora:

http://www.expreso.com.mx/PortalNovo/sitio/interiores.php?s=vernota&id=83086&cod_canal=283

(the newspaper quotes the date as today... but it is due to the search engine)

 

[Natalie L]

What is happening in TJ right now is similar to what is happened in Nuevo Laredo in the past. The big difference was a lot of the violence was gang vs gang over turf and the poor people of NL were caught in the middle. The police were corrupt (they didn't bother with gringo tourist, instead would take bribes from the narcotraficantes which paid quite better than their $10/day salary]. When then president Fox brought in the federal troops, there would be police/army shootouts like this in broad daylight. There is still violence but it is pretty isolated to those wronging someone in the drug trade. However, Nuevo Laredo has not fully recovered from the bad press. El centro would have many bars and clubs open all night (it was no Revolucion, but it did attract many partiers) as well as many farmacias serving busloads of senior citizens getting required medicines at much lower prices. That is mostly gone now and most of the places are closed around sundown. So in a way, the US media's ignoring the story in Tijuana is probably better for TJ in the long run.

Even during the worst of times, the violence did not spread to the Boystown area and I suspect whatever happens in TJ will not come to Zona Norte. I think the only thing that one would notice is fewer gringos in the zona. Nuevo Laredo boystown still doesn't get the gringos it used to (more panocha for me...) Even though some of the main clubs in the boystown is allegedly owned by elements of the Gulf Cartel, the club itself was safe -- the manager and his wife was assassinated at his house. The two bars stayed closed for a few weeks. The main bar re-opened with a new manager. The other bar didn't reopen but that is more economic: Boystown can't support another bar because fewer people are coming to town.

However, prolonged violence can bring few gringo mongers to the zona and may impact the quality and quantity of chicas in the clubs. Fewer choices in girls will make a few more gringos stay home. TJ is the a much larger city and has a lot more locals to keep it alive. However, you have to be really really high on the product the narcotraficantes are fighting each other and the police to deliver to think prices will go down in the zona. The price structure will remain the same.

I was in Nuevo Laredo this weekend and the Mexican army is in town as part of Calderon's offensive against the Zetas. Heavily armed soldiers in humvee jeeps with mounted rifles great you as you get across the bridge. There is no violence and none of the federale and military check points in the town like when things were worse. Boystown was great with lots of girls and they were happy to see lots of paying customers (mostly Mexican locals, some of which probably attached to the narcotraficantes since they were throwing down more money on the girl drinks, privados and trips the the room than I could afford)

 

[Soul Boogers]

Fireballs: would you be posting a copy of the info here or just at the CR thread?

 

[adie]

Thanks for the welcome back Bohemian. Yes I'll write about the comparisons to Mexico to Costa Rica. I really liked Costa Rica, but I'm going to trash it anyway in my report, like guys to do TJ all the time, because you really hear nothing about the negative things about Costa Rica at all, and there are plently of negatives. But really my mongering was limited, so maybe that's the reason I was looking at the underbelly of Costa Rica? It will be a long report about things to watch out for, as I say they never get reported.

I was checking out the other forums regarding the recent violence. I think the guys are in sheer panic? We have thread talking about how to get deep discounts in bars as American sex tourist will stay away from TJ now. ( sorry boys, it might keep a few US mongers away, but the zona doesn't need the mongers from the US to survive, besides many of them are addicted, nothing will keep them from TJ- NOTHING!) We have other guys talking about anarchy in the streets of TJ and how the wild wild west is alive and well in Tijuaan. I doubt there is sheer anarchy in the streets as these fights are limited to certain areas, but there is no doubt the Mexican drug lords are pissed about the recent charges to the local, state and federal government and are sending out a message to the goverment.

We have of course ex members from here putting in their two cents, saying things like this is the first time he has seen the Mexican goverment trying to change things in Mexico and Tijuana. I don't know if he is exactly right, but it sure has the drug lords PISSED. If I were a betting man I don't know what side I would bet on, but I'm sure the drug lords are favored in the losing battle on the US 'WAR ON DRUGS.'

Good luck to the new Tijuana police chief. The guy walks around with 20 body guards. I sure wouldn't want that guys job, and I do have a new respect for the average TJ cop on the cops who isn't corrupt and willing to fight the drug cartels.

 

[Bill M]

Fireballs welcome back ! Thanks for sneaking in May we remind you "trip report" is due from Costa Rica, with an analysis of chica comparison betwen CR and TJ, and why you would say TJ chica or Ticas are the best !

Meanwhile also you have further "home work", Thanks for posting the brief on TJ shootout. And yes it does not get covered in mainstream press. But then SD/TJ is not a mainstream area, But Al Jazeera ?! WTF in AJ of all places. What is yours and other forurms guys thinking on what is expected in store for TJ zona or no effect at all ?

 

[sweetest]

Here is the video of the shootout that's has been played on Tijuana's TV, and is big front page news on in places like Al Jazeera in Muslim countries and Jewish news outlets in Israel, but not really covered strongly in the US except for maybe that rag "signonSanDiego? It makes you wonder why we in the US we miss so many major stories?

Keep in mind these cartel shootout aren't being played out in the 'zona' as even cartel gunmen need a place to hangout and relax as there as yet to be any gangland type killing in the zona, nor kidnapping of any mongers yet? And really if you think TJ is that dangerous, San Diego has also seen it's share of drug related violence and kidnapping as criminals who run businesses such as smuggling operations get kidnapped in places like San Diego, by other criminals that come from south of the border and get these people in San Diego and demand ransoms from these cash rich business owners living in nice areas in San Diego.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiX1vtnZ4Uk

 

[and_y_knot]

I understand today has been violent as well, but not up on all the details.

 

[watercurves]

Here is what I found about the recent spate of top police officials killing. Could we be suprised if they might temp clamp down on the zona ?

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/tijuana/index.html

Excerpt:
A high-ranking police commander, his wife and his 11-year-old daughter were among six people killed in a burst of overnight violence in Tijuana that has left residents shaken and law enforcement officials vowing to fight harder than ever against organized crime.

The killings occurred in three parts of the city over six hours late Monday and early yesterday. By the time the violence was over, heavily armed men also had killed two other Tijuana police officers and a civilian, and wounded three adults, a 4-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy.........