Rumors about drug war killings???

[Aquahound]

DING DING DING!!!! We have a winner here :)

 

They so have nothing in common!

 

Negative. Here's an example:

 

As for those who want to believe people don't look at maps, last time I looked, Acapulco and Cancun are not border towns and they are having problems, particularly Acapulco, some of which I listed up thread. Tourists were caught in the crossfire in both places, very recently. If those folks choose not to see the problem and delude themselves that stuff only occurs in the border towns, great; that's their choice, but I think branding people who bring up those problems in some of the tourist areas is uncalled for. In my book, these forums are supposed to be for asking questions. What ever happened to "there are no stupid questions"?

 

This is absolutely correct.

[Donray]

I try to stick to the topic when asking questions, and not resort to inane personal attacks. I have traveled extensively all over the world, have spent a lot of time in Mexico, living and traveling, and I would prefer to not go back there for many reasons.

 

OP was not asking about drug related crime in the US; she asked a question about Mexico. The drug cartel violence in Mexico is on the rise. You can dispute fact if you like.

 

How is it a personal attack? I asked you some questions that I guess you don't want to answer. Nothing personal, you could be from some place that don't have gangs and drug killings. And I think it is related to drug and gang killings in Mexico. Most of the killing in the US are by Mexican gang members so it is relevant.

Why don't you tell us about your personal experience with the drug people in Mexico and why you don't like Mexico any longer?

Where did you live in Mexico and for how long? What years? ?

[TrikeRider]

I will say I was just in Costa Maya and they had Mexican Military walking around the port town carrying automatic rifles. We also visited Cozumel and took a cab to the downtown. I never felt scared or unsafe at either area.

[6rugrats]

How is it a personal attack? I asked you some questions that I guess you don't want to answer. Nothing personal, you could be from some place that don't have gangs and drug killings. And I think it is related to drug and gang killings in Mexico. Most of the killing in the US are by Mexican gang members so it is relevant.

 

Why don't you tell us about your personal experience with the drug people in Mexico and why you don't like Mexico any longer?

 

Where did you live in Mexico and for how long? What years? ?

I would be happy to share my life story with you.

 

My first husband died of a heart attack while jogging with our youngest son. He left no money or insurance and I had house payments to make and two young sons to raise. His brother also showed up, and while he was useful for babysitting and preparing meals, he dropped out of rabbinical school, was AWOL from the military and had problems holding down a job, so I was supporting him too.

 

I hadn't worked for years, and had few options. I ended up selling an illegal substance to bored suburbanites. Made a pretty good living, but then made the mistake of getting involved with Mexican gang members while starting a grow house.

 

Things got bad for a while, but I tried to pull it together and get a "real" job, and was offered a position running a maternity clothing store in a mall in San Ysidro. My salary was great, and everything seemed to be going well, until I stayed late at work one night.

 

I heard noises from the back room, and found, to my surprise, that a drug cartel based in Tijuana, had dug an undergrown tunnel, from my shop that ran all the way under the border into Mexico, and was using this passage way to funnel drugs and guns into the US.

 

I ventured into the tunnel, and to make a long story short, became romantically involved with, let's call him Esteban, the leader of this ring and also the Mayor of Tijuana. I loved him, but could not live that life. In desperation, I notified the DEA of the activities of the drug cartel.

 

Esteban found out, and had me brought to him in Mexico. He was going to kill me, but I had the proverbial ace in the hole; I was pregnant with his son. So, he let me live.

 

My family and I moved into his home in California, where we lived for the next year, and before the baby was born, Esteban finally proposed to me. Meanwhile, Esteban's political ambition grew. He was not satisfied being Tijuana's Mayor, he aspired to higher office. A wealthy and powerful woman from his past, Pilar, came into our lives. She felt that I was in the way of Esteban's election, as I was not a Latina, and she urged Esteban to break our engagement.

 

Meanwhile, while going through the house, I found Esteban had outfitted a labor and delivery room and I became frightened, thinking Esteban was planning to keep the baby's birth a secret, and take him from me. I got my brother in law to take me to my old doctor, and she delivered the baby, thus keeping us both safe.

 

During this time, life did not run smoothly and we had some problems, which included a hit man shooting my youngest son in the arm, me shooting Esteban's body guard in retaliation, and Esteban's arrest in Mexico for tax evasion (this was arranged by Pilar).

 

Pilar had Esteban released, thinking she now had power over him and our family. At a fund raiser, she took me aside and threatened to kill my sons. Suddenly, I heard a whacking noise, and Pilar fell into the pool. My youngest son had hit her in the head with a croquet mallet and she was dead.

 

We have been on the run ever since, and cannot ever return to Mexico. Living under assumed names, I now work as a hotel maid, my BIL is working in the kitchen, my oldest son is a bellhop and my younger son watches the baby.

 

I worry about him sometimes.

[grandma*knows*best]

Most of the killing in the US are by Mexican gang members so it is relevant.

 

Are you saying that most murders in the US are committed by Mexican gang members? That is absolutely absurd!!

 

Juarez, Mexico is one the most dangerous cities on the planet, as measured by murder rate. In fact, they have the world's highest murder rate (130 per 100,000 inhabitants), outside of official war zones. As others have stated, many parts of Mexico are dangerous, other parts are still fairly safe.

[grandma*knows*best]

6rugrats - Sounds as if you have had a really rough life. Hope things get better for you soon. Maybe your family can get a job on a cruise ship! Just stay away from Mexico.

[luvs2travl]

GOOD JOB!!! Am still laughing!

 

Should an anonymous poster ask for my life story on a public messsage board, I can only hope to be half as creative. That just made my day, and you are my hero for providing such a great reply (and, a pretty good tale, as well) to such an uncalled for request. Keep your sense of humor. I find you really need it sometimes on these boards. :) :D

[quincytoo]

Well I can cross off you- tubing those missed episodes of Weeds :rolleyes:

[Hlitner]

Am laughing too hard to type! Good job 6RugRats. But when the cartels find you it will soon be 5RugRats :)

 

Hank

[countrycruzr]

That was quite the summary of Weeds 6Rugrat! Lol! Love it!

[Lard Greystoke]

Pilar had Esteban released, thinking she now had power over him and our family. At a fund raiser, she took me aside and threatened to kill my sons. Suddenly, I heard a whacking noise, and Pilar fell into the pool. My youngest son had hit her in the head with a croquet mallet and she was dead.

 

 

Croquet can go pretty bad pretty quickly. One more thing to be afraid of. Hint to OP: watch out for miniature golf on the ship. That's where a lot of stuff "goes down".

[lillulu]

Croquet can go pretty bad pretty quickly. One more thing to be afraid of. Hint to OP: watch out for miniature golf on the ship. That's where a lot of stuff "goes down".[/quote]

 

 

It saddens me Lard that you would make a joke about this.:( I am being serious. When I asked my friends more they said this was even on CNN. I myself never saw it. I'm sorry that this concerns me! But I don't take it lightly and I sure don't take it as a joking manner!

[chasm4u]

I wouldnt worry about cozumel or cancun or the like... The yucitan is the safest state in mexico!

[RetireeWannabee]

Um, the problems in MX have been going on for quite some time. It's not new.

[grandma*knows*best]

When I asked my friends more they said this was even on CNN.

 

Are you familiar with the term "urban legend?"

 

You could have checked the veracity of this story yourself in 10 seconds doing a Google search. It didn't happen.

 

It's fine to take precautions when traveling to an unfamiliar place. Just try and use more reliable sources than "friends." You might want to check the US Department of State website for a warning about Mexican travel:

 

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_4755.html

[MDSue]

A few months back, a young girl was killed in the crossfire of two gangs. She was on a open air taxi that runs back and forth from the port to a popular beach in St. Thomas. I've been to that same beach twice and never felt unsafe, but the area around it obviously had issues.

Crime can happen anywhere, but that incident was especially tragic. I truly believe the governments and police try their very best to make cruise destinations safe. Their livelyhoods depend on our safe enjoyment of their islands or towns.

I personally don't want to cruise to stay on the ship, but no one can guarantee 100% chance of safety. This type of tragedy happens all to often in the US also.

My next cruise stops at this same port. Hopefully, they have made strides in reducing the risk of random violence. I plan on getting off the ship and enjoying the island.

[Lard Greystoke]

Croquet can go pretty bad pretty quickly. One more thing to be afraid of. Hint to OP: watch out for miniature golf on the ship. That's where a lot of stuff "goes down".[/quote]

 

 

It saddens me Lard that you would make a joke about this.:( I am being serious. When I asked my friends more they said this was even on CNN. I myself never saw it. I'm sorry that this concerns me! But I don't take it lightly and I sure don't take it as a joking manner!

 

It saddens me that you're saddened. But having wandered off on my own in both Cozumel and Costa Maya, getting lost in the undergrowth on Cozumel and being rescued by some kindly (and entirely human) Mexican citizens, I have to say that taking this as a joke is much more fact-appropriate than taking it seriously.

 

Regarding CNN, isn't that the former home of Glenn Beck? Case closed.

[Travelcat2]

Unfortunately, not all reports are uban legend (here is a link to an article with a photo http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/08/26/129455963/grenade-in-puerto-vallarta-bar-an-accident-mexican-governor ) '

 

I agree that the people of Mexico are wonderful people. But, the government is corrupt. What saddens me is that Mexico is losing tourism because of spotty gang terroism in some parts of the country. Hopefully people realize that Mexico is a large country and what is happening in one place does not necessarily affect others. We will still go to Mexico -- but will be more careful than normal. While this type of activity does happen in the U.S., most of us believe that our local police and hospitals will take care of us. . . this is not always the case in other countries. (BTW, regarding a previous comment, while most of the murders in the U.S. are not done by Mexican gangs, most murders in Los Angeles are done by gangs -- many of them are from Mexico and Asia).

[quincytoo]

Unfortunately, not all reports are uban legend (here is a link to an article with a photo http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/08/26/129455963/grenade-in-puerto-vallarta-bar-an-accident-mexican-governor ) '

 

I agree that the people of Mexico are wonderful people. But, the government is corrupt. What saddens me is that Mexico is losing tourism because of spotty gang terroism in some parts of the country. Hopefully people realize that Mexico is a large country and what is happening in one place does not necessarily affect others. We will still go to Mexico -- but will be more careful than normal. While this type of activity does happen in the U.S., most of us believe that our local police and hospitals will take care of us. . . this is not always the case in other countries. (BTW, regarding a previous comment, while most of the murders in the U.S. are not done by Mexican gangs, most murders in Los Angeles are done by gangs -- many of them are from Mexico and Asia).

 

Regarding that accident in PV, I have many friends (Canadians, Americans, British, Mexican) living in PV and it was just that ...an accident. A foolish very sad accident that happened in a seedy bar in a part of PV that no tourist or people living there like my friends, you or I would have been found in. Not drug cartel what so ever.

 

This was not a case of the government being corrupt and trying to cover anything up.

[Putterdude]

Drug turf wars occur all over the world, not only in Mexico but the US, Canada, there was even one recently in St. Thomas. Most of the shootings are targeted and most occur at night. The cruise lines do not take passengers where there is a high degree of danger, frankly I am not concerned about it at all.

[6rugrats]

Anyone may travel wherever they please, but it is a fact that drug cartel violence is increasing in Mexico. I guess we'll have to wait to see if it continues its spread into more and more tourists areas.

 

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20100927/LT.Drug.War.Mexico/?cid=NET_SZHeadlineRSSLinks&attr=article_news_general_LT.Drug.War.Mexico