Drug Gangs Chase Cops Out Of Villa Ahumada, Mexico

Gunmen kidnapped nine people last week in the northern Mexican town of Villa Humada which has been without a police force since last spring when a drug cartel killed the chief, two officers, and three civilians prompting the remaining 20 cops to resign in fear. The town, outside Juarez, is another example of a Mexican border turned wild west, but where is their Wyatt Earp?

The Associated Press spoke with several experts in American universities who said the area is a crossroads for the Sinoloa and Juarez drug gangs to fight over territory. Plus, the narcos need a clear highway to the border for their goods, so little Mexican towns like Villa Ahumada are ruled by fear. Many citizens pay a “tax” to keep from being killed and the government does little to nothing to help them, placing soldiers miles away from the town.

During last week’s kidnapping, six civilians were killed before Mexican soldiers swooped in to rescue the remaining three, but not before much bloodshed and the death of a soldier. The townspeople are desperate.

Monday a U.S. congressional delegation met with Mexican President Felipe Calderón and Mexican Attorney General Eduardo Medina to discuss ways to combat drug fueled violence along the border. The stimulus bill passed by Congress last week includes $10 million for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to investigate and prosecute people smuggling guns from the U.S. to Mexico, an industry credited with fueling much of the violence on the border. While others have a more realistic approach, in our opinion, to deflating the war–now more deadly than the one in Iraq–legalization and regulation of narcotics.