Brazil’s Real War Against Drugs

Staff / Truthdig Nov 27, 2010 Having used thousands of heavily armed men, Brazil claims to have wrested control of a notorious slum area in Rio de Janeiro from drug gangs in an operation that lasted five days and killed more than two dozen people. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bloody Battle in Mexican Border Town

Staff / Truthdig Nov 7, 2010 An hours-long gun battle in the Mexican border town of Matamoros left at least eight people dead, including the leader of a major drug gang and a newspaper reporter. Pictured above, a government spokesman speaking about the violence. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Mexico May Look a Little Colombian

Staff / Truthdig Sep 10, 2010 In an apparent mixing of official messages, President Obama has contradicted Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by rejecting the analogy that Mexico is becoming more and more like 1990s drug-heyday Colombia, when 40 percent of the country's territory was controlled by rebel groups. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Violence Rules in Mexico

Staff / Truthdig Aug 28, 2010 An investigator probing the deaths of 72 migrants in violence-racked Tamaulipas state in northern Mexico has turned up missing. The massacre victims, apparently people trying to reach the U.S. border, were reportedly slain by members of the notorious Zetas drug gang. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Drug Cartels Block 13 Roadways in Mexican City

Staff / Truthdig Aug 15, 2010 Mexican drug cartels in the city of Monterrey have stepped up their public presence, blocking at least 13 major roadways in the city on Saturday – dragging drivers out of their cars and using their vehicles to cut roads – as a show of force in the face of government crackdowns. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Colombians Head to the Polls

Staff / Truthdig May 30, 2010 It's an exciting day in Colombia as citizens head to the polls to vote for a new president. The two front-runners are former Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos and former Bogota Mayor Antanas Mockus of the Green Party. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

23,000 Reported Dead in Mexico Drug War

Staff / Truthdig Apr 14, 2010 A Mexican government report has been leaked, coinciding with first lady Michelle Obama's visit to Mexico, stating that 23,000 people have died in drug-related violence in Mexico since the beginning of a government crackdown on drug gangs in late 2006. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Mexican Reporters Run for Cover

Staff / Truthdig Mar 14, 2010 Violence in the Mexican border town of Reynosa has endangered both the lives of its citizens as well as the quality of its journalism. Fearing violent reprisal, many journalists have left, while others are admittedly censoring themselves after being threatened by the drug cartels. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Ciudad Juarez Protests as President Calderon Visits

Staff / Truthdig Feb 13, 2010 Scuffles between police and protesters erupted in Ciudad Juarez, the border town in Mexico that has been the scene of hundreds of drug-related murders, as Mexican President Felipe Calderon proposed new crime initiatives to a skeptical public. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Drugs Are Sick

Staff / Truthdig Jun 24, 2009 U.N. drug chief Antonio Maria Costa believes drug use should be treated as an illness and not criminalized. Costa says international law enforcement should shift focus to traffickers rather than users, an intriguing (look at the U.S. prison population) but problematic (look at Mexico's drug war death toll) strategy. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Move Over, Drug Mules

Staff / Truthdig Jun 17, 2009 Here come the drug sharks. The Mexican navy has discovered more than a ton of cocaine packed into frozen shark carcasses, demonstrating the creativity of smugglers trying to deliver their drugs into the U.S. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

FBI Runs for the Border

Staff / Truthdig Mar 25, 2009 In a move that further militarizes a bloody drug war that left 6,300 people dead in 2008 alone, the White House is sending FBI agents and equipment to the US-Mexico border to defend against the "spillover" of drug violence The relocation of federal agents to the U Southwest follows the dispatching of thousands of Mexican soldiers to combat drug cartels earlier this year. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )