Pubdate: Mon, 11 Mar 2002
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA)
Webpage:
Copyright: 2002 Cox Interactive Media.
Contact:  http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/28
Author: Kevin G. Hall, Knight Ridder Newspapers

MEXICO'S DRUG GANGS MAY FIGHT IT OUT

Mexico City --- The weekend arrest of the most wanted drug lord in both 
Mexico and the United States is prompting fears of bloody turf wars along 
the border as rivals try to muscle their way into the multibillion-dollar 
business long controlled by the Tijuana Cartel.

Heavily armed soldiers surprised Benjamin Arellano Felix overnight Saturday 
at a posh home in Puebla, taking the alleged kingpin into custody without 
firing a shot.

His capture and the confirmed death of his brother Ramon, the family's 
enforcer, are expected to cripple the cartel and spark bloodshed among 
rivals at major border crossings such as Tijuana-San Diego and Ciudad 
Juarez-El Paso.

"Most analysts are worried there could be an increased level of violence 
among the organizations that are trying to establish new routes and new 
trafficking regions," said Ana Maria Salazar, a former official in the 
Clinton White House and professor at the Autonomous Technological Institute 
of Mexico.

A veteran Drug Enforcement Administration agent, speaking on condition of 
anonymity, said several months of violence are expected on both sides of 
the border until a new dominant group emerges.

"I think it is going to be awhile before there is a definite group or 
groups that we can identify. I think it will probably be seven months 
before anyone can give a reasonable opinion," the agent said.

Law enforcement experts in Mexico and the United States expect Eduardo and 
Javier Arellano Felix to make a bid to save the cartel that law enforcement 
officials say was run by their brother. Gunning for their territory will be 
Ismael Zampada, a rival drug lord whom Ramon Arellano Felix reportedly was 
hunting when he was killed Feb. 10 in Mazatlan.

For the past decade, the Arellano Felix family has used violence to keep a 
strong grip on drug smuggling into California and Arizona for distribution 
across the United States. The Tijuana Cartel may be responsible for moving 
from one-third to 40 percent of the cocaine consumed in the United States, 
the DEA has estimated.

The cartel is believed to be behind at least 300 killings in Mexico over 
the past decade and was said to have bribed and threatened its way into the 
highest corridors of power. Benjamin Arellano Felix reportedly approached 
politicians and judges with a no-win choice: accept our money or be killed.

"People were definitely afraid of this guy. I talked to Mexicans who were 
absolutely terrified. They knew that this guy had so much stroke," the DEA 
agent said. "If they perceived you had crossed them . . . you were going to 
be killed."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom