Pubdate: Tue, 12 Apr 2011
Source: Wall Street Journal (US)
Copyright: 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.wsj.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/487
Author: Nicholas Casey

MURDER IN MEXICO

A Second Massacre In One Small Northern Town Dramatizes The 
Underbelly Of Nation

Almost eight months ago, residents in the rural Mexican county of San 
Fernando received startling news: The bodies of 72 immigrants 
traveling to the U.S. had been discovered on a secluded ranch after 
the group had been lined up, blindfolded and shot dead.

Now, the sense of horror has returned. Last week, officials said they 
had discovered mass graves on another secluded ranch there. Some 88 
dead have been unearthed so far as forensics teams continue to dig for others.

That history has repeated itself in San Fernando may be no surprise. 
It fits the profile of a lawless county: Fewer than 60,000 people 
live in an expanse of hundreds of square miles; it lies along a major 
highway that snakes up to the border with Texas, making it a good 
place to ferry U.S.-bound illegal drugs. Hot flatlands of sorghum 
stretch out for acres from the main town, the area's cash crop whose 
isolated ranches also serve as the gathering points of organized 
crime groups. A small municipal police station usually has four 
officers on patrol.

Some say San Fernando is out of the reach of the law. Rosa Maria 
Lozano de Anda, an art teacher in the town, said her cousin was 
kidnapped in February and hasn't been heard from since. Her reaction 
after the bodies were found shows the hardened psychology among some 
countryside dwellers, where violence has become the norm. "What did I 
feel when I heard? The truth is it made me happy: Finally those whose 
loved ones had disappeared knew that they were dead. They'll bury 
them and in 24 hours they'll get over it."

The August massacre claimed no victims from San Fernando. The 72 dead 
were immigrants traveling north to the U.S. from places like 
Honduras, Guatemala, Ecuador and Brazil. Authorities said the 
travelers were apprehended by Los Zetas, a criminal group that mixes 
drug trafficking with other rackets like extortion and kidnapping for ransom.

One immigrant who managed to escape told investigators that victims 
had been given the choice of paying money to be released, or joining 
Los Zetas as drug runners and hit men. But they were killed instead, 
the reasons for which are still unclear. Days later, the two 
investigators who had been assigned to the case were also killed.

This time around, however, the victims were likely entirely Mexican. 
Officials said the dead included a group who were kidnapped in March 
on public buses by Los Zetas. Most of the bodies were transported 
north last week to the city of Matamoros, the nearest major city, for 
identification as weary families followed them to hear if their loved 
ones were among the dead. So dangerous are the roadways that this 
past weekend several Mexican bus lines said they had suspended bus 
service through Tamaulipas state, partly because of the San Fernando incidents.

In the months between the two massacres, San Fernando and surrounding 
Tamaulipas state have become a no-man's land. Piles of bullet-ridden 
bodies have been found along the county's roadsides, in various 
states of decay. Shootouts between sport-utility vehicles-cars 
popular among drug traffickers-have erupted nearly on a daily basis. 
On most days, when twilight settles on the area, the streets of San 
Fernando, the county seat, empty as residents give way to the 
criminals who own the highways and country roads, residents say.

Locals have turned to their churches for guidance, but even Catholic 
priests appeared guarded about the situation. At Mass, pastors are 
"at risk if they spoke about the crimes," said a man at a San 
Fernando church recently, who refused to give his name. "People have 
learned to read in between the lines at sermons."

The man emailed a reporter pictures he had taken in recent months of 
abandoned sport-utility vehicles that are now a common sight along 
the roads. One snapshot showed the remains of a truck beside a 
sorghum field, its frame barely standing. In another, a bullet-pocked 
Ford sits with its tires missing, telltale signs of a fierce firefight.

Authorities, including the state prosecutor, are not discussing the 
latest massacre, wary of what happened to the investigators last 
time. The town mayor didn't respond to written questions nor did 
other Tamaulipas state officials. Many in the state government have 
been keeping low profiles since last year when the leading candidate 
for governor was shot dead on a highway days before his election.

Anxiety rules even in the San Fernando police office. On a recent day 
it was empty, save for a receptionist. It has been attacked twice by 
armed commandos, the last time in October when men sprayed the 
building with bullets.

"I hid under my desk," the receptionist said. "I was the only one here."
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