Mexico: Drug Cartels Produce New Group of Victims

http://www.mexidata.info / By Eve Pearce
In Mexico, the power of the drug cartels is absolute. No level of society or the political establishment is untouched by them; but it is the poor, the powerless and those without a voice who suffer most. Over the past seven years, the US-supported offensive against organized crime has resulted in the dismantling of many of the larger gangs. Of course, crime pays: the resultant unemployed lower ranks of these criminal organizations, forced back on their own resources, have diversified. Last year, while the number of gang-related murders fell, the number of reported kidnappings had hit a sixteen-year high, rising by 31% on the previous year. Official figures for 2013 showed 1,695 kidnappings, although polls indicate that less than 2% are reported. The true figure is probably over 100,000. Read Article