Mexico: Murder rate declining in war on drugs

dw.de reported a new policy in the war on drugs appears to be having the desired effect in Mexico. The murder rate is dropping, but despite a return to pre-2010 levels it’s still too early to declare victory over the drug cartels. “Narcomensajes”: the messages that Mexican drug cartels leave for their adversaries. These drug messages don’t come through the mail, but are transmitted by contract killers who leave behind bullet-riddled bodies in public places, severed heads on dance floors and victims hanging from pedestrian bridges.

Atrocities like these, and their dissemination in the media and online, are not just the preserve of Islamist terrorist groups. In the Latin American drug war, these cruel messages have long been an important tool for the drug cartels, which use them to intimidate and deter actual and potential adversaries. Read Article