Mexican cartels have acquired missiles

The Zetas—one of the most notorious Mexican drug cartels, founded by former Mexican military personnel—have managed to get their hands on Russian M79 grenade launchers. Because of this, experts now argue they can't just be dismissed as mere drug traffickers; they’re essentially a paramilitary organization.When police popped the trunk, they realized they were lucky not to have been wiped out by superior firepower. A single vehicle was packed with an arsenal that included three Russian-made anti-tank rockets, along with three complete M79 grenade launchers. If those smugglers had targeted SWAT, their cruiser would have been shredded. Beyond targeting vehicles or armored units, an M79 grenade launcher can easily bring down a helicopter, a lesson the USA military learned the hard way during Black Hawk Down in Somalia back in '93.

Mexico is becoming a massive security headache for the USA. If the Mexican cartels start utilizing Russian munitions, Americans could find themselves facing a second Afghanistan or Vietnam right next door.

Melissa Chavez6 said:

The Zetas—one of the most notorious Mexican drug cartels, founded by former Mexican military personnel—have managed to get their hands on Russian M79 grenade launchers. Because of this, experts now argue they can't just be dismissed as mere drug traffickers; they’re essentially a paramilitary organization.When police popped the trunk, they realized they were lucky not to have been wiped out by superior firepower. A single vehicle was packed with an arsenal that included three Russian-made anti-tank rockets, along with three complete M79 grenade launchers. If those smugglers had targeted SWAT, their cruiser would have been shredded. Beyond targeting vehicles or armored units, an M79 grenade launcher can easily bring down a helicopter, a lesson the USA military learned the hard way during Black Hawk Down in Somalia back in '93.

Mexico is becoming a massive security headache for the USA. If the Mexican cartels start utilizing Russian munitions, Americans could find themselves facing a second Afghanistan or Vietnam right next door.

Honestly, I think Americans would jump at any chance to seize control of all those powerful oil assets... it would be a total layup for them. They’d definitely have a convenient excuse ready to go, too.

Melissa Chavez6 said:

The Zetas—one of the most notorious Mexican drug cartels, founded by former Mexican military personnel—have managed to get their hands on Russian M79 grenade launchers. Because of this, experts now argue they can't just be dismissed as mere drug traffickers; they’re essentially a paramilitary organization.When police popped the trunk, they realized they were lucky not to have been wiped out by superior firepower. A single vehicle was packed with an arsenal that included three Russian-made anti-tank rockets, along with three complete M79 grenade launchers. If those smugglers had targeted SWAT, their cruiser would have been shredded. Beyond targeting vehicles or armored units, an M79 grenade launcher can easily bring down a helicopter, a lesson the USA military learned the hard way during Black Hawk Down in Somalia back in '93.

Mexico is becoming a massive security headache for the USA. If the Mexican cartels start utilizing Russian munitions, Americans could find themselves facing a second Afghanistan or Vietnam right next door.

Oh, so Americans are going to be the ones with the problem? Please, where exactly are people supposed to just pick up that kind of hardware like they're grabbing a gallon of milk at a 7-Eleven? You certainly aren't finding it in Mexico.
As the former Mexican president Porfirio Díaz once famously put it: "The curse of Mexico is that it is too far from Bog, and too close to America."
If the USA wasn't quite the world's biggest junk nation, would those powerhouse drug cartels even bother operating out of Mexico in the first place?

Carol Long61 said:Honestly, I think Americans would jump at any chance to seize control of all those powerful oil assets... it would be a total layup for them. They’d definitely have a convenient excuse ready to go, too.

Why would the USA sabotage its own interests and its neighbors? This is just the same old strategic maneuvering between the two global titans, the USA and Russia. If you actually pay attention to the news, you’ve likely heard about Syrian rebels getting Stingers—that's just Russia hitting back at the Americans. It’s a cycle: the USA moves heroin into Russia via Afghanistan, while Russia pushes cocaine into the USA through Mexico. It's all part of a massive chess match where most people are just pawns.

Melissa Chavez6 said:Why would the USA sabotage its own interests and its neighbors? This is just the same old strategic maneuvering between the two global titans, the USA and Russia. If you actually pay attention to the news, you’ve likely heard about Syrian rebels getting Stingers—that's just Russia hitting back at the Americans. It’s a cycle: the USA moves heroin into Russia via Afghanistan, while Russia pushes cocaine into the USA through Mexico. It's all part of a massive chess match where most people are just pawns.

Ugh, conspiracy theories everywhere! I'm exhausted. Look, this is much more straightforward than that; there's a market (the USA) and suppliers willing to do anything to meet it (Mexican cartels). By way of analogy, Mexican cartels move massive amounts of drugs into the USA. That's the reality. It isn't some grand chess match between Russia and the USA...

Besides, when you have huge amounts of cash, buying weapons is easy. An M79 grenade launcher isn't exactly cutting-edge tech, and any criminal group with even a little bit of clout has access to them. Those sensationalist headlines claiming "Mexican drug cartels have missiles" are just clickbait for papers like The New York Times to boost circulation and entertain the masses.

We were already getting reports about tanks and armored vehicles on the move earlier.

Mexico is turning into Somalia right before our eyes.

briskfox65 said:Ugh, conspiracy theories everywhere! I'm exhausted. Look, this is much more straightforward than that; there's a market (the USA) and suppliers willing to do anything to meet it (Mexican cartels). By way of analogy, Mexican cartels move massive amounts of drugs into the USA. That's the reality. It isn't some grand chess match between Russia and the USA...

Besides, when you have huge amounts of cash, buying weapons is easy. An M79 grenade launcher isn't exactly cutting-edge tech, and any criminal group with even a little bit of clout has access to them. Those sensationalist headlines claiming "Mexican drug cartels have missiles" are just clickbait for papers like The New York Times to boost circulation and entertain the masses.

These are facts, not conspiracy theories. http://world.time.com/2012/10/25/mex...als-with-rpgs/

I honestly thought they had actually picked up some Patriot missile systems, but turns out it was just an M79 grenade launcher. I guess we were buying similar little gadgets back in the 90s too, though we were working with way less cash and dealing with all those sanctions at the time.

Republicans are blaming Obama for Putin's "moves against US interests"
An undetected Russian submarine was spotted cruising the Gulf of Mexico
An Akula-class Russian submarine is packed with nuclear-tipped torpedoes, anti-submarine missiles, and long-range nuclear missiles capable of hitting targets up to 3,000 kilometers away http://nation.foxnews.com/russia/1...detected-weeks http://www.nytimes.com/news/un...-article-442308

This presents a massive challenge for the USA, especially since Canada is our only remaining ally—provided the Americans don't decide to carve Quebec out of the Canadian federation. If that happens, our buffer zone shrinks even further. Ever since the separatists took control in Quebec, the US has been patrolling its northern border with Predator drones http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5zuvWx8Duo

They just got their hands on an M79 grenade launcher now? Please—between that and the M16, it’s probably the most common (and copied) gear on the planet. You can literally find them anywhere you look.

It looks like the USA might end up with a Middle East right in its own backyard. I guess there's a chance of civil war breaking out in Mexico? Maybe, assuming the government isn't completely corrupt.

Melissa Chavez6 said:

The Zetas—one of the most notorious Mexican drug cartels, founded by former Mexican military personnel—have managed to get their hands on Russian M79 grenade launchers. Because of this, experts now argue they can't just be dismissed as mere drug traffickers; they’re essentially a paramilitary organization.When police popped the trunk, they realized they were lucky not to have been wiped out by superior firepower. A single vehicle was packed with an arsenal that included three Russian-made anti-tank rockets, along with three complete M79 grenade launchers. If those smugglers had targeted SWAT, their cruiser would have been shredded. Beyond targeting vehicles or armored units, an M79 grenade launcher can easily bring down a helicopter, a lesson the USA military learned the hard way during Black Hawk Down in Somalia back in '93.

Mexico is becoming a massive security headache for the USA. If the Mexican cartels start utilizing Russian munitions, Americans could find themselves facing a second Afghanistan or Vietnam right next door.

What an absurd take—just because they have some RPGs doesn't mean we're dealing with the Taliban or some militia from Somalia!

Lisa Patel4 said:It looks like the USA might end up with a Middle East right in its own backyard. I guess there's a chance of civil war breaking out in Mexico? Maybe, assuming the government isn't completely corrupt.

The conflict in Mexico has been dragging on forever, but it’s already bleeding into the southern US states where the Mexican population is dominant and moving cocaine north. There’s also the risk that Mexicans will demand status as a foundational group within the USA, especially since there are over 50 million of them spread across California, Florida, and Texas. In Mexico, 60,000 people have been killed fighting the cartels.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xH4U5HwbYw

Melissa Chavez6 said:The conflict in Mexico has been dragging on forever, but it’s already bleeding into the southern US states where the Mexican population is dominant and moving cocaine north. There’s also the risk that Mexicans will demand status as a foundational group within the USA, especially since there are over 50 million of them spread across California, Florida, and Texas. In Mexico, 60,000 people have been killed fighting the cartels.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xH4U5HwbYw

I was thinking of a traditional civil war, but I guess this is essentially the same thing.

Mexicans as a constituent nation? What would Americans even say to that? It seems totally unrealistic to me. I doubt Americans have forgotten about the Alamo. 🤣

But hypothetically, what would happen if Mexicans in Texas and California started demanding some kind of autonomy?

Lisa Patel4 said:I was thinking of a traditional civil war, but I guess this is essentially the same thing.

Mexicans as a constituent nation? What would Americans even say to that? It seems totally unrealistic to me. I doubt Americans have forgotten about the Alamo. 🤣

But hypothetically, what would happen if Mexicans in Texas and California started demanding some kind of autonomy?

It isn't a joke; Latinos are a significant issue in the USA, and if nothing changes, they could pose a major threat to US national security and stability. Latinos make up the majority in 28 major cities. http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/new...-major-cities/

Melissa Chavez6 said:It isn't a joke; Latinos are a significant issue in the USA, and if nothing changes, they could pose a major threat to US national security and stability. Latinos make up the majority in 28 major cities. http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/new...-major-cities/

Well, obviously they could. Just like Turks will become an issue in Europe, Latinos will be one in the USA. I guess I have to wonder, what has the USA actually done about this over the last 50 years?
I'll say it again: putting on this act of democracy for the whole world while letting immigrants do whatever they want is eventually going to bite both Europe and the USA in the ass.

I wonder how much cash these Mexican cartels actually have on hand. It’s wild they haven't gone out and bought a whole fleet of combat helicopters from Kyiv yet.
How do you even tackle something like this—is it total war, or just full-on legalization?

wanderinggull9 said:I wonder how much cash these Mexican cartels actually have on hand. It’s wild they haven't gone out and bought a whole fleet of combat helicopters from Kyiv yet.
How do you even tackle something like this—is it total war, or just full-on legalization?

In all seriousness though, they need to start asking the USA for help.🤷

I mean, look, the cartels are basically getting handouts from the USA... What do you think? Where else would they even find a market for all that garbage cocaine? You already know the answer—it’s all happening north of the Rio Grande... So, as long as Americans keep buying up their supply, they don't need any damn help 😛...

wanderinggull9 said:I wonder how much cash these Mexican cartels actually have on hand. It’s wild they haven't gone out and bought a whole fleet of combat helicopters from Kyiv yet.
How do you even tackle something like this—is it total war, or just full-on legalization?

Fighting them will just lead to hundreds of thousands of deaths. We have to realize there are over a million cartel members out there, plus parts of the military and police are in on it and profiting. There is a solution, I guess, it’s just that nobody wants to admit it.

A brutal dictatorship, scrapping the courts, and immediate death penalties for gang members. Give the police and military the power to use torture, and maybe this could be settled in a few years.

The way things are going now, we should probably just expect more dead bodies.