If found guilty of violating the law, one could face fines from 30 up to 20,000 days of minimum wage, which could easily reach over a million pesos. If the violator is a foreigner, the Mexican government would seek the help of international bodies.

Many have compared the Döring Law to the proposed SOPA legislation in the United States. While the law aims to differentiate between free downloads on the internet from those that are illegal, Döring states that it is not an attempt to replicate the SOPA law, nor are they similar. He emphasized that his proposed law would not censure anything or close webpages, and that he more so wants individuals to be aware of illegal activity.

Sources:

Mercado, Angélica. “Rechaza Döring que su iniciativa sea como SOPA.” Milenio. January 19, 2012.

“México podría tener su propia ley SOPA.” Proceso. January 19, 2012.

Mayorga, Juan Pablo. “La ‘Ley Doring’ permitiría rastrear direcciones de IP de infractores web.” CNNMéxico. January 20, 2012.

“Atacará IMPI a ciberpiratas.” Provincia. January 22, 2012.

Today’s ruling upheld the government seizure of a privately owned hospital, after a mother investigated the supposed death of her infant daughter, only to discover that the baby had, in fact, been sold to a trafficking ring by someone at the hospital. Although the decision affirmed the constitutionality of seizures without compensation to property owners, it faulted the original seizure judgment for failing to properly compensate the mother for the pain of one year’s separation from her baby. The Court held the reimbursement of her psychotherapy bills inadequate in this regard.

Today’s decision also affirmed that the Mexican constitution does not require a defendant’s criminal trial to finish before an asset seizure action can take place on property related to the crime, although hospital owners asserted otherwise. This is because the judicial processes of the criminal trial and asset seizure are two separate ones, one criminal and one civil. In the civil asset seizure proceeding, however, the government must prove that the property was somehow used for criminal purposes.

This case is the first of its kind to reach the national Supreme Court, although the Federal District’s government has succeeded in completing fifteen such criminal asset seizure proceedings under the new law since its inception. 105 more are pending. The case came to the Supreme Court at the Court’s own request, under its authority to assert jurisdiction (facultad de atracción).

In interviews with W Radio Mexico, Leticia Bonifaz, Legal Advisor to the Government of the Federal District, praised this law as an effective crime-fighting tool, because it “hits criminals where it hurts most, their financial resources.” Bonifaz assigned much credit for this case’s success to the mother of the stolen baby, who went to every possible length to push the case’s investigation and litigation forward.

Sources:

“Aprueban extinción de dominio por narcomenudeo en DF.” W Radio México. June 16, 2011.

“Declaran constitucional la Ley de Extinción de Dominio del DF.” El Sol de México. January 26, 2012.

“Leticia Bonifaz, Consejera Jurídica y de Servicios Legales del Distrito Federal. Ley de Extinción de Dominio es declarada constitucional.” W Radio México. January 26, 2012.

“Leticia Bonifaz. Declaran constitucional Ley Extinción de Dominio.” W Radio México. January 26, 2012.

According to the President of the Board of Directives (Mesa Directiva), Guadelupe Acosta Naranjo, spying has become a generalized practice in the region, despite its illegality, and as such the investigation is not being made into one particular office or another, but as a wide reaching investigation. The Chamber of Deputies has announced that it is likely that all deputies and members of parliament have been possibly spied upon and vulnerable in this case. Up until this point, evidence of spying has only been confirmed in the Board of Directives office and the Board of Political Coordination office (Junta Coordinación Política), but not yet proven in the Chamber.

According to El Universal, Acosta has stated in an official statement that “The Ecologist Green Party of Mexico (Partido Verde Ecologista de México, PVEM) is in favor of legality and respect for the personal and public life of members of the LXI Legislature. It reiterates its condemnation for not only political espionage, but all types of espionage of any person, companies or any institution, of which must be punished in all severity.” The federal penal code lists spying as a serious offence, giving between 6 to 12 years in prison and a 300 to 600 day salary fine for all guilty parties.

Sources:

“Abre PGR Indagatoria por Espionaje en San Lázaro.” El Proceso. January 24, 2012.

RCR. “PRG Indaga Caso de Espionaje en San Lázaro.” El Universal. January 24, 2012.

VAAS. “Apoya PVEM Denunica por Presunto Espionaje.” El Universal. January 24, 2012.

Williams noted that the fight against the impunity of femicide in the country is not a matter that can be solved in one day while remarking, “only civil society and those in government who think like us can allow changes to be made.” Similarly, the head of the National Commission to Prevent Violence against Women (Comisión Nacional para Prevenir la Violencia contra las Mujeres, Conavim), Dilcya García, announced that work on the development of a protocol to protect those who support and defend women and their human rights would begin the next week. It was also agreed upon that the Attorney General would work to promote a dialogue between a network of women rights organizations and government agencies to draft a report on the death of three females, two of which were minors, in Ciudad Juárez in 2001. In regards to the case, which became known as the Cotton Field (Campo Algodonero) case because of where the bodies were found, García noted that a ruling by the Inter-American Court for Human Rights condemned the Mexican government for not preventing the  murders and for failing to investigate and ensure the rights of “life, personal integrity and freedom.” The government did, however, offer compensation to the families of the victims.

Williams’ visit is part of a tour and investigation of the murders of women in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras, which began last week and will conclude on January 31. The visit is a necessary one given the high numbers of women targeted killed in these three countries. As EFE reports, “During 2010, 3,100 women were murdered in Mexico, while 1,500 women were killed in Honduras between 2008 and 2011. And in Guatemala, more than 5,000 women have been violently murdered in the last ten years.”

Sources:

Alcántara Enviada, Liliana. “La impunidad es cada vez mayor, alerta Nobel.” El Universal. January 24, 2012.

“La PGR pide apoyo a Nobel de paz para limitar tráfico de armas.” Informador. January 24, 2012.

“México se compromete a proteger a las defensoras de los derechos de la mujer.” EFE. January 24, 2012.

82,510 car thefts were reported in 2011 (Photo Credit: El Universal).

01/12/11 – The Mexican Association of Insurance Institutions (Asociación Mexicana de Instituciones de Seguros, AMIS) announced that 2011 has marked a new high record for the number of auto thefts reported throughout Mexico. General director of AMIS, Recaredo Arias Jiménez , announced that in this past year, 85,510 insured vehicles were reported stolen, which is a 3% increase compared to the 79,731 vehicles stolen in 2010. Although this is a new high record, the overall increase over the span of a year is lower compared to the 18% increase in 2010 from 2009. The most commonly stolen cars for 2010 are the Nissan Tsuru, 14.506; Nissan pick-up trucks, 3.662; and the Volkswagen Jetta, 2.767.

According to the AMIS, the state with the most reported car thefts is the State of Mexico (Edomex) at 17,672. Nuevo León and the Federal District came in second and third on the list with 13,589 and 11,451 thefts, respectively. However, Edomex experienced one of the smallest increases in overall car thefts compared to the previous year at 3.1% and the Federal District experienced a 19% reduction compared to last year. The number of thefts in these three states combined constitutes 50% of car thefts reported throughout the country. The states of Veracruz, Tamaulipas, Sinaloa, and Coahuila experienced the highest annual increases in thefts compared to statistics from 2010. Violent car thefts became more common this year and rose drastically in the northeastern states of Sinaloa and Zacatecas, where they constituted up to 70% of general car theft crimes.

Arias Jiménez stated that this upcoming year, Mexico hopes to see a decrease in the number of car thefts. 33,604 vehicles were recovered by authorities in 2010, although a remaining 232,406 vehicles have yet to be recovered from the past 6 years. Car insurance companies are estimated to pay approximately $9 billion in reparations to insured clients who are victims of such crimes.

Sources:

Cruz Vargas, Juan Carlos. “Robo de autos alcanza máximo histórico en 2011: AMIS.” Proceso. January 19, 2012.

EFE. “El robo de autos en México registró récord histórico en 2011, dicen aseguradoras.” Google Noticas. January 19, 2012.

Notimex. “Robo de autos alcanza cifra histórica en 2011.” El Economista. January 19, 2012.

Román Pineda, Romina. “Robo de autos alcanza nuevo máximo; crece violencia.”  El Universal. January 19, 2011.

On the January 17, another decapitated head belonging to Harvey Medellin was found beneath the famed Hollywood sign in California. Hands and feet were also discovered, but Medellin’s body has yet to be found. An investigation is currently being conducted and authorities are reluctant to provide information to the media, fearing it would hinder the investigation. A friend of Medellin has gone on record stating that he was a former employee of the Mexicana Airlines implicating close ties to Mexico although his nationality has not been revealed.

Although both bodies were found in the same month, authorities do not believe the two cases are related.

Spillover violence, although not as prevalent as many believe, is not unique or isolated. Many concerns of spillover violence were also raised in the death of an Arizonan rancher in May 2010.

Sources:

Cruz, Veronica M. “Decapitated Body found west of Tucson.” Arizona Daily Star. January 6, 2012.

“Agentes Policiacos Localizan a Decapitado en Arizona.”Periodico Expreso. January 8, 2012.

Rogers, John. “Human Body Parts Near Hollywood Sign Identified; Name Released (UPDATED).” Huffington Post. January 20, 2012.

LM/AN. Víctima de Misterioso Crimen en Hollywood Trabajaba en Aerolínea Mexicana. January 21, 2012.

Photo Credit: Milenio

The capture was relatively quiet for a high profile arms trafficker for the Sinaloa cartel.  Ávila was found with three cell phones, three credit cards, and two driver’s licenses issued by the Sinaloa government, as well as four bank deposit receipts, photographs, and a ticket from the Federal Electoral Institute (Instituto Federal Electoral, IFE). After the capture, Ávila was transferred to Mexico City and handed over to the Attorney General’s Office (Procuraduría General de la República, PGR).

The news of the top Sinaloa cartel’s arms trafficker comes at the same time that the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’s (ATF) infamous “Fast and Furious” fiasco endures more criticism and headlines. Yesterday, an Arizona federal prosecutor subpoenaed to testify to Congress about the program claimed Fifth Amendment protections prevent him from testifying as it would be ‘self-incriminating.’ The “Fast and Furious” plot was decried for allowing “gunwalking” to Mexico and supplying an estimated 2,000 firearms to Mexican cartels, including AK-47 assault rifles.  Since the break of the scandal in March 2011, Mexican President Felipe Calderón has maintained that the weapons used by drug traffickers overwhelmingly come from the United States through illegal trafficking.

Sources:

“Capturan a “El Lalo”, traficante de armas del “Chapo” Guzmán.” CNN Mexico. January 20, 2012.

“Cayó ‘El Lalo’ presunto introductor de armas del cártel de Sinaloa”. Univision. January 20, 2012.

Fantz, Ashley. “The Mexico drug war: Bodies for billions.” CNN International. January 20, 2012.

Seper, Jerry. “Federal prosecutor cites Fifth in ‘Fast and Furious’ probe.” Washington Times. January 20, 2012.

Calderón and Petraeus after a meeting to discuss the security agenda between the two countries. (Photo credit: Los gobernados)

01/18/12— Mexican President Felipe Calderón met in private today with Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director General David Petraeus, U.S. ambassador to Mexico Anthony Wayne, Nobel Prize economist Nouriel Roubini, and members of his security cabinet. The meeting took place at the presidential residence in Los Pinos and focused on the security agenda between the two countries.

According to a statement issued from the Office of the President, Calderón and Petraeus discussed “different topics in the bilateral agenda and agreed to continue strengthening ties in the area, driven by both governments.”

Those in attendance with Calderón included Interior Minister Alejandro Poiré Romero, and the director of the Center for Investigation and National Security, Jaime Domingo Lopez Buitron. It was also reported that Petraeus and Wayne held a separate meeting today with Poiré at the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior (Secretaría de Gobernación). The meeting addressed issues of coordination and collaboration on security issues between the two countries.

Both meetings were kept secret until late Wednesday night, after which the two meetings were reported to the public. President Calderón also leaked the meeting by posting on his Twitter account, “I just got the prominent economist Nouriel Roubini to discuss issues such as global crisis and the G20.”

Sources:

” Calderón y el director de la CIA acuerdan reforzar cooperación en seguridad.” ABC.es. January 18, 2012.

“Se reúne Calderón con el director de la CIA.” Milenio. January 18, 2012.

Rodríguez García, Arturo. ” Se reúne Calderón con director de la CIA.” Proceso. January 18, 2012.

Ramos Perez, Jorge. ” Calderón y la CIA discuten agenda de la seguridad.” El Universal. January 18, 2012.

Guatemala, a transfer point for drugs moving between Colombia and Mexico, is currently dealing with increased threats from the Mexican Zeta cartel. On the January 11, alleged Zeta cartel members placed blankets warning previous Guatemalan president Álvaro Colom of a pending debt he had with the cartel. The hand written message on the blankets warned that Zetas would not leave Guatemala until this debt had been repaid. According to European Press Agency, the message stated “We shook hands and then we were stabbed in the back, this bill is pending.” President Pérez has accused the Zeta cartel of coming to Guatemala specifically to recruit Guatemalan drug traffickers. He also claims that when the Guatemalan drug traffickers were unwilling to join forces with the Zetas, the Zetas sought to eliminate them. Guatemala is focusing on other Mexican cartel movement throughout the country, too, as it is currently investigating the movements of Sinaola leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán as evidence has suggested that he has passed through Guatemalan territory on various occasions.

Three days after Pérez took office, the Mexican Navy discovered 195 tons of chemicals used in the production of methamphetamine, which were allegedly sent from China en route to Guatemala and Nicaragua. Mexican government officials report that there has been an increase in demand for precursory chemicals used in drug production and, according to BBC, authorities have discovered 900 tons of such chemicals in the last six weeks alone, all bound for Guatemala. According to Milenio, although many of the drugs passing through Guatemala are headed to the United States, President Pérez does not envision U.S. troops stationing themselves in the country for at least the next four years, as has been the custom in other drug trafficking hubs.

In addition to his country’s security strategy, President Pérez has urged all countries in the Americas to adopt a single anti-narco policy for all countries in the region to follow. He argued that the policy adopted by the Mexican government against drug violence has not received joint support from all countries in the region and therefore has not proven to be an adequate strategy to combat the growing violence.

Sources:

EFE. “Supuestos Narcotraficantes Colocan Mantas con Advertencias al Presidente Colom.” European Press Agency. January 11, 2012.

“Guatemala President Orders Army to Join Drugs Fight.” BBC. January 15, 2012.

“Guatemala Investiga Movimientos de “El Chapo” en su Territorio.” El Comercio Mundo. January 16, 2012.

“Guatemala’s President Calls on Troops to ‘Neutralize’ Organized Crime.” CNN. January 16, 2012.

“Pide Otto Pérez Estrategia Conjunta Antinarco.” Milenio. January 16, 2012.

“Mexican Navy Seizes Huge Haul of Precursor Chemicals.” BBC News. January 17, 2012.

Sedena stated that Sánchez Villalobos changed his identity to Óscar Hérnandez González in an attempt to escape the authorities. The investigations stemming from the arrest warrant issued in November led to information that allowed authorities to discover that Sánchez Villalobos had changed his name.

The army has since put Sánchez Villalobos in the control of a public prosecutor that belongs to the Federal Ministry of the Deputy Attorney of Specialized Investigation in Organized Crime (Ministerio Público perteneciente a la Subprocuraduría de Investigación Especializada en Delincuencia Organizada, SIEDO).

Sources:

“Cayó presunto operador financiero de ‘Chapo’ Guzmán.” Univision. January 17, 2012.

Alzaga, Ignacio. “Ejército captura a operador de El Chapo Guzmán.” Milenio. January 17, 2012.

“Ejército mexicano arresta a operador financiero de cártel del Pacífico.” EFE. January 17, 2012.