According to BBC.com, the city of Monterrey is fast becoming the new Ciudad Juarez, as drug related murders, kidnappings, and robberies are on the rise. Monterrey is the capital of the state of Nuevo Leon, and aside from being the industrial capital of Mexico, it is also considered to be the richest as well.
This increase in overall crime is attributed to the Zetas, who are combating their previous employers the Gulf Cartel. The Zetas are utilizing Monterrey for a number of key reasons. Firstly, the wealthy residents make ideal kidnapping targets, as they are able to pay hefty ransoms. Secondly, the city is a fairly short distance away from the US border. And lastly, because of its proximity to the Gulf, Monterrey provides the Zetas with an excellent staging ground for their fight against rival DTOs. Furthermore, the police in the city are known to be terribly corrupt. According to BBC.com, 400 out of the 750 police officers employed under the authority of Mayor Fernando Larrazabal failed to pass a "reliability" test the included a polygraph session and an examination of personal finances.
Despite the fact that the city has fired and replaced a large portion of it's police force, the DTO's are fighting back by kidnapping and also murdering key governmental figures. This and other DTO actions have spurred local business men around the city to place ads in local newspapers requesting the government to send badly needed troops.
What is occurring in Ciudad Juarez currently may end up happening in Monterrey, as a military incursion will provoke the Zetas to respond violently. So what can be done? Well, harking back to Pablo Escobar in Colombia, Special Operatives should be sent by the government to target key members of the organization, in the hopes of cutting off the head of the serpent. The Zetas brazen actions will only end when they lose their ability to organize, direct confrentation will only incur more violence.
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