Mexico’s Leftist President Abandons ‘Hugs Not Bullets’ Approach To Crime: ‘Didn’t Work And Is Not Viable’ | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the The Daily Wire. The author of this post is Ryan Saavedra.

    Mexico's leftist president Andrés Manuel López Obrador appears to be abandoning his "hugs not bullets" approach to dealing with Mexico's violent crime problem that is fueled by the country's notorious drug cartels.

    AMLO's shift in thinking was made apparent this week when surreal images emerged of thousands of Mexican soldiers conducting a large-scale operation to capture Ovidio Guzmán López, the son of notorious Sinaloa drug cartel leader Joaquín Guzmán Loera, who is also known as "El Chapo."

    The operation was so large in scale because the last time that the Mexican military captured Ovidio Guzmán in 2019, they were forced to let him go after hundreds of heavily armed cartel gunmen threatened to murder families and overrun the soldiers.

    AMLO's initial thinking reflected the thinking of some in the U.S. who believe that the war on drugs is ineffective and who do not want to escalate violent confrontations with criminal organizations.

    Raúl Benítez, a security expert at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, told The Wall Street Journal that this latest action marks an end to that way of thinking by Mexico's president.

    "López Obrador is leaving behind that stuff about hugs, not bullets," he said. "It shows that such an anticrime strategy didn't work and is not viable."

    Ten soldiers were killed during the 3,500-man operation in addition to 19 members of the cartel with 35 soldiers sustaining gunshot injuries. Nearly two dozen cartel members were arrested, and numerous .50-caliber weapons were seized, along with dozens of rifles, and more than two dozen armored vehicles.

    A U.S. official told the Journal that while "things have improved ... there is still a fair amount of suspicion on both sides."

    Last summer, Infamous Mexican cartel kingpin Rafael Caro Quintero, who murdered a U.S. federal agent in 1985, was captured by an elite Mexican military unit after being on the run for nearly a decade.

    "Caro Quintero helped a lot, this will help a lot," the U.S. official said.

    Quintero was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the murder of DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, but was let out after 28 years because a judge in Mexico ruled that he should have been tried in a federal court, not a state court.

    When Mexican officials attempted to retry the case, Quintero went into hiding and remained on the run for almost 10 years.

    With a $20 million price tag on his head from the U.S. government, Quintero reportedly reassembled his drug cartel shortly after being let out of prison.

    However, a person who makes fentanyl for the drug cartels told the Journal that this latest major arrest changes nothing.

    "There won't be any more violence if the government doesn't go any further," he said. "The cartel will continue the same with minor adjustments."

poll#162

In what may be the most divisive period in modern American History, even more divisive than the turbulent sixties due to today's lack of patriotism, consider what are the major catalysts causing so much of this calamity of conflict, and vote: What most instigates the division of America, on this day September 20, 2022?

  Racism within our society

  Sex realignment to the detriment of our society.

  Biden /Harris Wide Open Southern Border Policy for the Demographic Upheaval of OUR Constitutional Republic

  Rampant Crime in Democratic controlled cities, and the possible contagion elsewhere

  Covid Pandemic, and its mishandling at the political, and bureaucratic levels.

  The unresolved questions /allegation regarding the flawed 2020 General Election

  January 6th Riot or "Armed Insurrection", depending upon patriotic perspective

  Joe Biden as Divisive Leader; Ineffective and Corrupt Executive

  Failed Education Industry, from an overall perspective, regarding all levels of education.

  Propagandistic Media in complete conflict with the First Amendment's guarantee of Freedom of Speech, and the awesome responsibility of a Free Press..

  "Orangeman Bad!"

  Bureaucracy rushing to a behemoth size, its unjustified expense, and far too often overreach.

  The Weaponized Deep State for political purposes

  A secular ambivalence to all that is real.

  Record number of overdose deaths from opioids and now Fentanyl

  Biden Administration's disastrous Foreign Policy

  Bidenflation /supply chain failure inevitably evolving into stagflation and recession.

  "Ultra MAGA Extremists" freely speaking louder AND LOUDER!

928 total vote(s)     What's your Opinion?

poll#163

The previous poll on Eastern NC NOW showcased what are many of OUR Constitutional Republic's certain obstacles to remain viable, where the top encumbrance to that continuance as a functioning Republic was the Biden /Harris Wide Open Southern Border. Understanding this overwhelming concern to real America citizens: Do you believe it important to challenge the veracity of those legislated concerns of Democratic Socialists by transporting Illegal Migrants to their Sanctuary cities, counties and states for their direct care?

  Yes; test the depth of their "compassion" by giving Democratic Socialists an opportunity to enact all Sanctuary provisions in their communities to test how much they truly do care.

  No; the Biden /Harris Wide Open Southern Border Project is designed to only inundate "Red States" to begin their Demographic Upheaval for the benefit of we Democratic Socialists, our politics.

  I generally do NOT care about politics, but it is fun watching abject hypocrites squirm; maybe I will start getting more involved.

453 total vote(s)     What's your Opinion?

poll#166

With the Midterm Elections less than one week away: What do you consider the top issues that you will be voting on to be corrected by your better representation?

  Education

  Crime

  Big Government getting Bigger

  Biden /Democrat controlled Spike in Energy Cost

  Inflation created by Legislation of Majority in Power

  Gender Reassignment

  Corrupted Bureaucratic /Service (DOJ, FBI, etc.) Institutions

  Abortion

  Discredited Legacy Media

  Ending the Corruption of Dishonest Politicians

  Corruptive Influence of Social Media

  Wide Open Southern Border

439 total vote(s)     What's your Opinion?