Narco State: Mexico And Its Drugs Problem

Mexico's drug trade is worth between $19 and $29bn (£12.1 and £18.5bn) a year in cash - but takes an immeasurably greater toll in human lives and misery.

Some 90% of the cocaine bound for the US goes through the country, which shares a long border with its northern neighbour.

The narcotics industry makes up between 3-4% of the country's GDP, and employs half a million people.

Murder - even mass murder - is relatively commonplace. On average, someone dies a drugs-related death every half an hour.

There have been more than 132,000 kidnappings since 2006, and the government lists a total of 22,322 people as missing.

Video: Where The Gangs Get Their Guns

There are 10 firearms deaths per 100,000 people  - more than twice the rate of the US - despite the fact there is just one legal firearms dealer in the entire country.

Even amid this carnage, the recent abduction of 43 college students made headlines not just nationwide but around the world.

The victims were attacked by officers in the southern city of Iguala after demonstrations there.

Prosecutors say they were handed over by corrupt police officers to a drugs gang that killed them and burnt their bodies.

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1. Gallery: Mexico's Drug Cartels

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Hitman Lifts Lid On Mexico's Culture Of Murder

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent, in Mexico City

At the heart of its smartest district is one of the most dangerous places in the whole of Mexico City: Tepito market.

It's the centre of criminal activity - a trading point for guns, drugs and every variant of goods.

If you shop there, you know you are buying items of debatable legitimacy, and contributing to an all-pervading lawlessness that seems to be accepted as normal life.

And it does seem normal, except an outsider like me can't walk around without protection, and couldn't meet the people who live on the edges of society.

People here can earn far more than anywhere accessible to them on the right side of the law - by sinking into a shadowy world of crime and murder.

Video: How The Cartels Get Their Guns

"Carlos" is an assassin. Over a 25-year career he has killed between 500 and 900 people while working for the drug cartels, politicians and the military.

We met deep in the warren of alleyways and warehouses in the core of Tepito.

He says that the network of cartel power is so entrenched in society and powered by so much money that it is unstoppable.

The police and the military, he says, are often involved in the planning and execution of his hits.

"On some occasions, we have to go to places where weapons are not allowed and then they (police) meet us," he told me.

Video: Mexico City's Tepito Market

"They take us to a hotel and they provide all the weapons that we may need, money and everything so that one can do the job one has to do."

The abduction of 43 students last September has forced Mexico into confronting its crime problems.

Carlos believes that the students are already dead, and uses a chilling example from his own experience to explain why he is so certain.

"Let me tell you a story. Some protestors came. We let them in and then we closed the road, we closed the entrance, we closed the exit. When they were stuck in the middle we killed them all," he recounted.

"Then a (rubbish) truck from the army came and collected them all. Then street sweeper machines went past. They opened the road again, as if nothing had happened.

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1. Gallery: Mexico's Drug War

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Syria Accuses Israel Of Damascus Airstrikes

Syria has accused Israel of carrying out airstrikes against two government-held areas near the capital Damascus, says state TV.

It said the "safe areas targeted" were Dimas to the west of the city and a site close to the international airport in the east.

The country's state news agency called the attack "an aggression against Syria" and said there were no reports of casualties.

There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials.

Israel has carried out several airstrikes in Syria since the uprising against President Bashar al Assad began in March 2011.

The reported raids took place in Dimas and near the city's airport

Most of the strikes have targeted sophisticated weapons systems believed to be destined for the militant Hizbollah group in Lebanon.

The Israeli air force and army have launched several strikes against Syrian military positions since the outbreak of the civil war.

Video: March: Israel Holds Syria-Made Arms

The most recent air raid was in March and targeted military positions in the Quneitra region that borders Israel.

Video: Jan: Israel Tightens Border Defence

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Four Killed As Typhoon Slams Into Philippines

At least four people have been killed as a typhoon with winds of up to 130mph battered the Philippines, knocking out power and bringing down trees.

Nearly 900,000 people fled their homes for shelters ahead of Typhoon Hagupit hitting Samar Island in the east of the country, still reeling from last November's devastating storm which left more than 7,300 people dead or missing.

The wind strength at landfall made Hagupit the most powerful storm to hit the Philippines this year, exceeding a typhoon in July that killed more than 100 people.

But the typhoon later weakened with winds of up to 87mph, sparing the central Philippines the type of massive devastation that the 2013 storm brought.

"Many houses, especially in the coastal areas, were blown away by strong winds," Stephanie Uy-Tan, the mayor of Catbalogan, a major city on Samar, told AFP by phone on Sunday.

"Trees and power lines were toppled, tin roofs were blown off and there is flooding."

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1. Gallery: Typhoon Hagupit Strikes The Philippines

   Hours before Typhoon Hagupit made landfall, the city of Legazpi was deserted

High waves pounding the sea wall

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Victim From Mass Mexican Kidnapping Identified

At least one of the 43 college students abducted in Mexico has been identified among charred remains found near a landfill site, an official has confirmed.

Forensic specialists from Argentina and Austria have been examining body parts found in mass graves and a rubbish dump in southwestern Mexico.

The disappearance of the 43 students has sparked fury in Mexico

The remains are reported to be those of Alexander Mora.

Fellow student Omar Garcia, who was with Mr Mora's father when he learned the fate of his son, said: "He will never give up.

Video: Sky Special: Where Life Is Cheap

"He will never get over his pain, but what he wants to tell all of you, and what we all want to say is this: We want justice."

The trainee teachers went missing on September 26 after clashes with police in the southern city of Iguala, that claimed the lives of six people.

The attorney general has said they were attacked by officers on the orders of the city's mayor Jose Luis Abarca, who has since been arrested.

Prosecutors say the 43 students were then handed over by corrupt police to a drug gang, that killed them and burnt their bodies.

Three suspected gang members have confessed to carrying out the massacre.

Investigators have recovered only small fragments of bones to identify the victims.

The disappearance of the students at the hands of a corrupt public official, and the slow response of the federal authorities to the outrage has sparked a furious backlash cross Mexico.

Tens of thousands have taken to the streets in protest, with some calling for President Enrique Pena Nieto to resign.

The case has come to signify the abuse of authority and corruption which is rife in Mexican society.

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Typhoon Hagupit Slams Into Philippines

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Video: Typhoon Hagupit Reaches Philippines

A powerful typhoon has slammed into eastern Philippines, where 650,000 people have fled to safety in one of the largest peacetime evacuations in the nation's history.

Gusts of 130mph have been recorded alongside sustained winds of 109mph.

The typhoon made landfall on Saturday night in central Eastern Samar province - but the centre of the storm remains several hours away.

The winds, as well as pounding rain, has knocked out power lines and toppled trees in the town of Dolores.

The military is on full alert as the centre of the storm sweeps in

Senior Inspector Alex Robin said: "We are totally in the dark here. The only light comes from flashlights."

The Philippines' 120,000-strong military is on alert to respond to a possible catastrophe.

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1. Gallery: Philippines Braces For Huge Typhoon

   People take shelter inside a church after evacuating their homes due to super-typhoon Hagupit in Tacloban city, central Philippines

Ports are shut, leaving thousands of travelers stranded, and some local authorities ordered forced evacuations as super-typhoon Hagupit swept towards eastern coasts of the island nation

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Meteorologists from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) monitor and plot the direction of super typhoon Hagupit

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Known locally as Ruby, the storm will bear down on the Philipinnes this weekend

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Residents with their belongings wait for a government vehicle to bring them to the evacuation center in Tacloban city

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General Gregorio Pio Catapang said: "We're on red alert, so the entire armed forces is being mobilised for this typhoon."

Meanwhile, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas tried to calm anxious families, and urged for as much preventative action to be taken as possible. The winds are strong enough to trigger deadly storm surges and landslides.

In a televised address, he said: "This is it. I know you are tired, not enough sleep, not enough food, too much coffee. But this is our last push. Every person we can save now is one less we have to look for after the typhoon passes."

Troops have been deployed to supermarkets and major roads to prevent looting and clear debris.

The UN says the evacuation is one of the largest in Philippine history.

Nearly 100 domestic flights have been cancelled and inter-island ferry services suspended, leaving thousands of people stranded.

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1. Gallery: Before And After Images

   View of the entrance to San Roque Elementary School in Leyte, Philippines

The same view one year on

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The region is still haunted by the destruction wrought by Typhoon Haiyan, which left 7,300 people dead or missing last November.

Eastern Samar province representative Ben Evardone said: "Everybody is in fear because of what happened during Haiyan. We can already feel the wrath of the typhoon. Everybody is praying."

Forecasters had been predicting that the typhoon would follow a more southern route, and have warned that its path is unpredictable.

Blanche Gobenciong, a regional disaster-response director, said: "We have a zero-casualty target. Just one loss of life will really sadden us all and make us wonder what went wrong."

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We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

Video: Typhoon Hagupit Reaches Philippines

A powerful typhoon has slammed into eastern Philippines, where 650,000 people have fled to safety in one of the largest peacetime evacuations in the nation's history.

Gusts of 130mph have been recorded alongside sustained winds of 109mph.

The typhoon made landfall on Saturday night in central Eastern Samar province - but the centre of the storm remains several hours away.

The winds, as well as pounding rain, has knocked out power lines and toppled trees in the town of Dolores.

The military is on full alert as the centre of the storm sweeps in

Senior Inspector Alex Robin said: "We are totally in the dark here. The only light comes from flashlights."

The Philippines' 120,000-strong military is on alert to respond to a possible catastrophe.

1/11

1. Gallery: Philippines Braces For Huge Typhoon

   People take shelter inside a church after evacuating their homes due to super-typhoon Hagupit in Tacloban city, central Philippines

Ports are shut, leaving thousands of travelers stranded, and some local authorities ordered forced evacuations as super-typhoon Hagupit swept towards eastern coasts of the island nation

]]>

Meteorologists from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) monitor and plot the direction of super typhoon Hagupit

]]>

Known locally as Ruby, the storm will bear down on the Philipinnes this weekend

]]>

Residents with their belongings wait for a government vehicle to bring them to the evacuation center in Tacloban city

]]>

General Gregorio Pio Catapang said: "We're on red alert, so the entire armed forces is being mobilised for this typhoon."

Meanwhile, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas tried to calm anxious families, and urged for as much preventative action to be taken as possible. The winds are strong enough to trigger deadly storm surges and landslides.

In a televised address, he said: "This is it. I know you are tired, not enough sleep, not enough food, too much coffee. But this is our last push. Every person we can save now is one less we have to look for after the typhoon passes."

Troops have been deployed to supermarkets and major roads to prevent looting and clear debris.

The UN says the evacuation is one of the largest in Philippine history.

Nearly 100 domestic flights have been cancelled and inter-island ferry services suspended, leaving thousands of people stranded.

1/24

1. Gallery: Before And After Images

   View of the entrance to San Roque Elementary School in Leyte, Philippines

The same view one year on

]]>

The region is still haunted by the destruction wrought by Typhoon Haiyan, which left 7,300 people dead or missing last November.

Eastern Samar province representative Ben Evardone said: "Everybody is in fear because of what happened during Haiyan. We can already feel the wrath of the typhoon. Everybody is praying."

Forecasters had been predicting that the typhoon would follow a more southern route, and have warned that its path is unpredictable.

Blanche Gobenciong, a regional disaster-response director, said: "We have a zero-casualty target. Just one loss of life will really sadden us all and make us wonder what went wrong."

More follows...

Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain

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1. Hostages Killed By Captors During Rescue Bid
2. Hunger Stalks Britain, Warns Archbishop Welby
3. 130mph Winds Lash Philippines As Typhoon Hits
4. William And Kate To Take New York By Storm
5. Alex Salmond To Stand As MP At Next Election

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