Standort: fm4.ORF.at / Meldung: "The losing battle in the Mexican drug war"

Kate Farmer

Cutting to the chase

16. 7. 2013 - 13:23

The losing battle in the Mexican drug war

Reality Check: Mexico drug arrest, Srebrenica circus

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The Zetas drug cartel is generally considered to be the most brutal and dangerous in Mexico - but yesterday, its leader, Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, was captured by police near the US border.

Miguel Angel Trevino Morales

EPA/SEMAR

Morales may be a big fish, but his capture won't make a big splash

Unfortunately, the capture of one man, even one as prominent as Morales, is unlikely to make much impact in a country where the drug cartels operate almost with impunity, and where the desperate economic situation means there is no shortage of recruits ready to turn to crime.

Alejandro Boucabaille is a sociologist and commentator who was born in Mexico but is now based in Innsbruck. His family still live in the popular tourist resort of Acapulco - but even there, they are not safe. His mother was recently kidnapped in broad daylight, and although she was later released unharmed, it's a sober illustration of the lawlessness that has become the norm in Mexico.

In today's Reality Check, Alejandro explains the significance why progress being made in the drugs war is so slow, and why this one arrest is unlikely to make any difference.

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Srebrenica circus

Joanna Bostock meets the founder of a circus which is bringing people together in Srebrenica.

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