Yucatan - When the gangsters came to collect the local "tax"
for protection, the owners of the bar in the seaside resort
town of Cancun turned them down.
Not long after, according to witnesses, they returned with
gasoline bombs and attacked the establishment in a deadly
assault that left 6 women and 2 men dead.
The Castillo del Mar was located in a low income area far
from the city's tourist zone. Though Quintana Roo State
Attorney General Francisco Alor said the cause of the blaze
is still under investigation, numerous eye witnesses told
news reporters they witnessed the attack.
The establishment offered table dances and other
attractions, according to the state attorney, who noted its
owners have had problems in the past. He did not specify
the nature of the troubles.
But it is well known that businesses throughout Mexico are
hit for protection money and when they refuse to pay, they
are attacked by the gangsters who demand the tax.
Though Cancun has been spared much of the violence that has
plagued larger cities on the smuggling routes in Sinaloa,
Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Chihuahua and Sonora States, this is
definitely an example of the kind of violence that has led
to the loss of 28,000 lives over the past 4 years.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials announced the launch of a Predator
drone aircraft out of Corpus Christi to complete the aerial
surveillance of the border from Tijuana to Matomoros.
The unmanned aircraft are operated from air conditioned
trailers far away from their area of operations by pilots
who are qualified to fly much more elaborate aircraft.
Using such devices as night vision video and Forward Looking
Infrared (FLIR) cameras, the pilots and operators are able
to spot illegal immigrants and smugglers from 19,000 feet in
alitutude, then direct Blackhawk and Apache helicopters
laden with Homeland Security and National Guard operatives
to intercept their quarry.
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