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More Details On Drug Cartel's Clandestine Communications Network
K7DAN writes "The AP reports that Mexico's drug cartels have built their own sophisticated two-way radio communications system using computer-controlled linked and local repeaters on mountain tops, walkie-talkies, mobile transceivers and and base stations. The solar powered system covers vast areas of Mexico that are unserved by cellular phone network and has the advantage of being more difficult to trace." This article adds much more substance about the technology than was included in the report several weeks ago of the seizure of thousands of this network's components; from the description in this article, the earlier headline overstated the case by saying that the network had therefore been "shut down."
If the mexican authorities really wanted to shut down this network, they simply would have to do a bit of flying in those areas with a SIGINT plane and map out all the transceivers. Then send the GPS coordinates to helicopter teams who will destroy the gear. All the talk about "concealment" is basically rubbish, as these atennas are not concealed at all if you have a directional receiver and a cheap spectrum analyzer in your hands.
I assume this one of these publicity stunts where the authorities "demonstrate how they crack down", when 99% of the illegal business continues without any disruption.
The very fact that these drug cartel even perform "show of force", hang mayors and policemen dead from bridges, set up their own checkpoints and so on demonstrates that the drug lords have already taken over a large portion of the mexican state.
the US govt does nothing. Honestly a few drones targeting these and blowing them up will do a lot to disrupt the cartels comms. I am certain the Mexico Govt will happily let us do that.
Makes me wonder if the "war on drugs" is actually an excuse just to jail random poor people if the cops dont like them.
You guessed right. Here is who profits from having well-heeled and violent cartels on our border:
1: Private prisons. You realize how many people are locked up in detention centers? That is a lot of moola going to the private corrections companies... who turn right around and "suggest" judges should have better conviction ratios, or else they will be replaced by those who do come next election. There is a whole industry around locking people up, and everyone profits except the arrestee. 1/3 of people under 23 have seen the inside of a jail here in the US. So, yes, we are tough on crime, I guess...
2: A whole industry about fear of the southern bad guys.
3: People who make money by keeping pot illegal. I don't smoke the stuff, and see that it makes people drooling stupid, but I'd rather have my tax dollars go for welfare for them, than paying more for keeping them locked up for the rest of their life. Here where I live, people get 20+ years for possessing a single joint. At least if they were on the dole, they would be keeping the local economy busy by keeping the local Taco Bells and Pizza Huts going.
4: Eventually, private mercenaries. Once the violence starts spilling over (well, it is pretty bad... you do not dare try a rest stop on I-35 or I-10, else you will eat a shotgun blast to the face when some thug needs to blow away a gringo so he can join his "blood in/blood out" gang), our troops will wind up fighting the Mexican War 2... and this time, the cartels actually have tanks, unmanned drones, and submarines.