Jaunted

Police in Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa State, say they recently stumbled upon two make-shift car bombs with cell phone-activated detonators, an escalation in the destructive power of weaponry. (Previously drug runners "only" used automatic rifles and RPGs.) Rumor has it the bombs could belong to drug lord Joaquín Guzmán, but police either couldn't or wouldn't confirm that.

Further south of Sinaloa, the Mexican Navy just intercepted a cocaine-laden submarine off the coast of Oaxaca and apprehended the vessel's four-man crew.

The continuing violence, while usually played out between rival drug gangs, has also affected locals and tourists, forcing the State Department to issue a travel alert about visiting the country. The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office, which tends to be less dramatic than its sister agency in the US, also advises tourists to be aware of the situation:

There have been a high number of drug related assassinations in 2008 so far, particularly in the northern border and Pacific states. Foreign visitors and residents have been among the victims in the border region but there is no evidence to suggest that they have been targeted because of their nationality.

Related Stories:
· Mexican Drug Traffickers Built Car Bombs [Reuters]
· Mexican Navy Finds Drug Sub [AFP, via Google]
· State Department Travel Alert: Mexico [Official Site]
· FCO Travel Advice: Mexico [Official Site]
· Mexico Travel coverage [Jaunted]

Where: Mexico

Tags: Drug Travel / Drugs / Crime / Dangerous Travel

by pbb