what is the Mexican government doing about its own southern border problems?
The Mexican navy has actually beefed up its presence in the region to try and deter some of this activity. In August 2009, the navy announced that it had installed six new naval stations in Mexico’s Chiapas state near the Suchiate and Usumacinta rivers. In November, the navy unveiled plans to start building nine bases that would allow it to more effective patrol the border with Guatemala and combat the activities of criminal groups. And the increased naval presence can’t come soon enough. According to a Los Angeles Times article from June 2009, Mexican drug gangs, primarily the Zetas and rivals from the state of Sinaloa, are ramping up operations in Central America to evade increased marine patrols near Mexico as they relay drug shipments to the United States and Europe. Since January 2008, Guatemalan police have arrested about 30 suspects who they said were working for the Zetas. “Already, traffickers operate freely in rural stretches nearest Mexico: building secret airstrips in the n
