Togo to Extradite Colombian Traffickers to US for Prosecution

I like the Colombian's using West Africa as a way station to smuggle cocaine to Europe. The potential for use as a plot of a B-level action movie is simply outstanding: Africa! Colombian Drug Lords! Blood Diamonds! Child Soldiers! Whew.

The Togolese government has agreed to extradite a suspected Colombian drug kingpin to the United States.

Solano Cortez Jorge was arrested in October last year, along with seven other South Americans.

The Togolese Anti-Drugs and Narcotics squad said they seized 500kg of cocaine during the raid.

West Africa has become a major staging post for South American drug traffickers on the route to Europe, according to the United Nations.

(BBC AFRICA)

Mexican Drug Cartel Truce Reported in Sinaloa Magazine

Culiacan: Where to meet your favorite Mexican drug kingpin.


Just so the sourcing can be straight on this post:

original article (RIO DOCE)(SP) (translation)(ENG)

This article was drawn to my attention by a commenter, and it's funny because of the recent "drug violence is bad!" summary in the San Diego Union Tribune it's actually been pretty quiet on the whole-sale decapitation beat.

This article claims that a truce was entered into by the major players in the Drug Cartel Wars in December in where else... Culiacan, Sinaloa:

Drug trafficking cartels that are at war last December agreed to a truce that has taken an indefinite nation-wide and that was reflected in a drop in shootings, clashes, killings and settling of scores, unofficial sources revealed.

In the cease-fire agreement, reportedly attended by representatives of criminal organizations that direct Ismael Zamba, the Mayo, Joaquin Guzman Loera, the Chapo, Arturo Beltran Leyva, the Arellano Felix brothers and Carrillo Fuentes.

The pact involves then Sinaloa cartels, Tijuana, Juarez and the Beltran Leyva, who split this year in the organization of Chapo -. These last three have a war against Guzman and Zamba, which has been expressed as the bloodiest since April 30 in Culiacan and other municipalities in this entity, stretching across the country.

The first approach was a private in an exclusive seafood restaurant in Culiacan, Sinaloa in the capital, a day after he was thrown at least one grenade at the front of the provisional headquarters is the Mexican Army in the town of Navolato, the December 10, 2008.

So maybe you were wondering about the dialogue between the top mexican drug cartels:

One of the arguments raised by the kingpins of the criminal organizations involved in the truce is that they have forgotten the market and the local drug business to prioritize executions and confrontations between opposing side. "They neglected the business and others who are working and not under the authority of chiefs," said a source for Ríodoce.

(nods wisely) Hmm... Yes... The business!

But what about the tit-for-tat executions:

One of the agreements is that they will continue and that the executions were "outstanding" and that other cases of sequel to "settling of scores," but there would be no additional murders

Oh did I mention that government appears to be a party to the agreement. I'm going to leave that conclusion to the native Spanish speakers, but it sure sounds like it according to the article.

San Bernardino "Teen Prostitution Capital"

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Child prostitution is thriving in San Bernardino County.

Investigators say hundreds of teens selling sex make connections using Internet sites like Craigslist.org, simply standing along a two-mile stretch of Holt Boulevard in Ontario or hooking up at local truck stops.

(AP)