Monday, November 05, 2012

mexican cartels enslave engineers to build radio network..,



wired | The Mexican military is trying to dismantle an extensive network of radio antennas built and operated by the notorious Zeta drug cartel. But the authorities haven’t had much luck shutting Radio Zeta down. Not only is much of the equipment super-easy to replace. But the cartel has also apparently found some unwilling — and alarming — assistance by kidnapping and enslaving technicians to help build it.

At least 36 engineers and technicians have been kidnapped in the past four years, according to a report from Mexican news site Animal Politico, with an English translation published by organized-crime monitoring group InSight. Worse, none of the engineers have been held for ransom — they’ve just disappeared. Among them include at least one IBM employee and several communications technicians from a firm owned by Mexico’s largest construction company. “The fact that skilled workers have been disappearing in these areas is no accident,” Felipe Gonzalez, head of Mexico’s Senate Security Committee, told the website.

“None of the systems engineers who disappeared have been found,” Gonzalez said. Unlike Colombia, where drug traffickers control large amounts of territory and can keep hostages for many years, Mexico’s drug territory is more in flux. “When they need specialists they catch them, use them, and discard them,” said the father of one kidnapped engineer.

For at least six years, Mexico’s cartels have relied in part on a sophisticated radio network to handle their communications. The Zetas hide radio antennas and signal relay stations deep inside remote and hard-to-reach terrain, connect them to solar panels, and then link the facilities to radio-receiving cellphones and Nextel devices. While the kingpins stay off the network — they use the internet to send messages — the radio network acts as a shadow communication system for the cartels’ lower-level players and lookouts, and a tool to hijack military radios.

One network spread across northeastern Mexico and dismantled last year included 167 radio antennas alone. As recently as September, Mexican marines found a 295-foot-high transmission tower in Veracruz state. And while the founding leadership of the Zetas originated in the Mexican special forces — and who might have had the know-how to set up a radio system — relatively few of the ex-commando types are still active today. Fist tap Dale.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

kibhj [url=http://www.cheapbeatsuksale.co.uk]beats by dre sale[/url] yhgpuv http://www.cheapbeatsuksale.co.uk yikp [url=http://www.cheapdrebeatssales.co.uk]cheap beats[/url] jmbhcb http://www.cheapdrebeatssales.co.uk tpxs [url=http://www.beatsbydreukstores.co.uk]beats headphone uk[/url] akvqsj http://www.beatsbydreukstores.co.uk qhgvp [url=http://www.drdrebeatsstores.co.uk]beats by dre outlet[/url] wmxikh http://www.drdrebeatsstores.co.uk nbcae [url=http://www.drdrebeatsuksale.co.uk]dr dre headphones[/url] qdrnj http://www.drdrebeatsuksale.co.uk abm [url=http://www.drebeatsuksale.co.uk]beats uk[/url] ymumu http://www.drebeatsuksale.co.uk uhq

Anonymous said...

I’m not that much of a internet reader to be honest but your sites really nice, keep it
up! I'll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back later on. Many thanks

Feel free to surf to my site - Michael Kors Outlet

Anonymous said...

Very nice post. I certainly appreciate this site. Keep
it up!

Here is my page :: Read This

Anonymous said...

Hi to every single one, it's truly a pleasant for me to visit this web page, it includes priceless Information.

my website: Louis Vuitton Pas Cher

Anonymous said...

Thank you, I've recently been searching for information about this subject for a long time and yours is the greatest I've came upon so far.
But, what about the conclusion? Are you positive about the source?


Here is my web blog: Chaussures Foot

Anonymous said...

Useful info. Fortunate me I discovered your web site unintentionally,
and I'm shocked why this accident did not took place earlier! I bookmarked it.

My blog KD Shoes

Anonymous said...

Hello there! This is my 1st comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out
and tell you I really enjoy reading your posts. Can you suggest any other
blogs/websites/forums that deal with the same topics?
Thanks a ton!

My webpage - LeBron James 9