Mexico

Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham asked the Justice Department (DOJ) to back her petition for further FBI assistance to combat surging violent crime, she revealed Wednesday. FBI Director Christopher Wray failed to give Grisham more resources when she reached out to him with similar pleas in June, according to a press release . She recently sent Attorney General Merrick Garland a letter that urged assigning more FBI agents to her state. “Both New Mexico law enforcement agencies and the FBI are partners in addressing and preventing violent crime,” Grisham told Garland, according to the release. “It is therefore imperative to provide the tools and support to achieve our common goal of ending violent crime in New Mexico.” New Mexico had the 13th-highest homicide mortality rate nationwide in 2020, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data said. Its largest city, Albuquerque, had an estimated violent crime rate of about 1,043.4 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants … [Read more...] about Democrat New Mexico Governor Begs For More FBI Agents — Again — Amid Crime Wave

MEXICO CITY — The Mexican government plans to bring another lawsuit against U.S. companies it claims are responsible for the flow of illegal weapons into Mexico, Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said Wednesday. Ebrard suggested the new lawsuit could target gun shops or dealers in U.S. border states like Arizona who sell guns to “straw” purchasers who pass them on to smugglers, who then take the weapons into Mexico. Ebrard said about 60% of the weapons seized in Mexico in recent years were believed to have been sold in 10 U.S. counties, mostly along the border. Mexico has very strict restrictions on weapon possession, but drug cartel violence has cost hundreds of thousands of lives in the country in recent years. “Mexico is going to file the second lawsuit in Arizona, and we are going to show that many of these outlets where they sell these products in these counties I mentioned, are dealing with straw purchasers, and criminal charges have to be brought,” Ebrard said … [Read more...] about Mexico plans to bring second lawsuit against U.S. gun dealers

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Federal and local authorities investigating drug trafficking by Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel found more than 3,550 pounds (1,600 kilos) of methamphetamine and 145 pounds (66 kilos) of cocaine at a home in Southern California, officials said. The bust marked the largest meth seizure in the Drug Enforcement Administration's Los Angeles Division, the DEA said in a statement Wednesday. Investigators watching a possible stash house in Norco late last month observed an individual carry three boxes from the residence to a vehicle, the statement said. A search of the vehicle turned up the cocaine and the meth was found in the garage of the home, according to the DEA. The seized drugs have an estimated street value of $33 million, officials said. “This massive seizure likely saved lives and prevented the Sinaloa Cartel from doing business and profiting on the lives of people in our communities," DEA Special Agent in Charge Bill Bodner said. The investigation is … [Read more...] about DEA says Los Angeles area meth bust was largest in region

9 Community Corner Homewood resident Zack Kulak, 33, was killed in a crash in Markham Friday. Now his wife Katelyn struggles to face a new reality. Lauren Traut , Patch Staff Posted | Updated Replies HOMEWOOD, IL — A Homewood family is reeling this week after a beloved husband and adored father of four was killed Friday night in a crash in Markham. Zack Kulak, 33, was one of two killed when the other driver crossed traffic and hit Kulak's car broadside. The other driver also died. Kulak was on his way to work as an engineer at the Daley Center; his wife Katelyn, their children and their friends were awaiting his later arrival for a weekend getaway to Michigan, a trip to celebrate her 34th birthday the day prior. They waited, the children dressed in matching apple-themed outfits, dresses and bows, ready to go apple picking — and he would have loved that day together, his wife said. When he didn't arrive as planned, … [Read more...] about ‘It’s A Nightmare:’ Wife Grieves Husband, Father of 4 Killed In Crash