Before the Mexican people propelled anti-corruption crusader Andrés Manuel López Obrador to the presidency in a landslide, the country’s national elections were marred by unprecedented political violence. In the span of nine months, 132 politicians were murdered in Mexico, including 48 candidates for office.
Because these murders are rarely solved, it’s impossible to know what, exactly, motivates them. But Salvador Rangel, a Catholic bishop in the state of Guerrero (a hot spot in the transnational heroin trade), has a pretty good idea.
Over the years, Rangel has met privately with capos from the cartels that dominate the region, and that’s given him insight into how political battles are fought and won in Guerrero and all over the country.
“It’s in the interest of the mafias and the drug traffickers to install politicians in public office to their liking,” Rangel told VICE News. It’s no surprise, then, that rival syndicates would fight over political territory as they do over any other asset — and the politicians themselves are often willing participants. “Many politicians — their godfathers are the narcos. They’re the ones who fund their campaigns. And that explains why so many narcos are so well protected.”
Subscribe to VICE News here: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News
Check out VICE News for more: http://vicenews.com
Follow VICE News here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vicenews
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vicenews
Tumblr: http://vicenews.tumblr.com/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/vicenews
More videos from the VICE network: https://www.fb.com/vicevideo
More info on Body Counts Rise As Mexican Cartels Go To War Over Politicians (HBO)
-
MPs awarded pay rise to £91,346 by independent body
MPs have been awarded a pay rise to £91,346 by ... was later expanded to cover politicians' salaries as well. Before this, MPs set their own pay. When IPSA took over, MPs took home around £ ...
-
Democrats prepare to go to war against third-party candidates
“A lot of people, including me, regret that we didn’t go after her further ... where if it’s a three-party problem, a three-body-problem, Donald Trump is going to win,” he said.
-
MPs handed 5.5% pay rise which will see politicians earn over £90,000 a year
MPs are set to get a pay rise of 5.5 per cent to over £90,000 a year. From next month their salary will be £91,346. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) said the decision had ...
-
The Excerpt podcast: Mexican cartels are using timeshares trapping thousands of Americans
When you think about Mexican cartels, the things that are likely to come to mind are drug trafficking, gun battles and assassinations. But add this one to your list, timeshares. Over the past ...
-
Warm up continues, pollen count on the rise
With all of this dry and warm weather, our pollen count has increased this week as we near astronomical spring on March 19. Maple, juniper, and poplar are the main pollens in the air so it’s ...
-
Putin Warns US, Says Russia Ready For Nuclear War Over Ukraine
Russia and the United States are by far the largest nuclear powers, controlling more than 90% of the world's nuclear weapons. Putin said Russia was ready for serious talks on Ukraine. "Russia is ...
-
Baseball’s Jocks vs. Nerds War Is Over. The Jocks Have Become the Nerds.
At first glance, Craig Breslow seems like a perfectly standard choice to run the Boston Red Sox front office. He graduated from Yale with a degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry, earned ...
-
‘Bright and articulate woman’ who worked as ‘enforcer’ for Mexican drug cartel in Spokane sentenced to 11 years in federal prison
A 36-year-old Spokane woman who liked to spend her free time teaching her daughter to ride a bike moonlighted as an “enforcer” for a Mexican drug organization, attorneys said Tuesday.
-
Former substitute teacher arrested after talking to students about his sexual ‘body count,’ sheriff says
The complainant alleged that Cameron McKnight, a 26-year-old substitute teacher and part-time athletics coach, was speaking with students about his “body count;” the number of women he had ...
-
'Devastating': Missing Washington woman's body found in Mexican cemetery, police say
The body of a Washington woman who ... Renton police said. Over the weekend, investigators got in contact with Mexican authorities who provided enough information to positively identify Hernandez ...
-
The Russian war machine is fired up but won't be able to keep going like this indefinitely, war analysts say
Russia's war machine has picked up momentum in concert with its increased industrial capacity and decreased Ukrainian resistance, but current Russian manufacturing capabilities and stored combat ...
-
“I’m going to have to go on the warpath”: Alex Jones threatens Trump over vaccine brag
Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones threatened to go on a “warpath” against Donald Trump after the former president bragged about COVID-19 vaccines on his platform Truth Social.