*** Although the motive behind the otherwise bizarre kidnapping of 3-year-old Briant Rodriguez from his San Bernardino, CA home remains unclear, the police are exploring whether organized crime is involved. Of course, the Mexican drug cartels are not behind the kidnapping because the Obama Administration and its Democratic lackeys like Sen. John Kerry insist that there has been no spillover violence across the border into the United States. In any event, the FBI has released a photo from a surveillance camera of two men -- possibly Mexican nationals -- who allegedly may be responsible for the boy's abduction.
*** "DEA agents and the U.S. attorney say Mexican cartels have made Atlanta a critical part of their operation in trafficking drugs from Mexico through the United States":
Federal agents say cartel members typically like neighborhoods that are middle class and quiet, where criminals can often blend in and go unnoticed. "We have this large and growing Hispanic population, very few of whom have anything to do with the drug trade. What they do is allow the Mexican cartels a place to hide in plain sight," said U.S. Attorney David Nahmias. * * * According to federal agents, 90 percent of the drugs in the United States come from Mexican cartels and Atlanta is their huge transportation hub. "Drugs come here across the southwest border, broken into small packages and go everywhere," said Nahmias. Stash houses used to keep cocaine, meth, marijuana and heroin are stashed throughout the metro area. The drugs are then shipped north and the cash goes back to Mexico.
*** President Barack Obama's budget proposal ramps up spending to confront the Mexican drug cartels:
President Barack Obama wants to boost funding for law-enforcement investigations of Mexican drug cartels through next year's federal budget, including an additional $2 billion for new technology and manpower. The administration says its 2010 budget targets specific threats posed by cartels, weapons smugglers and criminal aliens who wind up in U.S. jails. The proposal, part of a budget the president will submit to Congress today, would represent an 8 percent increase for border and transportation security funding over this year's total, officials said.
