UPDATE BELOW Whatever one may think of the so-called War on Drugs, no one disputes that air and naval interdiction has had an impact on smuggling in Central and South America. No one with any sense will dispute that drugs are only one part of what is being smuggled across various borders. What many miss, however, is that smuggling runs both ways, and that many competent sources have added terrorism to the mix. As drugs, humans, and other goods move north, money and worse move south. From weapons to chemicals, the return path brings even more danger to the countries they transit. As drug money comes in, crime tends to go up as various cartels seek to gain control and safe passage for their goods. As air and sea interdiction by Latin American countries, as well as the U.S., became more effective, the smuggling moved to land routes. Terrorism comes into play as well. In addition to tactics by the drug cartels that tend to make some of the Taliban and Al Qaeda tactics look almost tame, there is growing concern that groups under the Al Qaeda banner are attempting to exploit this route for their own purposes. After all, why risk a port entry when you can exploit an existing system for your own ends. Nor do the problems stop there for the countries involved. As more and more goods are smuggled around borders, more and more legitimate goods do the same. As they do so, the fees collected on those goods go down too, depriving countries of much needed revenue. It is a given that we have problems securing our southern border. That is a topic for another day. For now, I would posit that stopping smuggling further down is not only to our benefit, for it reduces what we have to interdict, but it is also beneficial to the countries through which the smuggling passes. The southern border of Mexico has long been recognized as problematic, and some of the WikiLeaks relases highlighted those problems. Forbes has even covered the issue. Guatemala has seen revenues drop and crime rise significantly over the last decade. In talking with a Guatemalan during my trip, this person reported that ten years ago there was very little street crime as such. Today, murders are common and street crime is rampant. One person told me that out of the staff of a facility we visited, everyone they had talked to had been subjected to a mugging or other form of robbery. The government of Guatemala realized they have a problem, and that a key point of the problem is Tecun Uman. If you search video feeds for the name, you will see goods being sailed on makeshift rafts, and you can find worse. Tecun Uman is also the largest land-border crossing in Central America, which makes it a natural focus for both law enforcement and those out to circumvent the law. This was not a problem where the government could just add more funds to/grow its border patrol. The fact is, while they have customs, the Guatemalans have never needed a border patrol such as we have. The powers we have given to our border patrol are not something that reside in any single agency there, and their constitution places strong limits on the powers that can be given. To do something about the problem means that various agencies have to work together, and the decision was made to create an Inter-Agency Border Unit (IABU) that would bring together military, law enforcement, the judiciary, the Guatemalan equivalent of district attorneys, and others. Doing such is not an easy task, and both equipment and specialized training were needed if this was to be a successful effort. To that end, they asked for assistance and received it. Through existing agreements, U.S. Army South has provided trainers from the U.S. Army, the Texas National Guard, the U.S. Border Patrol, and the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. In addition, the United States has provided vehicles and protective gear. This new unit also needed good people, and the government asked the various organizations involved to send their best people. Tomorrow, I want to introduce you to one of the Guatemalan units involved in the IABU. UPDATE: Per a message I just received, the IABU has been renamed the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF). Not sure when that took place, as most during my visit still called it the IABU as did previous releases, but want to be accurate and up-to-date. LW This trip and other embeds sponsored by MilitaryLuggage.Com and B.N. Shape Clothing. My thanks to them and to everyone who has contributed to make this and other trips possible. Be sure to check out my Facebook Page and Laughing Wolf for other photos, stories, and more. A variety of advertising sponsorships are available, and you can contribute to this trip and other embeds at GoFundMe.
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Posted
Jul 01 2013, 04:03 AM
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BLACKFIVE