Beyond garnish: used correctly, parsley brings flavor, texture and freshness

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February 12, 2022

Parsley is one of those ubiquitous ingredients that seems to be everywhere yet not used specifically. Sadly, its starring role seems to be as a throw-away garnish on everything from grilled fish to tortas.

That’s a shame, really, as parsley’s bright, grassy flavor — lightly herbal but sweet and fresh — is a respected asset in classic dishes all over Europe, the Middle East and some South American countries. It’s an essential in Lebanese tabouleh, Italian gremolata, French fines herbes and bouquet garni, the Québécois pommes persillade and the traditional Brazilian herb seasoning cheiro-verde.

Historically, the ancient Romans believed that a necklace of fresh parsley would prevent drunkenness. If any of you try this, please let me know if it works!

I’ve only encountered parsley in Mexico (known here as perejil, pronounced pear-ray-heel) as the aforementioned sad garnish, or sometimes in lime or pineapple agua fresca, where the tiny minced bits add a pretty green color and just a hint of herby flavor to the juice concoction.

By the way, calling cilantro “Mexican parsley” is a complete misnomer. They’re two very different plants whose flavor profiles are poles apart. What is confusing, though, are the two varieties of parsley, flat-leaf and curly. For most of us, the flavors are about the same — it’s the textures and uses that differ.

Parsley chimichurri — Make parsley chimichurri the costar of your steak dinner!

Curly parsley is, as the name says, curly and is what’s commonly used in French cooking. The stems are filled with small bunches of tightly packed leaves that, when fresh, can be particularly juicy and flavorful. Flat-leaf or Italian parsley is softer and holds its flavor better than its curly cousin when heated.

Whichever variety you buy, look for a fresh, bright green color, firm stems and no yellowing. Once you get your parsley home, don’t wash or disinfect it until you’re ready to use it. Store the bunch in the fridge wrapped in paper towels and sealed in a plastic bag, or you can snip the stems and place it in a glass with a little water, like you would a bunch of flowers.

Parsley Pesto

½ lb. spaghetti
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup chopped pecans/walnuts
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice plus wedges for serving

Cook spaghetti al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water. In food processor, blend garlic, parsley, nuts, Parmesan, oil, salt and pepper until it forms a thick paste. Add lemon juice.

Toss hot pasta with pesto, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Argentinian Chimichurri

1 cup packed fresh parsley
5 cloves garlic, peeled
2 Tbsp. fresh oregano leaves
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

In food processor or blender, pulse parsley, garlic and oregano until finely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl; whisk in oil, vinegar, salt and red pepper flakes. Store refrigerated up to 2 days.

Fresh Herb Italian Vinaigrette

1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
10 large fresh basil leaves
¼ tsp. dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp.)
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1½ tsp. honey
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Combine parsley, basil, oregano, garlic, vinegar and honey in food processor. Process until a paste forms. With motor on, drizzle in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. — seriouseats.com

Parsley shrimp — Plenty of garlic and parsley make this shrimp dish divine.

Shrimp or Salmon with Green Sauce

3-4 cloves garlic
1 bunch parsley, tough stems discarded
3 scallions, chopped
½ jalapeno, seeded
1/3 cup olive oil
Sea salt
¼ cup white wine
1 Tbsp. water
1 lb. large peeled and deveined shrimp OR 3 (6 oz.) salmon filets

Preheat oven to 500 F. In food processor, blitz garlic. Add parsley, scallions and jalapeno to food processor and blend; add olive oil and salt. Blitz until combined.

Pour into 8-by-8-inch glass baking dish. Add wine, water and shrimp/salmon to the sauce; stir to combine.

Bake until shrimp are opaque, 8–10 minutes, or until salmon is cooked to desired tenderness.

Note: If using salmon, follow directions above, adjusting the bake time for the size of the filets.

Parsley and Romaine Salad

Simple flavors + lots of texture = delicious!

1 cup packed flat-leaf parsley, large stems removed
1 heart of romaine lettuce
1 Tbsp. pine nuts, lightly toasted
4 thin slices stale or toasted baguette, rubbed with a cut clove of garlic and cubed
1 Tbsp. minced chives
¼ cup vinaigrette dressing of your choice*

Cut parsley into thin strips (chiffonade) by holding the bunch tightly together and cutting across it with a chef’s knife. Transfer to salad bowl.

Stack romaine leaves; cut crosswise into chiffonade. Add to salad bowl. Add pine nuts, croutons and chives. Just before serving, toss with dressing.

* To make a simple lemon vinaigrette: 1 Tbsp. lemon juice whisked with 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and salt to taste

Garlic-Parsley Butter

The simplest sauce for grilled seafood, meat, and vegetables.

1 stick unsalted butter (4 oz.), softened
¼ cup packed fresh parsley leaves
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. lemon zest
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine butter, parsley, lemon juice and zest, and garlic in food processor. Pulse until combined thoroughly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Alternatively, mince parsley and garlic by hand and mix everything in a bowl using a fork.) Wrap butter tightly; store in refrigerator up to two weeks or in freezer several months.

Gremolata

Serve over grilled fish, veggies, pork or meat or mix with pasta.

2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup minced flat-leaf parsley
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Optional: ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon grated orange zest, 1 Tbsp. chopped capers, minced jalapeño

Mix everything together.

Janet Blaser is the author of the best-selling book, Why We Left: An Anthology of American Women Expats, featured on CNBC and MarketWatch. She has lived in Mexico since 2006. You can find her on Facebook.

Guerrero election annulled for not allowing women to vote

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MND Staff

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February 11, 2022

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Women who were denied a vote will be able to cast ballots on Sunday.

The Guerrero Electoral Tribunal (TEEG) has annulled a municipal election held last month because women were not permitted to cast a ballot.

A fresh vote to elect a a new comisario — a municipal commissioner with a range of legal and other responsibilities — will be held Sunday in Ocotequila, a community in the municipality of Copanatoyac.

Nine women were told they couldn’t participate in the election when they turned up to vote on January 2.

Municipal officials said they couldn’t vote because the indigenous governing code known as usos y costumbres precluded the participation of women. Copanatoyac is part of Guerrero’s Montaña region, where most residents are indigenous.

The disenfranchised women filed a legal challenge against their exclusion and won their case. The TEEG ordered Copanatoyac authorities to stage the election again and allow women to vote.

It is the first time that an election has been annulled in Guerrero because women were not permitted to vote. The ruling sets a precedent that could enfranchise other indigenous women in Guerrero as well as those in states such as Morelos, Michoacán, Puebla and Chiapas, where women have also been prevented from participating in local elections.

“From now on in Guerrero, no indigenous woman will be denied the right to vote or to be a candidate in any election,” the TEEG stated.

“It feels very nice,” said Antonia Ramírez Marcelino, referring to the decision allowing her to vote on Sunday.

Ramírez, one of the Ocotequila women denied the right to vote last month and a councilor with a local committee of the National Electoral Institute, told the newspaper Milenio that she was also happy because her mother would have the opportunity to vote before she dies.

“My mom says, ‘I’m going to vote before I die,’ and I say to her, ‘yes, you’re going to vote before you die,’ and that’s … satisfaction,” she said.

“We’re scared about how the community will react, we’re afraid we’ll be kicked out of the community,” Ramírez said before acknowledging that expulsion would be an “extreme” response.

She said she hoped Ocotequila residents would understand that the objective in filing a legal challenge was not to “go against” the men who make decisions related to usos y costumbres, but because denying women the right to vote “denigrates us.”

“Usos y costumbres can’t be above women’s dignity, and those customs, we don’t want them,” Ramírez said.

With reports from Milenio

COVID roundup: Almost 1,000 deaths on Thursday, a record for the fourth wave

By

MND Staff

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February 11, 2022

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Mexico City has the most active cases of any state or federal entity, with over 25,000 people known to be infected.

Mexico recorded its highest single-day death tally of the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday with almost 1,000 fatalities.

The Health Ministry reported 927 COVID-19 deaths, the highest daily total since September. The high single-day count came after 743 fatalities were reported Wednesday.

Mexico’s official COVID-19 death toll rose to 311,554 on Thursday, the fifth highest total in the world.

The Health Ministry also reported 34,261 additional confirmed cases, lifting the country’s accumulated tally above 5.22 million.

There are 127,688 estimated active cases, a significant reduction compared to earlier in the omicron-fueled fourth wave when the figure rose above 300,000.

Colima has the highest number of active cases on a per capita basis with 450 per 100,000 people. Baja California Sur, Mexico City, Nayarit and Tlaxcala rank second to fifth.

Mexico City has the highest total number of active cases with over 25,000 followed by neighboring México state with almost 10,000.

The occupancy rate for both general care hospital beds and beds with ventilators decreased 1% between Wednesday and Thursday to 36% and 25%, respectively.

The Health Ministry said the national hospital occupancy rate is 70% below the pandemic peak, recorded during the second wave in January 2021.

Mexico News Daily

Colorful Michoacán orchid festival returns after a two-year hiatus

By

John Pint

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February 11, 2022

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The genus Cymbidium, said to include the largest orchids in the world, can be seen in abundance at the annual San José de Gracia Orchid Expo.

San José de Gracia may look like many other small towns in Michoacán, but it is hiding a secret.

In the patios, kitchens and living rooms of almost all its citizens lurk rare and beautiful orchids.

“All of us are addicted to growing them,” a local man told me, “and this is why we started holding orchid exhibits here many years ago.”

For 12 years in a row, San José held its Orchid Festival the first weekend of every February, up until COVID came along. The event was canceled both in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, but this year it came back.

“They toned it down quite a bit,” reports visitor Rodrigo Orozco. “In 2019, the whole plaza was festooned with orchids and crowded with people. They had even erected a big stage where local girls were dancing in bikinis. Honestly, it was quite a show.”

San Jose de Gracia, Michoacan orchid fair — Architect Enrique Navarro calls orchids “a magnet that brings together people who otherwise would have nothing in common.”

In keeping with pandemic control guidelines, this year’s event was more of an expo and less of a spectacle, with attendance by many of Mexico’s experts not only in growing orchids, but especially in creating hybrids.

One of these was Enrique Navarro Olivares, owner of OrquideasGDL, an online store operating out of the town of Tlajomulco, Jalisco.

“What’s your specialty?” I asked him.

“We’re producers,” he told me. “We produce a big variety of plants, most of them exotic. By this I mean they’re not endemic to Mexico. You know, our country has a huge biodiversity of orchids, and many of the participants in this expo specialize in growing them, but we are interested in species from other parts of the world. Our challenge is to bring in species from Brazil, Indonesia or Africa, for example, all of which are exotic, as far as we are concerned.”

One of the orchids Navarro had on display was a cymbidium, which I knew from past visits to San José was one of the favorites of the townspeople, grown by just about every family in town.

“The cymbidium,” Navarro told me, “originated in Southeast Asia, but curiously, it grows particularly well in this part of Mexico because the climate is the same.”

Navarro says that this all started when somebody brought a few plants of the species here from the United States. Other people told me that this event took place more than 80 years ago.

“Those first orchids,” continued Navarro, “did extraordinarily well here, at an altitude of 1,990 meters — just over a mile high — and soon people appeared, asking to buy them. Before long, everybody in San José was growing them!”

People in San José are crazy about cymbidiums because they get such great results, Navarro said.

“This has spurred them on to looking for other species, and this interest has now spread to other communities in the area.”

In the course of our conversation, I was surprised to learn that Navarro is an architect.

“Yes, yes,” he said, laughing, “For me, this all began as a hobby, but I kept collecting more and more plants. I realized that we also have a great climate in Tlajomulco for growing orchids and that there is a huge market for them. In time, I discovered that this is not only a very good business, it’s also a really beautiful business; in fact, I would call it a noble business, where you not only share your life with these marvelous flowers but with marvelous people.

“These orchid growers turn out to be ranchers, politicians, homemakers, professionals, even kids! I discovered that orchids are culture, a magnet that brings together all kinds of people who otherwise would have nothing in common. I love it!”

The genus Cymbidium is called the boat orchid in English and has over 50 species. According to the American Orchid Society, plants in this genus are prized for their long-lasting sprays of flowers. The Australian orchid nursery calls it the king of orchids.

Along with moth orchids (Phaleonopsis), these orchids are cool-tolerant and hardy and will grow in most temperate locations worldwide. They come in many colors, sizes and shapes.

The Royal Horticultural Society rates them as one of the least demanding of indoor orchids but warns that they do best in climates with cool nights.

If you missed the 2022 event, you might still consider making a visit to San José de Gracia at any other time of the year. It’s only a 17-minute drive from the extremely popular Mazamitla, Jalisco, and in the plaza you will find examples of what locals insist are the most beautiful orchids in the world.

What to do after that?

First, you might wander over to the town hall to see a curious “cartoon mural” depicting San José’s most illustrious sons.

One of them, wearing an eye patch, is Luis González y González, said to be the inventor of microhistory — writing histories that focus on a single place, event or individual. He wrote the book, Pueblo en vilo: Microhistoria de San José de Gracia, which was translated into English by John Upton as San Jose de Gracia: Mexican Village in Transition. González also founded the Colegio de Michoacán, one of the most highly esteemed institutes of education in western Mexico.

Then you can go shopping because it just so happens that San José is the number-one producer of milk in the entire state of Michoacán.

As a result, local entrepreneurs insist that this is the best place in all Mexico to buy cheeses, yogurt and other milk products like chongos (a dessert made with curdled milk, sugar and cinnamon) and cajeta (caramel).

If those are not sweet enough for you, please note that local people told me (repeatedly) that right here in San José de Gracia, you will find the prettiest women in all Mexico!

The writer has lived near Guadalajara, Jalisco, since 1985. His most recent book is Outdoors in Western Mexico, Volume Three. More of his writing can be found on his blog.

Foreign minister a fan of Mexican-made electric car

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MND Staff

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February 11, 2022

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Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard waves from inside a Zacua electric car. Twitter @m_ebrard

Mexico’s first electric vehicle (EV) was back in the spotlight this week when Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard tweeted about it after launching the Mexico-United States Electric Vehicle Working Group.

“We started the Mexico-United States … [working group] with the support of the University of California and the automotive industry. I got to try the Zacua, a Mexican electric vehicle. Extremely good!!” gushed the foreign minister in a Twitter post on Tuesday.

Production of two different Zacua models began in 2018 in a Puebla plant staffed entirely by women. The Zacua MX 2 is a coupe while the MX 3 is a hatchback. The price of both EVs is just under 600,000 pesos (US $29,200).

Both Zacuas – named after a Mexican bird beloved by Aztec Emperor Moctezuma – are zero-emissions, two-seater vehicles whose design was purchased for use in Mexico from French microcar manufacturer Chatenet. They have a range of approximately 160 kilometers and their top speed is 85 kph.

The lifespan of the battery is 3,000 charges, or approximately eight years if charged from 0% to 100% daily, which takes eight hours.

There are approximately 1,500 EV charging stations in Mexico, of which 70% are public, the news magazine Proceso reported. Half of the stations are in just three federal entities: Mexico City, Nuevo León and Aguascalientes.

The binational EV working group is a high-level initiative developed jointly by the Foreign Ministry (SRE) and the University of California.

“Leading actors from government, industry and academia in both Mexico and the United States are participating in the project. The goal of the initiative is to ensure a coordinated and strategic transition towards electro-mobility,” the SRE said Tuesday in a statement.

“The most important thing that happened at the North American Leaders Summit … is that we revived a vision of North America. Now … we have a shared vision in many areas, and this is one of them,” Ebrard said at a launch event in Mexico City attended virtually by U.S. energy officials.

Despite the declaration of unity, the Mexican government indicated late last year that it would retaliate commercially if the United States Congress passed legislation that increases credits available to U.S. consumers buying U.S.-made EVs.

The Mexican Employers Federation (Coparmex) warned in December that the Build Back Better (BBB) Act – which passed the U.S. House of Representatives but was effectively killed by Democratic Party Senator Joe Manchin’s lack of support for it – posed a threat to the Mexican automotive industry.

With reports from Proceso, El Universal and Diario Presente

Journalist murdered in Oaxaca is the fifth to die this year

By

Rose Egelhoff

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February 11, 2022

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Salina Cruz journalist Heber López was shot and killed on Thursday.

Yet another journalist has been killed in what is shaping up to be an unusually deadly year for media workers in Mexico.

Heber López, director of the online publication Noticias Web was murdered Thursday afternoon in Salina Cruz, Oaxaca. He is the fifth journalist to be killed in Mexico this year.

Two men approached and shot López as he entered a home in the Barrio El Espinal neighborhood, according to the state officials. The two alleged shooters are in custody.

Officials have not ruled out the possibility that his murder was related to his work in journalism: one of the suspects in custody is the brother of a former municipal official in Salina Cruz.

López’s murder comes just days after an armed attack on another Oaxaca journalist. José Ignacio Santiago Martínez, director of Pluma Digital Noticias, was uninjured thanks two the protection of two bodyguards provided by the Federal Mechanism for the Protection of Journalists. Santiago entered the protection program for two years, after having been threatened by criminal groups.

López had worked in print media, television and radio for more than 10 years. His portal was known for reporting on government, unions and civil society organizations with a critical eye.

President López Obrador responded to the killing on Friday morning, promising that there would be no impunity in crimes against journalists. He said the deputy minister of human rights, Alejandro Encinas, is working to improve protections for them.

But some think that the president’s own rhetoric — he consistently attacks journalists during his morning press conferences — is part of the problem. And earlier this month, an official with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights urged AMLO to end the weekly ‘media lies’ section of his press conference and instead, send “a strong message in support of journalistic work.”

The other journalists who have been killed this year were Roberto Toledo in Michoacán, Lourdes Maldonado and Margarito Martínez Esquivel in Tijuana, and José Luis Gamboa in Veracruz.

In 2021, the International Press Institute rated Mexico as the deadliest country for journalists, closely followed by Afghanistan.

The killings led to demonstrations in 35 cities around the country, as media workers and supporters demanded justice. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, murders of media workers in Mexico go unsolved 95% of the time.

López’s death also comes as the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the area where he worked in Oaxaca, faces an uptick in violence. After three incidents in the city of Juchitán de Zaragoza left 10 dead, the state government formed a special board of security to look for possible solutions.

With reports from El Universal, El País and Milenio

US activates trade pact measure for failing to protect endangered porpoise

By

MND Staff

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February 11, 2022

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vaquita porpoise — The US Trade Representative's Office noted that at least six but likely fewer than 19 vaquita marina porpoises remain in the Gulf of California.

The United States government is seeking talks with Mexico due to concerns that it may be violating North American trade pact environmental commitments by not adequately protecting the near-extinct vaquita marina porpoise.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced Thursday that it was requesting environmental consultations with the Mexican government in accordance with provisions in the environment chapter of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

“These consultations concern Mexico’s USMCA environment chapter obligations relating to the protection of the critically endangered vaquita porpoise, the prevention of illegal fishing and trafficking of totoaba fish,” the USTR said in a statement.

The federal government faced criticism last year after abandoning a policy of maintaining a fishing-free zone in the upper Gulf of California, the only area in which the vaquita lives.

Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the USTR was requesting the discussions to “ensure Mexico lives up to its USMCA environment commitments.”

United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai. Katherine Tai Twitter

“We look forward to working with Mexico to address these issues,” she said.

It is the first time that environmental consultations have been requested under the agreement.

The USTR noted that the most recent data indicate that at least six but likely fewer than 19 vaquita remain.

The species is threatened by illegal totoaba fishing, as well as shrimp fishing, because vaquitas are vulnerable to becoming entangled in gillnets and dying.

The swim bladder of the totoaba, a large member of the drum family, is highly sought after in parts of Asia, especially China, where it sells for thousands of dollars per kilogram. The opportunity for fat profits has attracted Mexican drug cartels, whose members conspire with Chinese traffickers.

“… While Mexico has adopted environmental laws designed to prevent illegal fishing in the Upper Gulf of California, to prevent trafficking of protected species such as the totoaba and to protect and conserve the vaquita, available evidence raises concerns that Mexico may not be meeting a number of its USMCA environment commitments,” the USTR said.

The Mexican Economy Ministry (SE) acknowledged the United States’ request in a statement.

It said it would “coordinate the work between the different Mexican and United States authorities with the objective of opportunely presenting the efforts and measures adopted to protect marine species in national waters.”

“The government of Mexico reaffirms its commitment to the correct implementation of the USMCA,” the SE said.

If the U.S. and Mexico fail to reach a resolution during consultations, an expert panel could be tasked with ruling whether the latter is breaching its USMCA commitments. If it decides that is the case, the United States could impose trade sanctions on Mexico.

The two countries also have issues to address in the Gulf of Mexico.

A United States government ban on Mexican fishboats entering U.S. ports took effect Monday due to illegal fishing in U.S. waters. According to the U.S. government, Mexico hasn’t done enough to stop Mexican boats fishing red snapper in U.S. territorial waters.

With reports from El Universal

Bank of México raises benchmark interest rate to 6%

By

MND Staff

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February 11, 2022

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Mexico's central bank building — The nation's central bank building in Mexico City. (Wikimedia Commons)

Citing significant and long-lasting inflationary pressures, the central bank has raised its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points to 6%.

Thursday’s Bank of México (Banxico) board meeting was the sixth consecutive meeting at which the rate was raised. The 0.5% increase followed a 50-basis-point hike in December.

Presiding over her first board meeting, new Banxico Governor Victoria Rodríguez Ceja voted for a 0.5% hike, as did three of the other four board members. Gerardo Esquivel was the odd one out, voting for a second consecutive time for a 0.25% increase.

In supporting a half-point hike, Rodríguez “batted away some investor concern that she would change the balance of the board toward a more dovish approach,” Bloomberg reported.

Banxico said in a statement that inflation continued increasing worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2021 due to “pressures originated by bottlenecks in production, the reallocation of spending towards merchandise, the high levels of food and energy prices, and the recovery of certain services.”

“… Inflationary pressures have been greater and have lasted longer than anticipated. In January, annual headline and core inflation were 7.07% and 6.21%, respectively,” the central bank said.

It said that the balance of risks for the trajectory of inflation within the forecast horizon remains biased to the upside.

The bank cited five upside risks: external inflationary pressures; cost-related pressures; persistence of core inflation at high levels; exchange rate depreciation; and increases in both agricultural and livestock product and energy prices.

It cited three downside risks: a greater-than-expected effect from the negative output gap — which occurs when actual output is less than what an economy could produce at full capacity; social distancing measures; and exchange rate appreciation.

Banxico said its governing board had “evaluated the magnitude and diversity of the shocks that have affected inflation and its determinants, along with the risk of medium- and long-term inflation expectations and price formation becoming contaminated, as well as the additional challenges posed by the ongoing tightening of global monetary and financial conditions.”

The Banxico board will next meet on March 24.

Mexico News Daily

US commission says ‘hugs not bullets’ policy not enough to combat drug trafficking

By

MND Staff

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February 11, 2022

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A National Guard agent with bags of confiscated fentanyl. — A National Guard agent with bags of fentanyl confiscated in Mexico. Guardia Nacional

The federal government’s non-confrontational security strategy that purports to address the root causes of violence through the delivery of social programs is insufficient to combat synthetic drug trafficking, according to a United States government commission.

In a new report, the Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking said that Mexico is the principal source of illicit fentanyl and similar substances that are smuggled into the United States.

“In Mexico, cartels manufacture these poisons in clandestine laboratories with ingredients – precursor chemicals – sourced largely from [China],” the report said.

“Because illicit fentanyl is so powerful and such a small amount goes such a long way, traffickers conceal hard-to-detect quantities in packages, in vehicles, and on persons and smuggle the drug across the U.S.-Mexico border. It is difficult to interdict given that just a small physical amount of this potent drug is enough to satisfy U.S. demand, making it highly profitable for traffickers and dealers,” it said.

The commission said the Mexican government, “in part out of self-preservation and in part because the trafficking problem transcends current law enforcement capacity,” recently adopted a “hugs, not bullets” approach to managing the transnational criminal groups.

A small volume of fentanyl goes a long way. The smaller quantities make smuggling easier and more profitable. Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking, Final Report

“However, such approaches have not been able to address trafficking issues, and further efforts will be needed,” the report said.

“… In Mexico, two cartels dominate the drug trade,” the commission said, referring to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel.

“Their financial prowess and extensive use of weapons, bribery, threats, and murders of politicians and members of the public– very few of which are ever solved – significantly impedes the state’s capacity to control them.”

The commission said that President López Obrador, “who began his presidency publicly committed to a policy of ‘hugs, not bullets’ for the cartels despite the continued rise of violence,” must do more in the months and years ahead to more directly address the threat that cartels pose to the health and safety of people in both Mexico and the United States.

As things stand, “the flow of precursors from China to Mexico remains almost unabated,” the report said, referring mainly to shipments of chemicals that arrive by sea at the country’s Pacific coast ports.

The commission – made up of representatives from nine U.S. government bodies, including the Senate, House of Representatives, DEA and Department of State – described the trafficking of synthetic drugs into the United States as not only a public health emergency but also “a national emergency that threatens both the national security and economic well-being of the country.”

It noted that more than 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in the 12 months leading up to May 2021 – “more than twice the number of U.S. traffic fatalities or gun-violence deaths during that period.”

Some two-thirds of the deaths – “about 170 fatalities each day, primarily among those ages 18 to 45” – involved synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, which can be “up to 50 times more potent than heroin,” the report said.

The commission said that joint U.S. and Mexican efforts – the two countries recently reached a new security agreement that entails greater cooperation to combat drug trafficking – could disrupt the flow of synthetic opioids across U.S. borders, “but real progress can come only by pairing illicit synthetic opioid supply disruption with decreasing the domestic U.S. demand for these drugs.”

“… Supply and demand are two sides of the same coin. Therefore, to reduce illegal supply, the United States must also reduce demand,” the report said.

“… The magnitude of this fast-moving problem and the unique challenges it presents will require a new and different national response across all levels of government and policy domains. Without a major shift in U.S. policy, more American sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, neighbors and friends will perish.”

Mexico News Daily

As Colima faces a surge of shootings, state authorities keep quiet

By

Rose Egelhoff

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February 10, 2022

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Violence in Colima — At least four people have been killed since Monday in Colima city and nearby municipalities.

As the army has driven the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) out of Aguililla, the neighboring state of Colima has seen a surge in violence. A number of shootings, killings and kidnappings in and near the city of Colima have sparked panic in the state since Monday, but as bullets and rumors fly, authorities have remained relatively quiet.

The first shooting was reported Monday in the Lomas de Vista Hermosa neighborhood of Colima city. The state attorney general’s office (FGE) reported that state police who responded to reports of gunshots found more than 200 bullet casings and two vehicles with bullet impacts.

There appear to have been at least three more shootings since Monday in Colima city and the nearby municipalities of Villa de Álvarez and Coquimatlán, according to reporting by Milenio and Infobae, but the FGE has not released any further statements mentioning said shootings. Information is scarce, but at least three people had been killed as of Tuesday, Milenio reported.

On Facebook, the state government has continued to share information about COVID safety and a state volunteer appreciation ceremony with no mention of the violence in the capital as of Thursday morning, while dozens of commenters on the posts requested information about the violence or, with stronger language, demanded answers.

“How about an official statement, a press conference or something to inform the public about the past three days of violence? STOP MINIMIZING!” commented one Facebook user on Wednesday, on the post about the volunteer appreciation ceremony.

On Tuesday, Navy Minister Rafael Ojeda was in the state with National Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez Velázquez for a closed-door meeting with Governor Indira Vizcaíno.

Users on Twitter who said they were in the capital city reported hearing frequent gunfire since Monday. Others shared memes making light of the lack of government response to the violence.

On Tuesday, National Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez Velázquez visited the state for a closed-door meeting with Governor Indira Vizcaíno. Vizcaíno said on Twitter that the purpose of the meeting was to “perfect the coordination between both levels of government and strengthen security strategies,” without mention of the ongoing violence. The commander of the National Guard and navy intelligence personnel were also in attendance.

A number of schools closed due to the uncertain security situation. José Martí University announced on Tuesday that in-person classes would be temporarily moved online due to the violence. And on Wednesday night, the University of Colima announced that it would suspend classes on Thursday and Friday, also in light of the violence. The University of Colima cancellations applied to five municipalities throughout the state and drew greater public attention to the violence the state has experienced since Monday.

An anonymous opinion piece published by the state outlet Diario de Colima on Thursday questioned the government’s silence.

“Since the early hours of Monday, when a house in the capital was attacked by an armed commando, the executions, shootings, kidnappings, dismemberments and appearance of menacing messages have come one after another, in the face of the inexplicable paralysis of state and federal authorities,” the unnamed citizen wrote, adding that residents were alarmed and that the gap in information caused by government silence was leading to “rumors, false news, speculation and decisions based on fear, such as the suspension of a number of schools.”

At least four banners signed by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the criminal group Los Mezcales have appeared since Monday, apparently due to a conflict between the two groups. The banners reference threats to the life of the governor and one, signed by “CJNG, the owners of Colima,” threatened to kill Los Mezcales and anyone associated with them.

The University of Colima, seen here, and other schools in the capital have closed due to the violence.

Little is known about Los Mezcales, but their name may be a reference to a Colima city neighborhood.

The surge of violence comes two weeks after a Colima prison riot left nine inmates dead.

In an interview with Milenio after the riot, Colima Secretary of Public Security Manuel Llerandi Ruiz attributed the riot and deaths to a conflict between CJNG and Los Mezcales, identifying Los Mezcales as a criminal group that had formerly worked for the CJNG.

With reports from Milenio, Infobae, Colima Noticias and El Diario de Colima