The bodies of gunmen laid out on a road beside their vehicle after a shootout with Mexican soldiers in the municipality of Tacambaro near Morelia on Aug. 16, 2011. The gunmen were suspected members of the Caballeros Templarios, a new spin-off cartel in Michoacan state linked to the Gulf cartel. (Leo Gonzalez /Reuters)The Cartels Behind Mexico's Drug War -- CBC
Although a specific drug cartel has not as yet been implicated in the recent arson attack on a Monterrey casino that killed 52 people, many observers suspect the incident is a product of the bloody turf wars and extortion rackets involving Mexico's notorious drug cartels.
The ruthless battles among competing cartels and between the cartels and the government forces trying to take them down have claimed at least 40,000 lives since 2006, the year that Mexico's president, Felipe Calderon, launched a crackdown against the cartels that many say has only increased the violence. In 2010 alone, the bloodiest year to date, more than 15,000 people were killed in drug-related violence.
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More News On Mexico's Drug Cartels
Mexican cartels splinter, branch out as drug war rages -- L.A. Times
Mexico's Sinaloa cartel makes big move into meth -- AP
7 More Suspects Sought in Mexico Casino Arson -- Voice of America
Mexico Casino Massacre: Suspects Only Wanted to "Scare" Owners -- FOX News
Mexico casino arson: Five arrested over Monterrey attack -- BBC
Mexico arrests 5 in deadly casino torching -- MSNBC
Burning Down Casino Royale: Mexico's Latest Drug Atrocity -- Time
Casino attacks prompt police force overhaul in Mexico -- National Post
US-Trained Assassin Teams Now Deployed in Drug War -- The Narcosphere
Mexican journalists, blogger murdered by suspected drug cartel -- Examiner
Police Find 3 Bodies in Mass Grave in Central Mexico -- Latin American Herald Tribune
12 Bodies found in clandestine graves in northern Mexico -- FOX News/EFE
Official: 140 Acapulco schools close over threats -- AP
Mexican drug cartel hangs wanted posters of rivals -- SFGate
Factbox: Key facts about Mexico's "Zetas" drug cartel -- Reuters
Inside Mexico's drug war (Photo Gallery) -- Washington Post
Cautious Optimism Toward Mexico's Drug War -- Paul Lubliner, International Affairs Review
Factbox: Worst incidents in Mexico's drug war -- Reuters