THE BORDER REPORT

Critics enjoy saying that the U.S. is militarizing its border with Mexico, but the reality is that Mexico is quietly building up its military presence on the border with some hard, hard names, old military men who have battled the cartels for decades. It'll be interesting to see what the U.S. government's reaction will be when the build-up is completed.

In Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, retired Artillery Major Roberto Orduña took over as police chief this morning, with the ominous declaration, "We'll do whatever we have to do to ensure the effectiveness of this office."

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Secreto a Voces

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THE BORDER REPORT

Arturo Beltrán Leyva's become the new narco non grata and the Mexican government is trying to tie him to the murder of the acting federal police chief last week. But a year-old case involving another murdered high-level official raises some questions about this latest hit.

There is some reason to believe that a high-level murder last year in Mexico City was an inside job. And the murders bear some exploring this week as Congress is set to decide on the first of a $1.5 billion payment to Mexico.

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THE BORDER REPORT

From time to time, I'm going to be mounting videos shot in the U.S.-Mexico border region.

Here's one from mis compas in Tijuana at TijuanaPress.com. Federal police seized these weapons from the Arellano Felix Cartel after last week's gunfight.

It demonstrates the sheer number of weapons the cartels are armed with. Note the drum magazines at the end of the table and the police badges sitting next to the hand-helds.

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THE BORDER REPORT

Photo courtesy – Vanguardia

Culiacán, Sinaloa – Go back to those high-profile assassinations last week in Mexico City; then wander over to Culiacán for a moment and take a look at this guy above, Alfredo Beltrán Leyva. Are we watching assassins? Or political theatre?

My thought is, both.

The Mexican government tells El Universal this morning that the Sinaloans murdered Edgar Millán, the highest ranking officer to be murdered in a year. The assassins, they say, carried a hit-list with the names of five top officials. The note was crafted by the Beltrán Leyva brothers and Shorty Guzmán, federal security officials tell the newspaper.

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