Yet another heart wrenching story has come out of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, a border city known for the violence and corruption caused there by drug cartels.
Last Saturday, Lesley Enriquez, 35, a U.S. Consulate worker attended a child's birthday party in Ciudad Juarez with her husband Arthur Redelfs, 34 and their 7 month old daughter. As they headed home for El Paso, Texas authorities say that a car began to follow them, and soon laid fire on the innocent family. Authoritied say the car was riddled with bullets. Witnesses say that Redlfs, who was driving, seemed to try to escape the barbaric onslaught via one of the bridges that cross the Rio Grande to find safety in America, his homeland, but could not outrun the gang. Enriquez and Redelfs were found dead, their terrified young daughter unharmed in the back seat. Family explains that the couple, expecting a second child were innocent victims of the escalating violence in Juárez," and "had unblemished records where they worked and were not involved in anything wrong whatsoever. They will be deeply missed."
No arrests have been made, but authorities say that the murders were committed by a local gang called Los Aztecas. The gang is allied with the notorious Juarez Cartel according to Mayor Jose Ferriz.
In response to these slayings the White House released a statement claiming
"We will continue to work with Mexican President Felipe Calderon and his government to break the power of the drug trafficking organizations that operate in Mexico and far too often target and kill the innocent"
While "working" with the Mexican government sounds like a good plan, it should be noted that the problems with drug cartels in border cities like Ciudad Juarez have been escalating for years. As the estimate of wholesale illegal drug earnings ranges from $13.6 billion to $48.4 billion annually it should come as no surprise that people will fight both each other and the government to gain control of the market. The only solution to the drug war in Mexico is for America to legalize and regulate current illicit drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana as these drugs are largely supplied to Americans through Mexican trafficking.
The tragic deaths of Americans Lesley Enriquez and Arthur Redelfs should serve as a call to action to all Americans who are fed up with the senseless violence in Mexico, and should serve as a call to action to demand change. Regulation of illicit drugs would save countless lives by taking power away from the drug cartels, who are benefiting from our failed policies.
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