The facemasks aren’t for COVID or bird flu. They’re so the drug cartels won’t slaughter their families.
Officially known as the Cuerpo de Infantería de Marina de México (CIM); for us Norteños, we can simply refer to them as the Mexican Marine Corps.
But allow me to preface this by saying that it’s a good thing they’re on our side.
Suffice it to say, the ties between the US Marines and the Mexican Marines are VERY strong. The cross-training between the two services is regular and intense.
And much like the US Marines, Mexican Marines have almost a fanatical sense of patriotism. In fact, the motto of the CIM is ‘Todo Por la Patria” – “All For the Fatherland”.
A standing force of a mere 18,000, the CIM is still officially a branch of the Mexican Navy (Armada de Mexico – ARM).
With that said, if you think that America’s Army-Navy rivalry is intense, take a peek at the burning hatred between the Mexican Navy/Marines and… well, everyone else.
With the levels of corruption within the Mexican Army, National Guard (a curious mixture of our FBI, Coast Guard and Border Patrol), the Federales (Federal Police) along with more than a few local and state police forces at near Biblical proportions, just me, but I get the distinct impression that the ARM and the CIM are the only true patriotas left in Mexico.
Now let’s be honest and actually admit that the northern states of Mexico are little more than a hodgepodge of de facto Narco-States, thanks to Biden’s erasure of the US-Mexico border.
Personally, I find it interesting that it was the Mexican Marines who were the ones who took down drug kingpin El Chapo (Joaquin Guzmán) as seen in the video below.
The CIM also has an impressive record of taking on the Gulf Cartel, the Los Zetas syndicate and the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel. Don’t think for a moment that President Trump isn’t already aware of that, but that’s just me.
In a rather interesting article 2019 from National Interest (emphasis mine);
Compared to their counterparts in the United States, the United States Navy and Marine Corps, the Mexican Navy is small— around sixty-six thousand. The Mexican Naval Infantry, their Marine Corps, is even smaller— numbering only about eighteen thousand.
Despite their small size, they are the go-to force when combating the Mexican criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking—widely trusted and seen as more reliable than the Army. They’ve also racked up a string of successes, despite being many times smaller than the Mexican Army.
“One of the Naval Infantry’s most important achievements was the dismantling of the criminal structure of the Los Zetas group, in the state of Veracruz, from 2008 to 2012,” said Dr. Benitez-Manaut. Unlike the Army, the Navy has sought out help from the United States and American Special Forces in honing their capabilities in order to improve the chances of mission success against various cartels and criminal groups.
In addition to significantly damaging Los Zetas, Naval Infantry was responsible for killing the drug kingpin Arturo Beltrán Leyva in December 2009 in Cuernavaca, less than 50 miles from the capital. While 50 miles is not far removed from Mexico’s largest city, a large Army regional headquarters was even closer—mere blocks away.
Two hundred Naval Infantry rappelled from helicopters to a luxury mansion where “El Muerte” had been having a party. There, they laid siege to the compound. In the ensuing firefight, six cartel members, along with Beltrán Leyva himself were killed. One Naval Infantry member also died.
Totally and completely just me, but I’d be willing to wager a large amount of money that US and Mexican Marines already have a plan on visiting more than a few unsavory characters down Mexico way.
I’m talking Tom Clancy’s Clear and Present Danger kind of visits.
Best part of all of my prediction — none of us will ever know that any of this ever happened.
After all, Pete Hegseth at Defense, and John Ratcliffe at CIA… yeah, this is gonna happen.