Frontera NorteSur
July-August  2002

So far, after testing city police officers from Méxicali and San Felipe, 15 of 800 officers failed drug tests. All of the officers that tested positive were examined again with more specialized tests. Later, six of the fifteen were fired after traces of marijuana and/or cocaine were found in their systems. The other nine officers tested positive for using amphetamines and their cases are being evaluated individually since some kinds of amphetamines can be legally used in the treatment of health problems. 

The six police officers that were fired for cocaine and marijuana use were added to local and national data bases that will prohibit them from working in law enforcement throughout Mexico. This ban extends to private security agencies as well. 

Remaining to be tested are 400 other city police officers from the Méxicali region. The tests extend to all member of law enforcement including commanders, chiefs and officials. The exams are a permanent aspect of Méxicali law enforcement and will be continued in the future. 

Source: La Crónica (Méxicali), August 21, 2002. Article by Carlos Alvarez.

August 22, 2002
Mexican Law Enforcement Acknowledges Drug Cartel Activity in Sonora

The Mexican Attorney General's Office (Procuraduría General de la República, PGR) has recognized that the country's major drug cartels have established cells in Sonora, particularly in the border town of Sonoyta. 

Ernesto García Guerrero, head of the PGR in Sonora, said that there is currently an investigation of narcotraffickers in Sonoyta. According to García, proof of the investigation's success is the arrest of Adelmo Niebla González, whom the PGR alleges is a major figure in Sonoyta drug trafficking. García said the PGR has also searched six suspected narcohouses but found them abandoned. 

The PGR is currently unsure if the Sonora drug traffickers are part of the Arrellano Félix (Tijuana) cartel or the Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán cartel. García also stated that he does not rule out the possibility that federal and/or state law enforcement organizations have been compromised by narco-sponsored corruption in the ranks. 

The current focus on drug trafficking in Sonora is a change for federal and state civil authorities. According to an article in the Hermosillo, Sonora newspaper El Imparcial, the federal and state government were saying in July that no drug cartels were at work in the state. 

The Mexican Army, which is active in drug seizures in Sonora, might have been surprised to learn this. On a Mexican Secretary of Defense website, FNS found ample testimony to large-scale drug activity in the state from before July, 2002. 

Listed below are Army drugs seizures for just the month of March, 2002 in Sonora:

March 4, 2002: 7,015 kilos of marijuana seized by a motorized cavalry unit based in San Luis Río Colorado (SLRC), Sonora. 

March 7, 2002: 3,800 kilos of marijuana seized by special forces amphibian units based out of Hermosillo, Sonora. 

March 10, 2002: 3,263 kilos of marijuana seized by the above-mentioned SLRC motorized cavalry unit.

March 13, 2002: 3,150 kilos of marijuana seized by the SLRC motorized cavalry unit.

March 23, 2002: 6 kilos of cocaine seized by an Army infantry unit stationed in Sonoyta. 

Source: El Imparcial, August 22, 2002. Article by José Larrinaga.

August 12, 2002
Méxicali Does Not Need More Teaching Programs

In response to a request by Roberto Pérez de Alva, a PRI state senator, and high school students to establish another teacher education program in Méxicali, Alejandro Bahena Flores, the state secretary of education, said that neither Mexico nor Méxicali needs more teachers. 

Bahena told the Tijuana newspaper Frontera (no relationship to FNS) that because of family planning and more women entering the workforce, families are having less children. This means that enrollment in public schools has remained stable, he said. 

Bahena also pointed out that Méxicali currently has eight schools for training elementary, junior-high and special-education teachers. Training anymore teachers will only lead to more unemployment and underemployment for them, according to Bahena. 

The state currently has more than 23,000 teachers and a number of them are underemployed because they are not on permanent contracts. 

"It's worthwhile being a teacher. Those that get permanent contracts have income adequate for supporting a family," said Bahena. However, Bahena believes that it would be a disservice to train more teachers in the current educational market. 

Source: Frontera (Tijuana), August 12, 2002. 

August 5, 2002
Used Tires Pollute Méxicali

With more than 500 tire vendors and people that do not pay to have used tires properly disposed of, Méxicali has a serious solid-waste disposal problem, according to an article in the city's La Crónica newspaper. 

Residents of the Santorales neighborhood say that pickup trucks filled with tires arrive on a daily basis to dump their loads in the area. Joaquin Lugo Montes, a resident, said that he and others have called the police to catch the polluters in the act but law enforcement has never helped them. Due to this neglect, Lugo says that no one bothers to alert the police anymore. 

One area that has many illegal dumps is the western side of the city, along the US-Mexico border. Raquel García Patiño, who lives in the area, says that people should take advantage of the tires and put them to use. To this end, García has constructed a wall on her property made out of old tires. 

However, despite García's efforts, tires still remain in the neighborhood and homeless people and youth sometimes set them on fire. The tires' acrid smoke makes for another form of pollution and García finds it bothersome. Like Lugo, García says officials do nothing about the pollution or the fires. 

While a tire recycling facility called Llanset exists near Méxicali, tire vendors say that not all the old tires they collect end up there. Vendors complain that there is no law which demands that they charge a disposal fee. This means that customers can refuse to pay the transportation fee that is equivalent to about US$1.00 per tire. 

Martín Pablos, who works at a tire shop in the Baja California neighborhood, says that it is not just businesses that improperly dispose of tires. He complains that citizens also throw tires in fields where they do not belong. 

Méxicali's mayor, Jaime Díaz Ochoa, said that he is looking into funding a tire processing center near the city but that it will take millions of pesos to establish the facility. He also said that he has instructed police to watch the western side of Méxicali more closely for people that illegally dump tires. 

Díaz also wants to know what it is happening with a federal plan to deal with the two to five million tires that are in a nearby landfill which has been closed for some time. 

Source: La Crónica, August 5, 2002. Article by José Manuel Yépiz Ruiz.

July 31, 2002
Radioactive Capsule Sought Along Border by Mexican and US Officials Found at Tecate Dump

A capsule filled with radioactive iridium 192 was found in a Tecate, Baja California trash dump at 7:45 a.m. local time on Wednesday, July 31, 2002. The capsule, stolen from a truck on Wednesday, July 24, was found still unopened in its protective case. Mexican and US agencies were looking for the radioactive source, according to an article in the Tijuana newspaper Frontera (no relation to FNS). 

Used in a device that inspects pipelines, the capsule was found by  a 31-year old woman who, along with her family, makes a living by scouring dumps for recyclable material. The pipeline inspection firm that lost the radioactive source promised a 20,000 peso (approximately US$2,100) reward for the return of the material. 

Found a few kilometers from where it was thought stolen, the iridium was still in its protective case when Federal Preventative Police arrived to the dump. 

Quoted in Frontera newspaper on Monday, July 29, Gabriel Gómez Ruiz, the director of Civil Protection, said that although iridium 192 will not contaminate material it comes in contact with, it will produce severe injuries in humans in as few as fifteen minutes. 

In the past, such radioactive sources have been lost and have even resulted in fatalities. 

In January, 2001, Frontera NorteSur wrote an article about a density detector with a radioactive Americium source that also was stolen from a truck, this time near Chihuahua City. FNS was not able to discover if the device was eventually recovered. 

Apparently such thefts are common. According to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), "In the period January 1996 through October 2000, NRC and Agreement State licensees reported a total 156 thefts of portable gauges. Fifty-one occurred in the States of Texas and Florida. Most of the thefts occurred when gauges were stored in vehicles parked in areas vulnerable to theft. Only 40 percent of gauges reported stolen were reported as having been recovered. Two of the 156 events involved attempts to sell the stolen gauges. In both of these cases the gauge was returned to the owner. In another two events, gauges were found in scrap metal when radiation monitors alarmed. In one event, only the source rod was found. In the other case, the gauge was found intact." 

The NRC recommends, "(1) requiring gauges to be locked in covered vehicle compartments, (2) not parking vehicles in areas vulnerable to theft, and (3) including a discussion of this IN in periodic or special gauge user training, to increase awareness of this problem." (Source: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/gen-comm/info-notices/2001/in01011.html)

The loss of a US-produced iridium device, intended to go to Mexico in 1999, but found instead in England, is described at http://www.tmia.com/lost.html#Boston

Also according to the US NRC, in March, 1984, an iridium source being used to inspect welds at a new fossil-fuel plant in Morocco became detached from a piece of equipment. Apparently, the source was not properly returned to its safety container and a laborer at the plant took the tiny metal cylinder home. 

Between May and June of the same year, eight people including the worker, his immediate family and some other relatives died of lung hemorrhages linked to the radiation poisoning. Other people were hospitalized for their injuries. (Source:  http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/gen-comm/info-notices/1985/in85057.html)

Source: Frontera (Tijuana), July 29 & 31, 2002. 

July 26, 2002
AriSEWna Advances: An Employee-Owned Sewing Company Goes it Alone

AriSEWna is an employee-owned sewing company located in Douglas, Arizona. Begun in 1999 with eleven owner-workers, AriSEWna was initiated as a project that would both allow people to give up government assistance and create jobs in a city with high unemployment, a high poverty rate and a number of garment-factory closures. 

Since its first year, with eleven employees and $1,500 in sales, AriSEWna has grown quickly, according to general manager Connie Gastelum.  By 2000, AriSEWna's sales had risen to $78,000, and by 2000 they were $254,000. While the beginning of this year has been slow, Gastelum predicts that the company should finish 2002 with $300,000-$400,000 in sales. 

With its growth in sales, AriSEWna has been able to bring in more owner-workers. There are currently 30 people working at the company and 21 of them are equity investors. Eight people are in training at this time and will join the workforce shortly. 

A New Facility

Perhaps the biggest challenge AriSEWna has faced since its inception was its break from its main funding agency. The separation occurred quickly as AriSEWna left the old Safeway grocery store where it was established and moved into an industrial space with twice the square footage.

At the same time as the move, Gastelum and project coordinator Ginnie Jordan left their positions with the Arizona Council for Economic Conversion (ACEC). For Jordan this meant a 30% pay cut and knowing that she would be casting her lot fully with AriSEWna. However, Jordan loves the change and her job. "When I go to work, it's like payday everyday," she said.

A self-described ultra liberal with a background in social work, Jordan said she was suspicious of capitalism until she began working at AriSEWna. Speaking on Thursday, July 26, 2002, at a HUD conference held at New Mexico State University, Jordan told an audience of approximately 200 people that she sees AriSEWna as a place where "socialism and capitalism meet."

According to Jordan, AriSEWna has turned around the lives of many of its owner-workers and much of this is possible only because workers are owners. Jordan sees the pride that owners have in their work and the fact that they are owners. She also stated that the first two groups of AriSEWna  hires are entirely off of government aid and have begun to by cars and even houses. 

Since it employs people that have lived or live in poverty, people on parole and people that have been in prison, AriSEWna has a number of programs and resources that address its owner-workers' life problems. Through attention to and discussion of drug and alcohol-abuse issues, AriSEWna has seen some of its people enter treatment programs. Jordan also described stress and money management programs that AriSEWna has implemented for all people entering the company. 

Because one of AriSEWna's main focuses is welfare to work, it deals with problems like tardiness differently than many companies. While some organizations would fire people who are chronically late to the job, AriSEWna works with its people to get to the root of their problems.

Jordan said she was shocked to learn the reason why one woman had been frequently arriving late to her job. After years of marriage, the woman's husband had been arrested and accused of murder. As if the emotional and financial shock associated with that event was not enough, the woman was also being asked to testify for the prosecution in her husband's case. Because AriSEWna could get to the root of the problem, the company was able to work with the woman to the mutual benefit of all involved. 

Currently, AriSEWna is working on a number of different jobs. It is making shirts for schools in Mexico, silk products for a store in Tucson, equipment for firefighters and bags for a yoga school that has places around the country. The company is also sewing the giant jumping balloons that kids bounce in at parties and carnivals.

New Directions

Wanting to expand into new markets and to be able to offer its customers more capabilities, AriSEWna is also adding silk-screening machinery and a new digital embroiderer. 

Finally, partly out of necessity and partly out of a desire to diversify, AriSEWna is considering opening a worker-owned daycare. The need for a daycare facility became apparent when AriSEWna realized that the number one disruption for workers was checking on their kids, taking them to daycare, finding daycare and worrying about older children after school.

An MBA student is developing the business plan for the venture, according to Jordan. Besides traditional daycare, the new business would also offer tutoring for students after school. If everything works out, AriSEWna will be branching out and bettering its work place by opening the daycare center in January 2003. 

July 17, 2002
Méxicali Residents Upset about Power Outages, CFE Replies

While Méxicali residents are upset about the number of power outages their community suffers, the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (Federal Electricity Commission, CFE) maintains that it is not at fault for all of the blackouts.

Between mid-May and mid-July, 2002, the Méxicali newspaper La Crónica reports that there have been at least eight power outages in different parts of the city. Furthermore, at least 16,500 people have been affected by the blackouts and some users have sustained damage to their home appliances.

A User Complains

Joel Moya Reyes, of the Villa Bonita neighborhood, says that his home is hit by power cuts about twice per month. 

Last Tuesday, July 9, Moya said that the power went out at 9:40 p.m. and did not come back on for 25 to 30 minutes. The Villa Bonita resident said that during the outage no one at the CFE answered the phone and he only got an answering machine or a busy signal.

"It's not too bad in the winter," said Moya, "but in the summer the kids suffer and the food in the refrigerator goes bad."

Moya also stated that his electrical service was pretty good up until this year when there have been weeks when the power has gone out twice. None of the appliances in his home have been affected but that is because Moya says he is careful to unplug them before the power comes back on and they are affected by the fluctuation that occur at such moments.

"I just wish they would tell us why the power went out and I wish they would respond to the 071 emergency number when we call it," stated Moya.

The CFE Replies

Failures at private substations, car wrecks and added appliances are all causes of power outages in Méxicali and are not the fault of the CFE, according to Bruno Marinone Moschetto, the CFE's Méxicali superintendent.

Summer is also the worst time for electrical problems says Marinone because power demand goes from 300 to 600 megawatts. Whenever there is more demand for power, there is more stress on the system and more problems, according to the CFE superintendent. 

"Méxicali is so big now that I believe there are more than 2,000 private electrical substations because the majority of medium and larger sized businesses put in their own substation," said Marinone. When one of these pieces of equipment fails it takes the CFE 15 to 30 minutes to reestablish service to the area, he said.

"Another unfortunate thing that happens every weekend are car wrecks and there is always a common denominator: speed and alcohol. Many times drivers take out CFE poles and this causes blackouts," according to Marinone. 

Another cause of power outages are storm-driven flying objects that destroy some part of the CFE's infrastructure. Also, summer rains can find their way inside power boxes and take out a neighborhood's energy. 

Other times, people will put refrigerators in their homes that weigh up to one and a half tons. These can put too much stress on equipment and cause a blackout. Marinone says that people need to advise the CFE if they are going to put such equipment in their homes. 

Regarding appliances that are damaged by power fluctuations, Marinone states that the CFE pays to fix or replace broken electrical appliances. This happens about 80 to 100 times per summer he said. 

Méxicali Has Sufficient Generating Capacity

The Cerro Prieto and Benito Juárez electrical plants are sufficient to meet the needs of Méxicali, according to Marinone. 

"About a year ago, two units were installed in Rosarito which produce approximately 540 megawatts and with this we are safe for the next five years. This is even without mentioning the 500 megawatt Intergen plant that comes on line next year," said the CFE superintendent. 

The Intergen plant, located just outside Méxicali, will produce 1,065 megawatts of which 500 will go to Mexico and the rest will be sold to the US unless there are political or environmental hold ups. Intergen is a US-based firm. 

Although Méxicali was planning for 6 or 7% growth in electricity demand, Marinone believes that this year's growth will be about 4%. Growth will not pick up again until the maquiladora industry recovers from the US economic crisis, he said. 

Source: La Crónica, July 16, 2002. Article by Magdalena López Crecer.

July 11, 2002
60,000 People in BC Banned from US for Life

Richard González, the US consul in Tijuana, told a lawyers' organization that at least
60,000 people in Baja California have been banned for life from entering the United
States. They have been prohibited from entering the US for such things as drug and
human trafficking or for presenting false documents to enter the US or get a visa.

González recommended that when people enter the US they should not bring unknown
people with them or friends' friends. This is because unknown people might be using
false documents and this causes problems for all of a vehicle's occupants. 

For border residents, being banned from the US is a very harsh punishment because
they often spend a large part of their time in the US, according to González. 

In 2000, 50,000 people were arrested for using false documents or making false
statements to obtain visas. In 2001, this figure was 70,000 people although the number
should be lower for 2002 because of increased border security since September 11,
said González. 

When people try to deceive US officials about their nationality, they can be taken to
court and permanently lose the right to enter the US. The Consul did say that an appeal
process exists but that it is difficult to overturn the ban on entering the US. 

Source: Frontera (Tijuana), July 11, 2002. Article by Said Betanzos.

June 20, 2002
Prostate Cancer in Baja California

Prostate cancer is the fifth-leading cause of death in Baja California, according to an article in the Méxicali newspaper La Crónica. In the year 2000, 101 men lost their lives to the disease. In 2001, 76 Baja California men died from prostate cancer. 

To fight the disease, Méxicali's Asociación de Cáncer and a US lab, will offer 1,000 free prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests that screen urine for signs of prostate problems. 

Susana Rojas, president of the Asociación, said that her organization performs 3,500 PSA tests per year. Ten percent of the tests show elevated PSA levels in men and cancer is found in about 1% of those tested, she said. Rojas also stated that the free tests are a benefit to the community because otherwise they cost between 400 and 600 pesos (approximately US$42-63) each. 

Garage and Pirate Pharmacies in Tijuana

In other health-related news, Tijuana's Frontera newspaper (no relationship to FNS) reported that 60% of that city's 1,400 pharmacies are operating without proper legal controls. 

Ignacio Romo Calderón, president of the Pharmacy Association, complained to state health and business officials that it is too easy for people to open pharmacies in Tijuana. Because of the ease with which pharmacies can be founded, and because of a lack of proper monitoring, many of these businesses sell controlled substances and antibiotics without prescriptions. 

Romo called the pharmacies "pirate pharmacies" because their owners do not have any knowledge of pharmaceuticals. According to Romo, anyone with financial means can open a pharmacy and put it in a neighborhood where people go to use drugs.  Pharmacies that serve drug addicts are referred to as "garage pharmacies," said Romo.

Romo went on to say that the city has created "a Frankenstein that is strangling Tijuana and damaging its image." The US press has picked up on this and the fact that people sell drugs openly along the border, he said.

Source: La Crónica (Méxicali), June 19, 2002. Frontera (Tijuana), June 19, 2002.