We don’t need no stinkin’ badges… and what’s to eat?

I don’t know any more about this than what was reported from Cuilican in El Debate (my translation), but I’m not surprised. Under the rubric of stamping out narcotics traffickers, the Army is sent to “occupy” its own country.     I’m guessing that no officers were overseeing this “operation” (at least I hope not), but using the Army as police is not good for the Army, the citizenry nor policing.

Yet another denunciation for robbery and damages has been filed aginst soldiers participating the Culiacán-Navolato joint operation.

Ana Lucía Gastélum, a retail clothier, returned home from a five day business trip at 12:30 at night to find military vehicles with their license plates covered over with duct tape and soldiers sitting in her bedroom. The house is located at calle Juan de la Barrera 2512, between Tamarindo and Anador Avenues in colonia Ignacio Allende.

The shaken retailer demanded to see the soldier’s orders to occupy her home, but they said they didn’t bring the authorization with them, and then left. The woman began checking for damages.
Neighbors said the soliders had entered the house from an adjoining roof, from which the jumped into Gastélum’s patio, jimmied the back door and destroyed the burglar alarm.

According to the complaintant, in addition to the property damange, the soldiers stole two computers, a DVD still in its case, two televisions, new clothing, wine, kitchen utensils and even food in the pantry.

Gastélum complained that the arbitrary nature of the military operation only served to violate human rights and allow soldiers to commit robberies.

It might have been been better if the Merida Plan funding went to buy the soldiers a decent meal (ok, and some TVs) rather than going to U.S. companies to provide more weapons.