"It's kind of bad over there," says Nogales, Arizona resident Carlos Santa Cruz, referring to his community's sister city on the other side of the border. "They're fighting for territory over Nogales, Sonora. Been a lot of killings in Mexico, you know...almost every day now."
More so than ever before, Mexico is the battleground for a bloody drug war. Though in some cases, the bullets are hitting too close to home.
"It's vicious, it's very competitive,' says Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada.
In Mexico, the fight is for territory and power. But the biggest prize is control over the coveted, but shrinking routes into the United States.
"Unfortunately we're a country that's addicted to a lot of drugs," Sheriff Estrada says. "The demand here is tremendous, so the supply is tremendous and the competition will be tremendous."
So much that people are dying at an unprecedented rate. In just three days last week, at least twenty one people were killed in northern Mexico. Ten of them, in a shootout with police in Nogales, Sonora, about an hour south of Tucson.
Granted, most of those dying aren't innocent people--they're drug traffickers themselves. But that could change as the stakes continue to grow, while access into the united states only dwindles.
Says Jaye Wells, a Tucson resident who's worked in Mexico the last ten years, "That does increase the heat and tension amongst those fighting for this incredible amount of money that they're able to make with the drug business and as the border shrinks, it will only get worse before it gets better."
"As they fight for the lucrative routes, there's going to be more violence. There's going to be more killings," Sheriff Estrada says.
And it doesn't stop at the border. Tucson and Phoenix have both experienced gang-related warfare. And it's much more than just drive by shootings. Family members of rival organizations have been tortured, raped, even beheaded.
It's become a matter of who can top who. And anyone who poses a threat could be next.
Here in Douglas, Arizona, you can't get any closer to the Mexico border. This street is appropriately named International Avenue. And residents here are literally in the cross hairs of this international conflict.
"If you go against them, your life is at stake."
Douglas resident Mike Williams says he learned this the hard way. He lives about 50 feet from the Mexico border.
On any given night, he says bags of marijuana or cocaine are tossed over the fence and into his yard. And when he hands those bags over to the United States Border Patrol, those delivering the drugs don't take it lightly.
"One day they shot through my kitchen door," Williams says. "And then the same thing in my front room, the security door. I opened it up and stepped out and had three shots fired at me."
cCoser to home, local, state and federal authorities have joined forces to deal with the threat at hand. They're sharing intelligence, upping communications between agencies considerably.
Still, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik says it's going to take a lot more than just a meeting of the minds.
"We need your help. The Southwest border is a tremendous problem," Sheriff Dupnik says.
The Sheriff is referring to Congress and money that's been cut by Homeland Security. Budget woes aside, the sheriff says you can't put a price tag on safety.
And while these aren't terrorists in a traditional sense, they certainly pose a very significant threat to Arizona security.
Says Yuma County Sheriff Ralph Ogden, "More and more we're starting to see that with kidnappings and assaults in the us. The violence has increased tremendously. The profit margin for both smuggling people and drugs has increased--so the battle has escalated all the way up. It's basically a war right now."
More so than ever before, Mexico is the battleground for a bloody drug war. Though in some cases, the bullets are hitting too close to home.
"It's vicious, it's very competitive,' says Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada.
In Mexico, the fight is for territory and power. But the biggest prize is control over the coveted, but shrinking routes into the United States.
"Unfortunately we're a country that's addicted to a lot of drugs," Sheriff Estrada says. "The demand here is tremendous, so the supply is tremendous and the competition will be tremendous."
So much that people are dying at an unprecedented rate. In just three days last week, at least twenty one people were killed in northern Mexico. Ten of them, in a shootout with police in Nogales, Sonora, about an hour south of Tucson.
Granted, most of those dying aren't innocent people--they're drug traffickers themselves. But that could change as the stakes continue to grow, while access into the united states only dwindles.
Says Jaye Wells, a Tucson resident who's worked in Mexico the last ten years, "That does increase the heat and tension amongst those fighting for this incredible amount of money that they're able to make with the drug business and as the border shrinks, it will only get worse before it gets better."
"As they fight for the lucrative routes, there's going to be more violence. There's going to be more killings," Sheriff Estrada says.
And it doesn't stop at the border. Tucson and Phoenix have both experienced gang-related warfare. And it's much more than just drive by shootings. Family members of rival organizations have been tortured, raped, even beheaded.
It's become a matter of who can top who. And anyone who poses a threat could be next.
Here in Douglas, Arizona, you can't get any closer to the Mexico border. This street is appropriately named International Avenue. And residents here are literally in the cross hairs of this international conflict.
"If you go against them, your life is at stake."
Douglas resident Mike Williams says he learned this the hard way. He lives about 50 feet from the Mexico border.
On any given night, he says bags of marijuana or cocaine are tossed over the fence and into his yard. And when he hands those bags over to the United States Border Patrol, those delivering the drugs don't take it lightly.
"One day they shot through my kitchen door," Williams says. "And then the same thing in my front room, the security door. I opened it up and stepped out and had three shots fired at me."
cCoser to home, local, state and federal authorities have joined forces to deal with the threat at hand. They're sharing intelligence, upping communications between agencies considerably.
Still, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik says it's going to take a lot more than just a meeting of the minds.
"We need your help. The Southwest border is a tremendous problem," Sheriff Dupnik says.
The Sheriff is referring to Congress and money that's been cut by Homeland Security. Budget woes aside, the sheriff says you can't put a price tag on safety.
And while these aren't terrorists in a traditional sense, they certainly pose a very significant threat to Arizona security.
Says Yuma County Sheriff Ralph Ogden, "More and more we're starting to see that with kidnappings and assaults in the us. The violence has increased tremendously. The profit margin for both smuggling people and drugs has increased--so the battle has escalated all the way up. It's basically a war right now."
