Dave Gibson, Norfolk (Virginia) Examiner, August 20, 2009
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While this is the first known instance of a U.S. soldier working as an assassin for the drug cartels, this may simply be a consequence of the evolving threat posed to this country by the cartels, as well as a result of the criminal gang activity which now exists in the U.S. military.
In April 2009, the FBI released a statement on the growing problem of gangs in the military, and the threat they now pose to U.S. police officers. What follows is an excerpt from that statement:
“Gang members with military training pose a unique threat to law enforcement personnel because of the distinctive military skills that they possess and their willingness to teach these skills to fellow gang members. While the number of gang members trained by the military is unknown, the threat that they pose to law enforcement is potentially significant, particularly if gang members trained in weapons, tactics, and planning pass this instruction on to other gang members.”
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{snip} However, FBI gang investigator Jennifer Simon said in a recent article: “Gang membership in the U.S. Armed Forces is disproportional to the U.S. population.”
The prevailing estimate among most experts is that out of every 100 people who enter the military, at least two are gang members.
One of the reasons for the increasing number of gang members joining the military, is the fact that the lowering of recruiting standards, mainly by the Army. Of course, this is due to the two wars dragging on in Afghanistan and Iraq.
According to the Michael D. Palm Center at the University of California, between 2003 and 2006, recruiters allowed 4,230 convicted criminals into the Army.
