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Anonymous Takes on the Zetas

They have no guns, just the web. Are they any match for the Zetas? The Zetas have until November 5 to decide whether to release a kidnapped Anonymous member or face the consequences: Anonymous will publish the identities and personal information of all the associates, police officers, politicians, businesses and others who support the Zetas, which it says will lead to the Government forfeiting their property.

It seems that an Anonymous supporter in Mexico was kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel, and well, this isn’t sitting too well with the larger Anonymous group as a whole. In fact Anonymous has let it be known that if they Zetas Cartel doesn’t release their compatriot the hackavist group will start publishing the names, address, and other personal information of all the Zetas Cartel members as well as politicians, cops, and military members who are bought and paid for by the cartel.

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They say everyone from taxi drivers to businesses that fronts for the cartel will be revealed on the web and as the spokesman for the group says in a recently posted Spanish speaking video – it won’t be hard as we already know who they are and where they are located.

An English version of the video is here. The original Spanish version is here. And here's the English transcript:

"Anonymous from Veracruz, Mexico, and the world, we want you to know that a member has been kidnapped when he was doing Paperstorm in our city.

We demand his release. We want the army and the navy to know that we are fed up of the criminal group Zetas, who have concentrated on kidnapping, stealing and blackmailing in different ways. One of them is charging every honest and hardworking citizen of Veracruz who busts their rears working day after day to feed their families.

We are fed up of journalists and newspapers of Xalapa, Córdoba and Orizaba because they are constantly crapping on honest authorities like the army and the navy.

We are fed up with taxi drivers, commanders and "police-zetas" officers of Xalapa, Córdoba, Orizaba, Nogales, Río Blanco and Camerinos... who are chickens and have made themselves the most loyal servants of these assh*les.

For the time being, we won´t post photos or the names ... of the taxi drivers, the journalists or the newspapers nor of the police officers, but if needed, we will publish them including their addresses, to see if by doing so the government will arrest them.

We can´t defend ourselves with a weapon, but if we can do this with their cars, houses, bars, brothels and everything else in their possession ... It won´t be difficult. We all know who they are and where they are.

(Images with sound of explosions)

You made a huge mistake by taking one of us. Release him. And if anything happens to him, you (expletive) will always remember this upcoming November 5th . Knowledge is free. We are Anonymous. We are a legion. We don't forgive. We don't forget. Expect us."

A retired DEA agent says this would be a road map for the cartel's rivals to exact revenge:

Mike Vigil, the retired head of international operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration, said the Zetas must take Anonymous seriously. "It is a gutsy move," Vigil said. "By publishing the names, they identify them to rivals, and trust me, they will go after them."

Only they didn't say they would publish the identities of the Zetas, just their associates.

And why is Anonymous so complimentary to the Mexican army and navy? Corruption isn't limited to police in Mexico.

Stratfor Intelligence says the Zetas have been threatening online journalists and publication of their names would put them at risk.

If Anonymous carries out its threat, it will almost certainly lead to the deaths of individuals named as cartel associates, whether or not the information released is accurate. Furthermore, as Mexican cartels have targeted online journalists and bloggers in the past, hackers could well be targeted for reprisal attacks.

....Loss of life will be a certain consequence if Anonymous releases the identities of individuals cooperating with cartels. Whether voluntarily or not, cooperating with criminal cartels in Mexico comes with the danger of retribution from rival cartels. Taxi drivers — typically victims of extortion or otherwise forced to act as lookouts or scouts — are particularly vulnerable.

Are they saying there are journalists out there aligned with the Zetas who get paid by the Zetas? If so, that could, I suppose, make them a target to other cartels, as well as the Government, if the info got out. Mostly, I think, this kind of retaliation does nothing to hurt the cartels, only those associated with them, all of whom they are likely to view as replaceable, collateral damage.

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  • Display: Sort:
    Anonymous will kill no one. (none / 0) (#1)
    by observed on Sun Oct 30, 2011 at 11:14:17 AM EST
    I applaud their gutsy move.