Here comes the new plea and excuse to give Mexico more aid:
The story of El Ponchis [the alleged 14 year old assassin] is the most shocking involving youngsters in drug cartels, but even President Felipe Calderon has acknowledged “in the most violent areas of the country, there is an unending recruitment of young people without hope, without opportunities.”
Figures obtained by The Associated Press from Mexico’s attorney general’s office show that the number of youths 18 and under detained for drug-related crimes has climbed steadily since Calderon launched his assault on cartels in 2006. There were 482 that year and 810 in 2009. There were 562 in the first eight months of this year, on track to surpass last year.