Mexico’s drug cartel, the Zetas, have joined the coal mining business to increase their profits outside of their lucrative drug trading business. But legal and illegal coal mining practices in the region have mining advocates concerned for the miners’ safety and future coal mining practices.
Hundreds of people in mexico have simply vanished, victims of drug-fueled crime syndicates or perhaps corrupt law enforcement. But often those disappearances aren’t given more than a cursory investigation, if that. And that leaves family members to do the investigating.
The drug war in Mexico has turned local journalism there into a potentially deadly career choice. Powerful cartels often threaten or kill hometown journalists who dare to report on the latest violence. But an innovative system for getting information out quickly — and safely — has recently emerged.