Whack-a-mole: A Drug Lord Dies, But Mexico's War Goes On

This NPR correspondent has it right, whacking moles doesn't work.

A Drug Lord Dies, But Mexico's War Goes On : NPR:
One of Mexico's most-wanted drug lords was killed Friday in a fierce gun battle with Mexican marines. Antonio Ezequiel Cardenas Guillen, also known as "Tony Tormenta," was shot dead in the city of Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville, Texas. Host Scott Simon talks to NPR's John Burnett about the potential impact of Cardenas Guillen's death on the drug war.

(John Burnett) "... there's an old saying in Mexico, Scott, about this drug cartel war, that when you cut off the brains the thugs take over. And while Mexico has had some notable successes in killing and arresting some major figures in the drug war in the last year, the practical effect is that once these capos are killed, many lieutenants of theirs then start battling for ascendance in the organizations. And so there's actually more violence that it causes. (our emphasis) Although these are prizes and the U.S. is very pleased and sometimes they're extradited, in the end it can often lead to even more drug violence." Nov. 6, 2010