Milwaukee Post
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/392110
By jESSICA MCBRIDE Special to The Post MILWAUKEE — If you wrote a novel about Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's exploits, no one would believe it. They might believe the gunfight that killed an archbishop at a Mexican airport, but you'd probably lose them when he escaped prison in a laundry cart. And they'd never believe the beginning of his end started in Milwaukee. Experts say the Mexican cartel Guzman co- leads controls 80 percent of Chicago's drug market (including heroin) and brings 25 per- cent of all drugs into the U.S. As with any monopoly, this generated avid government attention. This isn't just the story of a distant cartel, though; Waukesha gets almost all of its drugs from Milwaukee, and Milwaukee from Chicago, says Capt. Frank McElderry, who runs Waukesha County's Metro Drug Unit. And those drugs — fueled by a much purer form of heroin than in the past — have led to a crisis here. Whereas the poppy fields grown by Johnson & Johnson off Australia's coast are used to make legal opioid pills, poppy fields in Mexico and Central America supply our area's heroin and are targeted by the govern- ment's "war on drugs." The profit margin for both? Billions. The drugs are chemically simi- lar and produce the same high. Two Great Lakes partially penning in Wisconsin ensure it's not going to be a major illegal drug hub for elsewhere but rather an "end-destination state," says James Bohn, who runs the local DEA office. Heroin comes to Milwaukee from Mexico, sometimes brought directly from the border by illegal immigrants, but usually through Chicago, concurs Mark Manthy of the Wisconsin High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. DID YOU KNOW? Local news at your fingertips Visit www.gmtoday.com MARK BELLING What is Mary Burke's jobs plan? Page 9 Candidate fails to articulate a vision for state's workers • The shortest verse in the Bible consists of two words: "Jesus wept." John 11:35. • Did you know Mars appears red because it's covered in rust. – Source: Cool Facts app SCHOOL BOARD APPOINTS DRIVER TO HEAD MPS — PAGE 3 STEVE 'THE HOMER' TRUE What we should and shouldn't be worried about with Pack, UW Page 11 Both teams showing strengths and flaws Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MilwaukeePost Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MilwaukeePost Public enemy No. 1: How a controversial cartel and its colorful leader brought heroin here MILWAUKEE COUNTY'S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OCTOBER 3, 2014 See HEROIN on Page 6 Fourth in a series FREE STORAGE! FREE STORAGE! FREE STORAGE! 1st Month with 6 month contract DREXEL SELF STORAGE 500 W. Drexel • Oak Creek 414-617-2109 414-587-0517 239652084 9501 W. Loomis Rd., Franklin • 414-427-8499 Professionally Managed by Oakbrook Corporation • *Income Restrictions May Apply Brenwood Park Senior Apts Brenwood Park Senior Apts Call to schedule your appointment or personal tour today! Lock in this great special for 12 months when you sign a lease by October 31, 2014 1 Bedroom $781 Extra Storage Units Onsite Management Elevator Fitness Center In-Unit Washer & Dryer Hookups Cable Ready Balcony, Deck or Patio Card Night Miniature Golf Free Coffee Bar Dart Baseball Exercise Class Billiards, Bingo Wii Bowling FREE Underground Parking Birthday of the Month FREE Friday Continental Breakfast On-Site Bank Free Shopping Shuttle Rake In Great Rents In a Great Community and Leaf Your Old Place Behind 2 Bedroom $899 Heat and hot water included! PET FRIENDLY 240093169