The U.S. Consulate's security office distributed the following message to its staff:

Mexican authorities have captured key members of the cartels active in Juarez. These successes also bring with them the potential for an increase in violence, said State Department official.

The Mexican government and consulate stated that the cartels may seek to retaliate and increase their attacks against rival cartel members, Mexican law enforcement and/or the public in general.

Information has come to light that suggests a cartel may be targeting the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez or U.S. Ports of Entry.  In the past, cartels have been willing to utilize car bombs in attacks.  American citizens were cautioned and advised to remain vigilant.

"If the Consulate should receive any credible threat information that provides a specific time and place, that information will be disseminated immediately," the press statement stated.

In addition, U.S. State Department officials are warning American tourists to stay alert and not to wander far from Mexico's resort areas such as Cancun and Acapulco.

The murders of 20 men in Mexico's famed resort city, Acapulco, are taking their toll on the country's economy with most foreign visitors fleeing the once peaceful vacation playground. And it's not only Americans and Canadians forgoing their Acapulco vacations, but now even Mexicans who usually frequent the resort are changing their plans.

Handwritten "tags" or signs were discovered at the crime scene suggesting that the killings were part of the ongoing gang war involving the Los Zetas, La Familia and the Sinaloa cartel. The three organized crime gangs implicated in the Acapulco violence are vying for control of Mexico's illegal drug trade.

Some of the signs posted on shopping center walls allegedly bore the signature of “El Chapo Guzman,” who is the Mexican "Godfather" of the Sinaloa cartel. He is referred to as Public Enemy Number One by Mexican law enforcement and military forces.

Just recently, the Mexican government released its latest figures on homicides connected to the drug war that began in December 2006.

At least 30,196 people have been murdered since Mexican President Felipe Calderon ordered troops to crack down on the drug cartels. Those murdered included government officials, police commanders and officers, military personnel, and others who were deemed a threat to the cartels' business interests or leaders. Of those 30,000-plus killed, a record 12,456 were mortally wounded between January and November of 2010.

The struggling Mexican economy has long relied on tourism to garner a major portion of that country's wealth.  Acapulco, dubbed by Mexico's bureau of tourism as the “Pearl of the Pacific,” has experienced a  50 percent reduction in visitors within the past year, claim law enforcement officials.

Some tourists still visit the city, especially from Mexico City, but travel agents say they expect the number of Mexican visitors to fall as the violence increases. Even those brave enough to vacation in Acapulco stay close to the hotels and avoid venturing out on their own.

Acapulco killings came only a few weeks following the shocking discovery of a mass grave containing the remains of 18 people from the nearby Michoacan

The victims are believed to have been touring Acapulco by bus while on vacation when they were kidnapped by cartel members and murdered in cold-blood, according to a law enforcement advisor who has worked as a police instructor in Mexico.

**Jim Kouri, CPP, formerly Fifth Vice-President, is currently a Board Member of the National Association of Chiefs of Police, an editor for ConservativeBase.com, and he's a columnist for Examiner.com.  In addition, he's a blogger for the Cheyenne, Wyoming Fox News Radio affiliate KGAB (www.kgab.com). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.

He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations.  He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country.   Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He's a news writer and columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com.   Kouri appears regularly as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Fox News Channel, Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, etc.