Mexico Sends Soldiers to Border States

KRISTV.COM:

NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico (AP) - Mexican soldiers and federal agents began patrolling this embattled border city Monday while dozens of Nuevo Laredo police officers were investigated for possible links with organized crime, officials said Monday.

The Mexican government deployed federal forces to three states to contain surging violence linked to organized crime over the weekend.

The new deployment comes amid evidence that organized crime has penetrated some local police departments, presidential spokesman Ruben Aguilar told a news conference in Mexico City.

"There are very clear clues of the relationship between the police of Nuevo Laredo with drug trafficking; thus the decided action," Aguilar said.

President Vicente Fox already had sent hundreds of soldiers and federal agents to the border cities in March to restore order. But concerns about lawlessness were reignited last week with the killing of Nuevo Laredo's police chief just hours after he took office.

Times are obviously troubled when Mexican soldiers and federal agents take over the entire Nuevo Laredo Police Department. And, immediately after the takeover on Saturday, 41 city police officers were flown to Mexico City for interrogation regarding corruption and the influence of organized drug traffickers.

The federal offensive, called "Operation Mexico Secure," is primarily aimed at reducing border violence and neutralizing the smuggling operations of drug kingpin Juan Guzman. Soldiers and agents have been deployed in the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Baja California, and Sinaloa.