Monterrey - Safest City in Mexico

That's the contention of Nuevo Leon Gov. Natividad Gonzalez Paras. And the governor would like the word to be spread. After all, some of the country's wealthiest citizens are tied to Monterrey, living in the upscale suburb of Garza Garcia. It's important to Gov. Gonzalez that the residents believe they live in Mexico's safest city, despite nagging problems.

About two hours by car from the Texas border, San Pedro Garza Garcia, population 120,000, is one of Latin America's wealthiest suburbs -- and one with strong ties to Texas. It is home to about 1,500 Dallas Cowboys season-ticket holders, and it is a sister city to Plano.

But the same opulence that attracts Mexico's elite families is also a magnet for warring drug lords, authorities say. According to two U.S. officials, at least five small cells working for the Gulf Cartel now exert substantial control in and around Monterrey. The assassins number about 15 per cell, said a U.S. law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

They are some of the same hired guns who for years have terrorized Nuevo Laredo and other border communities, the officials said. The mastermind is the Gulf Cartel's alleged regional "gatekeeper," Miguel Trevino Morales, the U.S. officials said. Last month, Laredo issued an arrest warrant for Trevino in connection with a 2006 double homicide in Texas.

The Gulf and Sinaloa cartels have been battling over control of routes into Texas, particularly Interstate 35, authorities say.

Law enforcement officials in the Monterrey area are resigning in waves, including more than 40 in recent days. Last week, Monterrey Mayor Adalberto Madero fired 52 police officers suspected of corruption and collusion with drug traffickers.

So, Mexico's safest city is saturated with police corruption and assassins and is the battleground of a major war between violent drug cartels. Logically, one might wonder what needs to be added to make a city unsafe.

Companion post at Diggers Realm.