| | |  News Around the Republic of Mexico | September 2009 
Mexican Ex-Officials to be Tried for Drug Ties
 Associated Press
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September 12, 2009
Mexico City — A Mexico judge ordered eight former top police and prosecution officials in the Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo to stand trial on charges of aiding drug cartels, the Attorney General's Office said Friday.
The trial orders represent one of the most complete sweeps of top law enforcement officers in a Mexican state in recent memory, including the two highest officials of the federal Attorney General's Office in the state, who were arrested earlier this month.
The order also covers the state's former Public Safety Secretary and the former heads of state and tourism police. Three other former police agents will stand trail on similar charges.
The Attorney General's Office said Friday in a statement that the suspects face organized crime and drug charges for allegedly aiding the Beltran Leyva and Gulf cartels.
Quintana Roo state is home to Cancun, Mexico's most popular tourist resort. Mexico's Caribbean coast has become both a lucrative retail drug retail market because of the number of users and tourists there, and a major transshipment point for drugs headed toward the U.S.
Quintana Roo has not experienced as much drug violence as other states, but has long had problems with corruption.
Mario Villanueva, who was governor from 1993 to 1996, was sentenced last year to 36 years in prison for fomenting drug trafficking. He is fighting extradition to the United States on charges he helped traffickers ship drugs there. |
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