Mexican troops swoop on police HQ

BBC ^ | 10 February 2009 | Staff

[managusta]

Mexican troops have detained the police chief and 36 other officers in the resort of Cancun in connection with the murder last week of an ex-army general.

Soldiers swooped on the police HQ and took police chief Francisco Velasco to Mexico City for questioning.

Former general Mauro Enrique Tello, who had just taken command of an elite squad to tackle in Cancun, was tortured and shot by suspected traffickers.

Some 5,400 people were killed in drug-related violence in Mexico in 2008.

In a surprise operation, dozens of heavily armed soldiers swarmed on the police station in the municipality of Benito Juarez, which includes Cancun.

Soldiers stripped the police chief and his officers of their weapons to check the registration of the guns.

Chief Velasco was flown to the capital for questioning in connection with Gen Tello's murder.

Gen Tello, who retired from the army earlier this year, had been sent to Cancun to lead a new force intended to break up the influence of drugs cartels.

He and two other men with him were abducted on a local main road, then driven to a remote location where they were tortured and then shot.

The BBC correspondent in Mexico, Stephen Gibbs, says the general's death, the day after he arrived to take up his new job, is being blamed squarely on corrupt police and drugs cartels.

[managusta]

Narco-terrorism at our back door.

[AngelesCrestHighway]

The third world cesspool called Mexico.....

[alice_in_bubbaland]

One of the many reasons that I will never visit Cancun or Mexico, for that matter, again.

[lormand]

"Narco-terrorism at our back door."

Not just next door. I'll bet that they control much of California's legal pot operations.

[Ben Mugged]

was tortured and shot by suspected traffickers

took police chief Francisco Velasco to Mexico City for questioning

Yep... Mexico definitely will not use harsh questioning techniques.....

[toast]

I think I passed by these guys on my trip last spring.
They were outside a police station south of Cancun, but looked pretty young, unkempt, and heavily armed.

[Billthedrill]

I just talked a good friend out of taking a midwinter vacation down there. “But some parts of Mexico are safe,” sez he. “They’re pretty good about policing the resort areas.” Uh huh. Like Cancun.

[khnyny]

One of the many reasons that I will never visit Cancun or Mexico, for that matter, again.

Your post, and the massive public sentiment like it, (which this kind of publicity engenders), is just another example of how the illegal drug trade and corruption not only kill people, but also kill legitimate economic growth, communities and countries.

That being said, I've never been impressed with Cancun. I do feel sorry, however, for the poor people trying to make an honest living who will be affected by tourists fleeing the area.

Bottom line, imho, if you're going to spend money on vacations, etc., spend it in the US and support OUR economy.

[Between the Lines]

Nuevo Laredo, Rio Bravo, Matamoros and Reynosa. Now Cancun. Interesting

[bvw]

There are various factions, seems to be coming to a head. You have police in one jurisdiction against the other, against the Federales, you have this and that group in the Army. These are dangerous days everywhere.

[gandalftb]

The Cancun area has been a historic smuggling area, Cuba is only 100 miles away. The coast of the Yucatan is very remote, lots of drugs are driven there, boated to Cuba and off to our Gulf Coast, been that way since the 70's.

I was there over the holidays and noticed lots of Federale roadblocks on the way to Playa del Carmen. Only tourist buses are waved through.

The town of Cancun used to be a major party town, now the formerly free buses from the hotel strip to downtown are no more and very few taxis are allowed to take you there.

I was told the drug cartels bought out the downtown to use it for money laundering and the sale of drugs to tourists both downtown and on the strip.

[Sawdring]

Shhh.... Dont’ tell anyone, but if you legalize drugs, the flow of money to NARCO terrorists will dry up. They will only have kidnapping and prostitution left.

[usurper]

I was there over the holidays and noticed lots of Federale roadblocks on the way to Playa del Carmen.

I am heading to Cozumel in a week. I know they screen who get onto the island and I have been watching the situation closely. At this point I am still going but this is starting to bleed into areas once considered safe.