Posted on 05/25/2006 11:16:03 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico — About 150 federal police officers who staged a public protest against their superiors this week have been pulled back to Mexico City to face an uncertain welcome.
A spokesman for the federal police, known by its Spanish initials PFP, said the officers would not face any retaliation for their protest, but officials and media here were sure that an example would be made of the men.
The fracas began Monday, when the officers — about half the 300 assigned to help quell drug cartel violence here — gathered in protest of what they said were poor living and working conditions.
Anonymous federal police officers were quoted in several local newspapers rattling off a litany of complaints. They said conditions in the barracks were so crammed that many had to sleep on the floor, the food was poor, they have to lug water in buckets for showers and that a promised per diem for food, housing and laundry hasn't been paid.
Some of the officers accused the man in charge of border security operations, Gen. Héctor Sánchez Gutiérrez, of keeping the money.
The Mexican government responded that the per diem was for food and housing — things that were being provided for the officers free at a military barracks here.
About 24 hours later, those same protesters were boarding planes headed to the Mexican capital.
The protesters crossed paths on the runway with a new group of PFP officers sent to replace them.
"The troublemakers already left," one of the new agents said. "We have a roof over our heads, we're eating fine and we don't have any problems."
What appeared to be an internal PFP issue, however, affected all corners of the city and even changed its atmosphere.
The PFP officers here were brought in to help local and state forces wrest control of the city from drug traffickers.
A turf war between the Gulf and Sinaloa cartels has left more than 300 dead over the past 2 1/2 years.
Over the past year, the federal police presence had become common here. On Wednesday, their absence from the streets was noticeable.
A city police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said only a handful of federal trucks are patrolling the streets while the aftermath of the protest is sorted out.
"We need them here so that tourists will feel safe," said Carlos Gonzalez, who sat in the horse-drawn carriage he uses to give city tours. "Without them, I don't make enough to feed even the horse."
Three men were shot to death in separate attacks since the protest cleared the streets of federal officers, authorities said, bringing to at least 115 the number of people slain here this year.
A 28-year-old mechanic was shot several times and died outside of his garage around 3 p.m. Tuesday, said Raul Galindo, an investigator from the attorney general's office for Tamaulipas state.
Why the unidentified victim was targeted was unclear, but police said at least two men armed with machine guns did the shooting, suggesting it was drug-related.
Then, just before midnight Tuesday, an unknown number of gunmen with assault rifles shot and killed 28-year-old Alfredo Garcia as he parked his late-model SUV in front of his home. Emilio Rodriguez, who was riding with Garcia, was shot several times and also died.
City police officers were more neutral about the PFP's absence.
"Who's going to miss those guys, really?" asked one local cop, pointing out that the homicide rate has only increased since the PFP came to town.
Shortly after the PFP arrived a little over a year ago, local cops mistakenly engaged them in a shootout.
"We were here alone in the beginning, so this isn't new to us," another local officer said.
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mcastillo@express-news.net The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Paging Presidente Fox!
Los dos Laredos Ping!
Looks like the wheels might be fixin to fall off down there. Mexico is no different from any other piece of crap third world disaster.
What tourists? Nobodys going to these s**tholes except to get cheap drugs and dental work.
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