Another Top Cop is Murdered in Mexico
In a murder that apparently may relate to the assassination last month of another top Mexican police official at his Mexico City home, a senior police official and a bodyguard were gunned down as they ate lunch yesterday in Mexico City.
Three other bodyguards and several civilians were wounded in the spray of bullets, reports the Houston Chronicle. There was no immediate explanation for the assassination of Igor Labastida, a federal police commander who was one of several senior law enforcement officers in charge of combating contraband. However, there has been a surge of recent violence against police involved in the country’s efforts to enforce anti-drug-trafficking laws, which has included murders in Mexico City during the past three months of several senior police officers.
“By various government and media tallies, nearly 5,000 people—including some 500 local, state and federal police officers—have been killed in the 18 months since President Felipe Calderon launched the campaign against the drug gangs,” the newspaper writes.
As discussed in earlier ABAJournal.com posts, the spate of police murders and other drug-related violence has implications for the U.S., both because Mexico is a major supplier of cocaine to this country and because the drug violence there reportedly is resulting in increased criminal activity, including kidnappings for ransom, here.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Top Mexican Police Official Murdered at Home in Latest Drug-Related Killing”
ABAJournal.com: “Kidnappings for Ransom in Mexico—and the US—Are Up Significantly”
