Mexican President Replaces AG Who Fought Drug Cartels
Mexican President Felipe Calderon has replaced his attorney general who fought the drug cartels and replaced him with a little-known lawyer who has worked as a state and federal prosecutor.
Calderon accepted the resignation of Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora without giving a reason for the change, Reuters reports. However Calderon said the drug crackdown would continue.
Arturo Chavez, a federal and state prosecutor in Chihuahua, was nominated to replace Medina Mora.
Medina Mora’s image was hurt when a top deputy was arrested and accused of taking bribes to pass on knowledge of drug cases, according to the Associated Press. Critics also pointed out that a crackdown by police and troops failed to stop drug violence that has killed more than 13,000 people.
Jose Luis Pineyro, a drug expert at Mexico’s National Autonomous University, told AP that Medina Mora’s departure could signal an intention to change its drug-fighting tactics. The new plan may focus on “attacking the financial nerve center and property of organized crime,” he said.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Lawyer for Suspected Drug Kingpins Is Murdered; 2nd Such Killing in 1 Month”
ABA Journal: “Justice in the Rough”
