Mexican Police Official Assassinated As Drug War Escalates

MEXICO CITY — Gunmen killed a top federal police official and his bodyguard Thursday as they ate lunch in Mexico City, the latest attack against authorities waging a nationwide battle against drug cartels.

Igor Labastida was director of the federal police division monitoring trafficking and contraband, said a Mexico City security official who was not authorized to give his name. Federal police refused to comment.

Labastida's second bodyguard and a woman were injured.

The motive for the attack was unclear and police officials had made no arrests.

The assault was the latest against Mexican officials involved in the nationwide fight against drugs and organized crime.

Edgar Millan Gomez, Mexico's acting federal police chief, was killed in May outside his Mexico City apartment. Police blamed the Sinaloa drug cartel.

President Felipe Calderon has sent more than 20,000 troops across Mexico to take back territory controlled by some of the world's most powerful drug gangs.

The cartels have responded with unprecedented violence, killing more than 4,000 people since Calderon took office in December 2006.

The homicides also have become more gruesome, with hit men beheading their enemies and leaving threatening messages with the victims' bodies.

Comments

[Frenbar]

Decrimilization is a fig leaf of legitamcy for facists.

Drug prohibition has been a disaster for our country and for the world.

Too bad Obama/Mcain are both firmly in the pockets of the corporations.

[shelobo]

The media acts as if this drug war in Mexico and along the borders of Mexico is NEW news?It is not new news.I have for several years have posted on forums information about the drugs and the effects they have on our youth and our country ( http://www.narconews.com/Issue33/article962.html ) .Meth (ICE) cocaine have became the most powerfull and deadlist of any drug to hit OUR streets in generation­s.The effects of these drugs reach from country to country ,neighborhood to neighborhood from cities to small rural towns .These killers of our future generations are on college campus' as well as in the poverty ridden areas of our cities ,mansions to shanty shacks ,rich and poor have became addicted to these drugs ,and people of course blame Mexico and the mexican http://www.topix.net/forum/news/immigration//immigration/T3EIFQMM3MT7DDP84),when in reality the blame lays at the door of THIS country and the lack of funding for drug programs and border patrol that DO work...

[MARTYB]

Coming to your neighborhood soon: "la plata y pluma" to further corrupt and undermine OUR American
system, brought to you by "people without borders", La Raza, MALDEF, MS-13 and any other craven politician who does not see this as an imminent threat to our nation.

[westcoastsc]

Seeing that George Sr. used to import drugs to this country to support Iran Contra and then started the War on Drugs to cover up his misdeeds, maybe you should rethink where to put blame. Whose money do you think they are fighting for anyway? You would be disingenuous if you were to deny that it is ours. We do need borders, but we should be doing everything we can to improve things in Mexico so there will be less of a need for people to come here.

[randyjet]

Build the border fence and get more BP agents on the border to keep the violence out of our country.

[Celldumceen]

You think whats happening in Mexico is bad? Wait until this war crosses the border and these thugs start killing in the United States!

[shelobo]

This 'Drug war' crossed over the border years ago,Provisional data for 1997 and 1999 shows those illicit drug users were about 16 times more likely than nonusers to report being arrested and booked for larceny or theft; and 9 times more likely to be arrested and booked on an assault charge http://www.ncvc.org/ncvc/main.aspx?dbName=DocumentViewer&DocumentID=32348 ..accordin­g to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Fact Sheet, 2000).Thes­e crimes have risin steadly for years ,children where parents use drugs are victims of abuse far more than homes where drugs ,this includes alcohol ,are used !! Drugs come from Canada almost as much as they come through Mexico ,but yet our borders remain weak and border agents turn to corruption to make ends meet because of the low wages they live on..Columb­ia exports MORE drugs to America than any other 'product' columbia has http://www.narconews.com/bogota/.Drug addiction is one of THIS countries worst nightmares,even one of Candidates wife is a recovering addict ! I believe there is no such thing as a EX-addict as .Addicts are recovering and fight the addiction for the rest of their lives.Trea­tment for Alcohol addiction in most cases is covered by insureres,Drug addiction usually is http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112927.php.php

[joebhed]

I know you and your hard working colleagues at NarcoNews do yeoman's work in educating the world on the geopolitical crises brought about by inane, corrupt government policies on drugs in this hemisphere.
And I congratulate and recommend NarcoNews to all HUFFPO readers.
But, for those of us who want to maintain a certain distinction between our languages, that nation adjoining Panama is Colombia, and not Columbia.
Respectfully submitted.
A friend.

[GBartrem]

Wasting human lives over weeds.....­legalize it and tax it, and control it that way.

[shelobo]

Good point on legalizing ,but our goverment believes as millions of others do ,that 'weed' is a gateways drug,when in fact teens that have been questioned in surveys say ALCOHOL was their FIRST 'drug',because it's easier to get and some teens think it's legal when it's not legal for specific age groups, in Texas a parent can let their child drink alcohol and even take their child into a bar !New Nationwide Report Estimates That 40 Percent Of Underage Drinkers Received Free Alcohol From Adults Over http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113094.php.php .Back in 2005 Beer, wine and liquor manufacturers, distributors and retailers paid lobbyists up to $4 million to sway legislators ,imagine how much they give NOW http://www.marininstitute.org/alcohol_industry/digests/old_news/2005/may_05.htmm ,look how much the industry gave to Texas govenor Perry ! Look at californias data from alcohol companies back in 2005 http://www.marininstitute.org/alcohol_industry/contributions.htms.htm

[larmarch5]

These guns, though, are a fraction of the high-powered weaponry purchased legally or illegally in stores and at gun shows in Texas, Arizona, and California and smuggled by the thousands into Mexico. Moreover, the demand for combat-style guns is on the rise, as drug traffickers arm themselves to the teeth to compete for control of trade routes into the US and, more recently, to resist a massive military crackdown that began when President Felipe Calderón took office in December.

[Peabodies]

Decriminalization is the only way this "war" will end.

[PerfectGent]

All for powder and weeds!!!