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Drug Kingpins Corrupt Elite Mexican Unit
Top anti-drug agents accused of passing information to traffickers
By Rob Quinn
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Posted Oct 28, 08 10:48 AM CDT
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(Newser)
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Two senior officials from an elite Mexican anti-drug unit have been arrested and charged with spying for drug cartels, the Los Angeles Times reports, and dozens of agents have been fired following a tip-off from a captured informant. Prosecutors say the officials leaked information to the gangs they were supposed to be targeting in return for hundreds of thousands of dollars a month.
"They handed over secret information and details of operations against the Beltran Leyva criminal organization," Mexico's attorney general said. Mexican authorities fear the corruption in a once-trusted unit has dealt a hammer blow to its war on drugs—especially as it is likely to make American anti-drug agencies more wary of sharing information with their Mexican counterparts.