Mexico's (Ex)Anti-Drug Czar Noe RamirezIn Mexico's Drug War, Bad Cops Are A
Mounting Problem -- Time Magazine
Mounting Problem -- Time Magazine
Few rituals are more futile than the "housecleaning" of Mexico's police forces. So deep, broad and brazen is cop corruption south of the border that removing it makes eradicating rats from landfills look easy. Mexico stages quasi-annual purges of officers high and low — last year it was 284 federal police commanders — and yet every year it seems to find itself with an even more criminal constabulary. This year's scandals, however, are especially appalling.
Over the summer, President Felipe Calderon's anti-drug czar, Noe Ramirez, resigned abruptly. This week, the likely reason became apparent after Ramirez was detained and accused by federal officials of taking $450,000 to keep Mexico's most powerful narco mafia, the Sinaloa Cartel, informed about police anti-drug operations. He is the highest-ranking government official to be nabbed in this year's anti-corruption sweep.
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My Comment: When the man at the top is involved in this type of corruption, it kills the morale of the security forces and the justice system. The damage that such a breach of security causes is considerable. If convicted, this "drug-czar" should be imprisoned for life.