Reuters AlertNet Lite - Mexico sees no end to drug violence despite lull

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Mexico sees no end to drug violence despite lull

04 Jul 2007 00:30:23 GMT
Source: Reuters

MEXICO CITY, July 3 (Reuters) - Mexico's government sees no quick end to a drug war that has killed almost 1,400 people this year despite a lull in the violence, the attorney general said on Tuesday.

In northern Nuevo Leon state, a flash point for warring cartels seeking to control smuggling routes into Texas, the number of drug-related killings dropped to 8 in June, compared to 21 in May and a record 25 in March, according to an unofficial tally in the Reforma Group newspapers.

But Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora told business leaders that he was still concerned.

"I don't want to say this is resolved, far from it," he said. "We don't expect this issue to be resolved immediately, precisely due to its complexity and the depth of the phenomenon we are facing."

The drop in killings have led to reports that the Gulf cartel and a coalition of gangs led by Mexico's most wanted man, Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, had agreed to divide up smuggling routes to the United States to end the violence because it was hurting their business.

Medina Mora denied there was any cease-fire. "We don't have any evidence of a deal or pact between criminal organizations," said Medina Mora.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has sent 25,000 soldiers across Mexico to attack drug cartels and stop the violence since taking power in December, seemingly with little impact as cartel hit men have continued with daylight killings of rivals.

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Last updated:Wed Jul 4 00:31:37 2007