Reuters AlertNet Lite - Extraditions hit Mexico drug gangs, violence feared

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Extraditions hit Mexico drug gangs, violence feared

22 Jan 2007 22:14:47 GMT
Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mexico's extradition of four major drug lords to the United States will hit the cartels' operations although it could lead to a new increase in violence, senior U.S. officials said Monday.

White House anti-drug czar John Walters said extraditions were key to taking on the gangs that killed some 2,000 people in Mexico last year, but there was a risk of new turf battles as kingpins try to take over smuggling routes from rivals who have been extradited.

"Yes, there is some violence that is part of the process of taking these violent mafias to justice," Walters told reporters on a conference call from Washington.

He said it was difficult to predict the impact of the extraditions on the levels of violence, and that it was a risk worth taking in order to improve long-term stability.

Mexico handed over four major traffickers, including alleged Gulf cartel boss Osiel Cardenas, to the United States last Friday and has in recent weeks deployed thousands of troops in several of Mexico's most lawless states.

The campaign, ordered by conservative President Felipe Calderon within days of taking office last month, has won glowing praise from Washington.

"President Calderon has taken powerful, unprecedented steps to take these structures down," Walters said. "This is an example of leadership that is truly stunning."

Calderon's government says it will send more imprisoned traffickers to face charges in U.S. courts, and insists it is ready to face any violent backlash.

Security at Mexican prisons is notoriously weak, meaning top traffickers have been able to run their operations even from behind bars.

Locking them up in U.S. prisons, where telephone calls, mail and visits are all closely monitored, should shut them down and force their gangs to scramble for new leaders.

"In the last eight years, he (Cardenas) commanded one of the most brutal and powerful drug cartels in the world. In the last four years, he did it from inside prison," said Karen Tandy, who heads the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Calderon ordered troops into several states to try to stem the explosion of drug violence. His government said murder rates have already dropped sharply since the operation began, although it has so far made few major arrests.

It is especially keen to trap Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who runs the notorious Sinaloa cartel and broke out of a top security prison hidden in a laundry van six years ago.

Among those extradited last Friday was Hector "El Guero" Palma, one of Guzman's top lieutenants.

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Last updated:Mon Jan 22 22:15:48 2007