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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | September 2006 
Mexico, U.S. Officials to Meet Thursday
 Associated Press
| | Villagers stand around the body of a boy killed during clashes with police in the village of San Salvador Atenco, about 31 miles east of Mexico City May 3, 2006. The State Department warned Americans on Friday of the increasing 'brutal violence' in parts of Mexico, particularly in the state of Tamaulipas, and urged them to be cautious when visiting unfamiliar areas. (Daniel Aguilar/Reuters) |
Mexican and U.S. officials will meet Thursday to discuss U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza's concerns about growing drug violence in Mexico, the government here said.
In a statement by the Foreign Relations Department late Friday, the Mexican government said it wanted to clarify "discrepancies" in a letter Garza sent a day earlier to the Mexican government.
The ambassador advised U.S. citizens to exercise extreme caution when traveling in Mexico because of "the rising level of brutal violence."
On Saturday, U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Judith Bryan didn't have details on the meeting, but said: "We look forward to working with the Mexican government on this subject of great importance to both countries."
The statements came amid a wave of drug-related violence that has claimed more than 1,500 lives this year across Mexico, many in states on the U.S. border.
The bloodshed, which is attributed to rival gangs battling over smuggling routes into the United States, has included beheadings, grenade attacks and execution-style hits on several police chiefs.
Mexico has bristled at Garza's past criticism that the country isn't doing enough to combat crime.
On Friday, President Vicente Fox's spokesman defended Mexico's efforts, saying the country "maintains its permanent and unwavering commitment to the security of those who live in or visit its territory."
Mexico Extradites Major Drug Family Brother to US
Reuters
Mexico extradited one of the infamous Arellano Felix drug-smuggling brothers on Saturday to the United States, where he has faced drug charges since the 1980s, a source in the attorney general's office said.
Mexican agents flew Francisco Rafael Arellano Felix, the family's oldest brother, to the Texas border city of Brownsville and gave him to U.S. authorities.
Arellano Felix was convicted of weapons charges and has been in prison in Mexico since 1993.
Based in Tijuana, the Arellano Felix brothers lead one of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels, although it has been hit by a series of arrests in recent years.
The U.S. Coast Guard arrested another brother, Javier Arellano Felix, in a dramatic operation at sea off Mexico's Pacific coast last month.
Described by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as "one of the most ruthless thugs" in the illegal drug trade, Javier Arellano Felix had a U.S. government reward on his head of up to $5 million.
The trafficking family lost some of its power in 2002, when its main enforcer, Ramon Arellano Felix, was killed in a shootout with police and his brother Benjamin, the gang's mastermind, was arrested.
The family continued to do business, however, and had cut deals with the Gulf cartel in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, the government said.
About 1,500 people were killed last year in a brutal drug war in Mexico. The violence has raged on this year, including a wave of drug gang beheadings in the western state of Michoacan. |
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