Mexico tops agenda for new Drug Czar

Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske was nominated the new drug czar, with Vice President Joe Biden identifying the war on the Mexican cartels as the top priority.

Mullen mulls Mexico intervention

President Obama was briefed by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen about Mexico’s drug wars, calling for urgent military and intelligence aid in the war against the cartels.

Mexico: more army troops to Juárez in wake of prison massacre

Nearly 7,000 Mexican soldiers and federal police arrived in Ciudad Juárez, as 20 inmates were killed in a turf war between rival gangs at a Chihuahua state prison in the border city.

Mexico: bomb threats shut Ciudad Juárez airport

An unexploded bomb forced the evacuation of the airport in in Mexico’s violence-torn Ciudad Juárez, while a bomb threat cleared the border city’s courthouse as federal officials were holding a security meeting.

Mexico extradites legendary kingpin Miguel Caro Quintero

Convicted drug kingpin Miguel Caro Quintero AKA “Michael Jackson” was extradited to the US after eight years in a Mexican prison. With his brother Rafael, he is said to have led the Guadalajara Cartel.

US claims major hit against Sinaloa Cartel’s stateside networks

Federal, state, and local law enforcement in California, Minnesota, and Maryland arrested 50 people who the US Justice Department claims are operatives of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel.

Mexico: Cerezo brother political prisoners released

Some 150 greeted the brothers Antonio and Héctor Cerezo Contreras as they left a prison in Mexico’s Morelos state, after eight years detainment on suspicion of ties to the Popular Revolutionary Army (EPR).

Mexico: transport strike in 17 states

Some 500,000 Mexican bus and truck drivers and owners held a one-day strike Feb. 16, slowing freight deliveries and forcing many passengers to find alternative transportation in 17 of the country’s states.

Mexico: attack on Chihuahua governor’s motorcade

Gunmen fired on the motorcade of José Reyes Baeza Terrazas, governor of the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua, as it stopped at an intersection in the state capital, killing a bodyguard.

Mexico: Juárez police chief steps down, citing threats

Roberto Orduña Cruz, police chief in Mexico’s violence-torn Ciudad Juárez, quit after several officers were slain this week and narco gangs pledged to kill an officer every 48 hours until he resigned.

Mexico: Gulf Cartel behind border protests?

Protesters blocked the international bridges in Juárez, Reynosa and Nuevo Laredo to demand the Mexican army pull out of the violence-torn cities. But politicians said the protesters were paid by the cartels.

Mexico: narcos wipe out family in Tabasco

A team of gunmen in the southern Mexican state of Tabasco opened fire on the home of a state police officer and his extended family, killing 12 people, including six children.