Last updated Feb. 9, 2010  RSS Feeds

Mexico Under Siege   The drug war at our doorstep

A team of Los Angeles Times reporters has been covering Mexico's drug war from both sides of the border since June, 2008.

Credits

Complete series

Use the list below to sort and view all Los Angeles Times coverage of Mexico Under Siege

Date Dateline Byline Type Headline
Feb. 9, 2010 Tijuana Richard Marosi Story 2 suspected drug gang leaders held in Tijuana
Raydel Lopez Uriarte and Manuel Garcia Simental are believed to be top lieutenants in a cartel blamed for a string of massacres, police killings, beheadings and kidnappings in Tijuana.
Feb. 5, 2010 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Mexico massacre response fails to convince
Officials’ suggestions that slain Ciudad Juarez teens had drug ties anger relatives.
Feb. 3, 2010 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Mexico kidnapping attempt leaves 8 dead
A Mexico federal police officer and seven gunmen are killed after a kidnapping at a mall in Torreon. The two kidnapping victims are freed. Officials blame the Zetas drug gang.
Feb. 3, 2010 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story Telephoned abduction claims bedeviling Mexico
A cottage industry has exploded alongside the skyrocketing kidnapping rate: telephoned shakedowns that play on fears, in which the perpetrators scamming for pesos make random, scattershot calls.
Feb. 3, 2010 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Mexico arrests suspect in Ciudad Juarez shooting attack on party
The man tells reporters that assailants targeted the high-school party because members of a rival trafficking group were said to be in attendance.
Feb. 1, 2010 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Ciudad Juarez police baffled by shooting of teens
The attack on a party attended by mostly high school and college students has 'no apparent motive,' the mayor says. The death toll rises to 16.
Feb. 1, 2010 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story As Mexican teens celebrate school soccer win, gunmen open fire
Fourteen people are killed in Ciudad Juarez during a party in a private home, the latest victims of the drug war. More than 3,700 people have been slain in two years in this violent area of Mexico.
Jan. 21, 2010 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Mexico prison riot leaves at least 23 dead
All of the dead in the Durango prison uprising are inmates. The fighting is said to have been between members of rival drug-trafficking cartels.
Jan. 13, 2010 San Diego Ken Ellingwood, Richard Marosi Story Mexican drug lord Teodoro Garcia Simental, known for his savagery, is captured
The crime boss 'El Teo,' who authorities say is responsible for massacres and beheadings, is quietly arrested in Baja California. Hundreds fled Tijuana to avoid being kidnapped.
Jan. 11, 2010 Tijuana Richard Marosi Story New years see Tijuana slip into cycle of violence
After some gains in Mexico’s drug war in 2009, Tijuana has had a bloody turn of events in the new year. More than a dozen people, four of them students, were reported slain in the last week.
Jan. 5, 2010 Los Angeles Times staff Story Mexico's drug violence respects no borders
The slaying of an El Monte educator visiting Mexico's Durango state brings the drug war toll home to Southern California.
Jan. 3, 2010 Durango Tracy Wilkinson Story Wife of slain El Monte civic leader didn't think drug war would touch her family
Betzy Salcedo knew of the drug violence in her home town of Gomez Palacio, but like many in Mexico, she was sure she could steer clear of it. The kidnapping and execution of her husband, Augustin Roberto "Bobby" Salcedo changed everything.
Jan. 1, 2010 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Book takes Mexico drug war to task
The book by two former Mexican government officials criticizes President Felipe Calderon’s campaign against the drug cartels. The authors say the focus should be on smaller-bore crimes.
Dec. 30, 2009 Nuevo Laredo Ken Ellingwood, Tracy Wilkinson Story Mexico's public is missing in action in the drug battle
Faced with drug-cartel violence and signs of vigilantism against the gangs, ordinary people would argue that it doesn’t pay to get involved.
Dec. 29, 2009 Durango Tracy Wilkinson Story Crime reporters face deadly perils
As many as 12 reporters and media workers have been slain this year. The steady intimidation of journalists has caused many of them to pull their punches and refrain from writing the whole truth.
Dec. 23, 2009 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story Mexico drug raid hero’s family slaughtered
Hours after the burial of a marine who died in a raid that killed drug lord Arturo Beltran Leyva, gunmen burst into his home and killed family members.
Dec. 22, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Staged photos of slain drug lord stir controversy
Images of Arturo Beltran Leyva's corpse covered with blood-stained peso and dollar bills and jewelry raise concerns that law enforcement is adopting the tactics of hit men. An inquiry is underway.
Dec. 20, 2009 Tijuana Richard Marosi Story Tijuana's security chief need all of it he can get
Julian Leyzaola lives with threats and worse, plus the accusations.
Dec. 18, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood, Josh Meyer, Tracy Wilkinson Story Cartel chief is dead, but now what?
Officials herald the killing of Arturo Beltran Leyva as a coup. Still, the drug violence could grow.
Dec. 14, 2009 Rosarito Beach Richard Marosi Story One man's war zone is another's paradise
From the insulated safety of Baja's luxurious seaside gated communities, American expatriates say reports of kidnappings and violent drug cartels seem a world away.
Dec. 9, 2009 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story Rights group faults Mexico over alleged army abuse
Amnesty International, citing cases of alleged slayings by the military in the drug war, criticizes civilian officials, saying they fail to properly investigate or prosecute crimes by the army.
Nov. 25, 2009 Tijuana Richard Marosi Story Mexico tightens security at U.S. border crossings
The new infrastructure -- including gates, cameras and vehicle scales -- aims to hamper the smuggling of drug money and weapons to Mexican cartels. Businesses are protesting the increased wait times.
Nov. 17, 2009 San Luis Potosi Ken Ellingwood Story Fixing Mexico police becomes a priority
Reversing police corruption that has tainted whole departments, shattered faith in law enforcement and compromised one of society's most basic institutions is proving difficult, but not impossible.
Nov. 9, 2009 Culiacan Tracy Wilkinson Story Women play growing role in Mexico's drug war
Addiction, the economy and the lure of living well have sucked many into the narcotics underworld. The trend threatens the foundations of Mexican society.
Oct. 29, 2009 Mexico City Cecilia Sanchez, Tracy Wilkinson Story Song banned, band pulls out
Los Tigres del Norte are initially barred from playing their latest drug-trade lyrics.
Oct. 28, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Grim glossary of the narco-world
Average words aren't sufficient for the over-the-top violence of Mexico's drug war, so new ones have been invented.
Oct. 23, 2009 Culiacan Tracy Wilkinson Story In drug-trafficking hub, artist is in demand
Between mansions for the living and mausoleums for the dead, there is work to be had in the Sinaloa capital for painter and sculptor Jose Espinoza, who says of his patrons: 'I don't probe.'
Oct. 17, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Gruesome slayings add to Guerrero’s toll
The mutilated corpses of nine people were found in plastic bags in the bed of a pickup, authorities said. The area where they were discovered is known for its drug trafficking.
Oct. 12, 2009 Culiacan Ken Ellingwood, Tracy Wilkinson Story Mexico's 'narco-lawyers' risk everything
One 'Bulletproof Lawyer' survived four assassination attempts before being gunned down. Such unsolved killings highlight the violence within a judicial system manipulated by powerful drug cartels.
Sept. 16, 2009 Mexicali Richard Marosi Story One Mexico border city is quiet, maybe too quiet
Mexicali seems an oasis from violence, but some U.S. officials suspect that the peace comes at a high price.
Sept. 4, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story 18 killed in Juarez clinic for addicts
The systematic execution of clients in one of the many treatment centers for addicts that have sprouted in Ciudad Juarez suggests smuggling gangs may be fighting over local markets.
Aug. 31, 2009 Culiacan Tracy Wilkinson Story 8 killed at street party in Mexico
Four gunmen leap from a pickup truck and fire semiautomatic weapons at the revelers in the town of Navolato in Sinaloa state. The shooters escape.
Aug. 23, 2009 Mexico City Richard Marosi, Tracy Wilkinson Story Mexico shifts tactics in the drug battle
Allowing possession of small amounts frees resources for fighting cartels and traffickers, the government says.
Aug. 22, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Actually, violence is down--so say the numbers
The attorney general points to statistics that indicate homicides have declined in the last 15 years. Critics dismiss his argument as so much spin.
Aug. 14, 2009 Los Angeles Richard Marosi Story 17 charged in string of brutal kidnappings and slayings in San Diego suburbs
n a spillover of Tijuana violence, Mexican gang members posing as U.S. law enforcement personnel abducted and killed 9 victims.
July 30, 2009 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story Police figures slain in separate attacks
An investigator and a commander and his family are killed at their homes as drug crackdown continues.
July 21, 2009 Washington Richard Marosi Story U.S. indictments target Mexico's Gulf cartels
Gulf cartel and a brutal mercenary group are targeted in an effort that could lead to the seizure of U.S.-held assets.
July 18, 2009 Sonora Sacha Feinman Story Drug cartels imperil immigrants
Tighter border enforcement has driven narcotics smugglers to share territory with migrants, adding to the dangers of the journey and possibly contributing to a drop in immigration.
July 17, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Forces hiked to counter drug gang
Mexico is to deploy 5,500 security personnel to the western state of Michoacan, where a series of recent attacks has killed 16 police officers. The La Familia drug gang is suspected in the slayings.
July 16, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Politician is tied to gang targeting police
Congressman-elect Julio Cesar Godoy is suspected of helping protect the La Familia cartel, accused of killing 16 officers in recent days. That has brought pressure on his sibling, Michoacan Gov. Leonel Godoy.
July 15, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story 12 slain in Michoacan were federal police officers
The attack continues a spree in Michoacan by the La Familia drug cartel, officials say.
July 13, 2009 Ciudad Juarez Ken Ellingwood, Tracy Wilkinson Story Drug offensive stirs ‘wasps nest’
The 2 1/2-year offensive has uncovered deep corruption and sparked violent gang wars, presenting a stark reality: The longer and harder the war is fought, the more complex and daunting it becomes.
July 10, 2009 York, Maine Scott Kraft Story Small-town cops in coastal Maine face a big problem
A heroin overdose leads detectives to unravel a growing addiction problem in small New England towns. Maine is now on the drug mainline from Mexico.
July 9, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Protest leader, relative shot to death in Mexico
The attack on Benjamin LeBaron, a U.S. citizen, and his brother-in-law bore the signs of an organized-crime hit. LeBaron had led a demonstration in May against kidnapping.
July 3, 2009 Los Angeles Paul Pringe, Richard Winton Story Bentley driver's slaying in L.A. might have cartel link
The wild pursuit that ended on the 101 freeway may have been the result of a rivalry between alleged members of the Arellano Felix drug-smuggling organization, according to an affidavit obtained by the Times.
June 30, 2009 Abbotsford Kim Murphy Story Drug war on another border: Canada
Pressure on the U.S.-Mexico border makes the Vancouver, Canada market all the more lucrative and dangerous as narcotics traffickers battle for market share.
June 27, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story At least 12 die in Mexico shootout
The deadly clash in the state of Guanajuato is said to have occurred when security forces sought to search a home. Elsewhere, in the state of Sonora, a congressional candidate escapes assassination.
June 21, 2009 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story A quiet move to decriminalize minor drug use
President Calderon, who wants to focus on trafficking, is set to sign the law decriminalizing minor drug use. But critics say letting off users caught with limited amounts of cocaine or other substances will increase use and encourage 'drug tourists' from the U.S.
June 19, 2009 Washington Josh Meyer Story Designated immigration agents authorized to participate in drug enforcement
Homeland Security and Justice departments repair schism with an accord to interchange staff and better share information.
June 12, 2009 Washington Josh Meyer Story Gun flow south is a crisis for two nations
The U.S. government lacks a coordinated strategy to combat the flow of arms into Mexico, where 90% of the seized weapons that can be traced are linked to U.S. sales, watchdog report says.
June 9, 2009 San Diego Tony Perry Story Mexican national arrested trying to smuggle marijuana ashore on a surfboard
Suspect tosses duffel bag as authorities approach, but the bag washes ashore at Imperial Beach. Officials say it contained 24 pounds of marijuana with a street value of about $74,400.
June 8, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Acapulco shootout leaves 18 dead
The hours-long battle that killed two soldiers and 16 gunmen took place several miles from the main strip of tourist complexes.
June 7, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story At least 18 killed in shootout in Acapulco
An hours-long gun battle erupts when government troops approach a home in a beachfront neighborhood of the Mexican resort. No tourists are reported hurt.
June 4, 2009 Amatitlan Ken Ellingwood Story Drug violence spilling into Guatemala
Mexican drug gangs under pressure at home are moving operations to Guatemala, whose proximity, weak law enforcement and deep-rooted corruption provide fertile ground, officials and analysts say. By Ken Ellingwood
June 4, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story 47 police officers questioned in disappearance of Mexican customs official
The customs administrator in Veracruz has not been seen since an apparent traffic collision Monday night. On a security video, several police cars are seen arriving at the scene of the crash.
May 31, 2009 Patzcuaro Tracy Wilkinson Story Mexico drug traffickers corrupt politics
The cult-like La Familia Michoacana has contaminated city halls across one state, federal officials say. It sometimes decides who runs and who doesn't, who lives and who dies.
May 28, 2009 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story Detention of local officials marks shift in anti-drug efforts
Calderon had been focused on a military offensive targeting drug figures and corrupt police. Now officials are being questioned to see how far the cartels have penetrated 'local political elites.'
May 27, 2009 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story 10 mayors, other Mexico officials detained
The sweep targets local officials in the state of Michoacan, home to La Familia, a fast-growing group of drug traffickers.
May 21, 2009 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story Mexico senator takes leave amid scandal
Senator Ricardo Monreal of Zacatecas steps down temporarily to clear his name after an official acknowledges an investigation into a family property where tons of marijuana were found.
May 21, 2009 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story Mexico jail break video shows "inside job"
Reforma newspaper publishes surveillance video showing guards apparently helping drug suspects escape from a prison in Zacatecas state.
May 20, 2009 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story Reputed up-and-coming cartel figure held
Rodolfo Lopez Ibarra and 12 other people with him are seized by soldiers when he steps from a plane in Monterrey, where he allegedly was assigned to take over cartel operations.
May 18, 2009 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story Mexico sees inside job in prison break
An armada of 17 vehicles, backed by a helicopter, sweeps down on a prison holding drug convicts. The warden and two top guards are arrested and another 40 are questioned in what authorities say was an "inside job."
May 15, 2009 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story 4 Southern California residents slain in Tijuana
The bodies of two men and two women, bearing 'signs of violence,' were found over the weekend in a car. The circumstances are being investigated.
May 12, 2009 Antelope Wells, New Mexico Scott Kraft Story Pursuing smugglers, border agents become trackers
New fencing and high-tech devices make it difficult for drug traffickers to cross the border. So smugglers hoist packs and take to the desert on foot. Agents use century-old tracking skills to follow.
May 11, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story A trip to Mexico's museum of drugs
Mexico displays confiscated guns and gadgets from its struggles against narcotics traffickers. Just don't call it the Narcomuseum.
May 6, 2009 Arizona Josh Meyer Story Sinaloa cartel may resort to deadly force in U.S.
Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Mexico's most wanted man, reportedly meets with his lieutenants near the Mexico-Arizona border and tells them to meet force with force north of the border.
April 30, 2009 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story Army needs oversight, Human Rights Watch says
Report lists 17 allegations of serious human rights abuse by the Mexican army, including torture and murder.
April 29, 2009 Tijuana Richard Marosi Story 7 police officers die in Tijuana attacks
The bold assaults by heavily armed gunmen are said to have been aimed at intimidating the force.
April 21, 2009 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story Drug cartels keep Catholic officials in fear
In one case, Archbishop Hector Gonzalez calls attention to a drug trafficker in his neighborhood and accuses the government of ignoring the situation. The prelate later apologizes for his comments.
April 18, 2009 Tijuana Richard Marosi Story General battles Tijuana drug traffickers
General Alfonso Duarte Mugica is held up as a model in the army effort to stem drug violence and take on the cartels. He says there’s nothing personal in his hunt for one of Mexico’s most wanted.
April 15, 2009 Ixtapan de la Sal Ken Ellingwood Story Mayors on front line of the drug war
Mayors say they are the ones personally confronting the toll of drug violence on the streets. Yet they lack any meaningful role in the federal government's battle against organized crime.
April 3, 2009 Rio Grande City, Texas Scott Kraft Story On the borderline of good and bad
Starr County, Texas had two consecutive sheriffs tied to drug trafficking from neighboring Mexico. The county finds itself wedged between a relentless supply of drugs to the south, and an insatiable appetite for them to the north.
April 3, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Mexico arrests suspected No. 2 in Juarez drug cartel
Vicente Carrillo Leyva, son of the late kingpin Amado Carrillo Fuentes, is arrested in Mexico City. His capture comes as top U.S. law enforcement officials meet in Cuernavaca.
April 2, 2009 San Diego Richard Marosi Story Napolitano promises more agents at San Diego-area checkpoints
The homeland security secretary visits the Southwest border for the first time since the Obama administration announced a new anti-smuggling strategy.
March 31, 2009 El Paso Sam Quinones Story Senators hear testimony on border danger
John Kerry and others on the Foreign Relations Committee are told Mexico is not in danger of becoming a failed state.
March 27, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Hillary Clinton wraps up Mexico visit, calls drug violence 'intolerable'
The secretary of State tours a high-tech police facility in Mexico City and meets with university students in Monterrey.
March 26, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story U.S. shares blame for Mexico drug violence, Clinton says
A voracious appetite for illegal narcotics and liberal gun-sale rules are funding and arming smugglers locked in a drug war south of the border, the secretary of state says on her first visit to Mexico.
March 25, 2009 Washington Josh Meyer Story White House unveils plan to fight border drug cartels
The $700-million multi-agency plan targets drug and human trafficking and money laundering and aims to curb spillover of violence from Mexico onto the U.S. side of the border.
March 25, 2009 Los Angeles Sam Quinones Story Family members allegedly ran heroin smuggling ring
An extended family of immigrants from Oaxaca is charged with running a heroin empire that relied on an obscure indigenous language and transactions in public places.
March 24, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Mexico offers $2-million rewards for top drug suspects
The rewards are for information leading to the capture of the 24 most-wanted, including Joaquin 'Shorty' Guzman and Ismael Zambada, leaders of the so-called Sinaloa cartel.
March 22, 2009 Washington Josh Meyer Story Drug cartels raise the stakes on human smuggling
Drug-smuggling gangs appear to be muscling in on the brisk business of smuggling illegal immigrants across the U.S. border.
March 21, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Abuse allegations rise against army
Since President Calderon’s deployment of troops in the war against drug trafficking, allegations of illegal searches and arrests, rape and torture have risen, rights groups say.
March 20, 2009 Tijuana Sam Quinones Story In Tijuana, opera offers a refuge from violence
On the streets, drug smugglers and gangs are fighting a war. But inside a modest cafe, the drama is make-believe and accompanied by sweet music.
March 20, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Mexican drug figure's son is arrested
Vicente Zambada is arrested in a posh area of Mexico City. He is the son of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, a suspected drug kingpin in Sinaloa who is said to be an expert on opium cultivation and heroin smuggling.
March 19, 2009 San Diego Richard Marosi Story U.S. sues Union Pacific over cross-border drug trafficking
Federal officials say Union Pacific failed to keep smugglers off its trains, but railroad casts blame on its Mexican affiliate.
March 18, 2009 Washington Josh Meyer Story U.S. shares blame for Mexico drug violence, senators say
Decades of drug use in the U.S. and the smuggling of guns and money into Mexico have fueld that nation's spiraling violence, witnesses tell Congress.
March 17, 2009 Tijuana Richard Marosi Story Killing of Tijuana pizzeria owner leaves family, Mexican authorities at odds
George Norman Harrison, a San Diego County native, was found decapitated. Authorities consider his death drug-related; his family disagrees.
March 15, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood, Tracy Wilkinson Story Drug cartels' new weaponry means war
Narcotics traffickers are acquiring firepower more appropriate to an army -- including grenade launchers and anti-tank rockets -- and the police are feeling outgunned.
March 13, 2009 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story The barrio gets behind the cartels
The Gulf cartel showed its pull in the impoverished neighborhoods around Mexico's richest city, calling them to the streets. Protests spread to border and port cities.
March 13, 2009 Washington Associated Press, Times staff Story U.S. may deploy troops if Mexico border violence escalates
Homeland Security official tells Congress that National Guard may be needed if security deteriorates at U.S.-Mexico border, a day after President Obama makes a similar suggestion about drug-related violence.
March 10, 2009 Tijuana Richard Marosi Story Dozens arrested in Tijuana raid
A major army-led operation targets organized crime.
March 9, 2009 Rosarito Beach Christopher Reynolds Story Rosarito Beach regulars won't stay away despite Mexico's drug war
U.S. tourists who enjoy escaping to this seaside city are continuing to do so despite the recent travel warnings. 'Drug people are fighting the drug people,' goes the thinking.
March 7, 2009 San Diego Richard Marosi Story U.S. citizen beheaded in apparent drug hit
A former Chula Vista resident is identified as one of three men who were found decapitated this week in Tijuana.
March 6, 2009 Cancun Ken Ellingwood Story Tourists weigh Mexico drug violence
Mexico's rampant drug violence has put the issue of safety front and center for would-be vacationers, and put the country's publicity-sensitive tourism promoters on the defensive.
March 5, 2009 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story 20 killed in riot at Ciudad Juarez prison
It takes forces nearly three hours to contain the gang unrest. Bodies are reportedly thrown from windows.
March 4, 2009 Texas Andrew Becker, Patrick J. McDonnell Story Mexico's drug war creates new class of refugees
Business owners, law enforcement officers, journalists and other professionals are among those seeking asylum in the U.S. -- even when it means sitting in jail.
March 3, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Mexico sending more forces to Ciudad Juarez
As violence spirals, Mexico dispatches another 1,000 federal police to the border city of Juarez, where 2,000 additional soldiers arrived earlier this week. More than 1,600 people died last year in drug-related violence in the city, across the border from El Paso, Texas.
March 3, 2009 San Diego Associated Press Story Warning issued on Mexico trips
The Justice Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has taken the unusual step of urging college students to avoid parts of northern Mexico during spring break.
March 2, 2009 Cancun Ken Ellingwood Story Killings uncover seamier side of Cancun
The killing of a newly-hired security official, Gen. Mauro Enrique Tello, and two others raises questions about the drug trade's impact on the popular resort, especially with suspicions falling on then-police chief, Francisco Velasco.
Feb. 26, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Mexico to send up to 5,000 more troops to Ciudad Juarez
The increase would triple the law enforcement presence in the border city, which has been racked by drug violence. Its police chief quit recently and its mayor has received threats.
Feb. 25, 2009 Villanueva Tracy Wilkinson Story Town fed up with violence turns to army
In the state of Zacatecas, residents of Villanueva demanded that the military take over. The soldiers came, but drug war violence got worse.
Feb. 25, 2009 Washington Josh Meyer Story Hundreds arrested in U.S. probe of Mexican drug cartel
Fifty arrests in California and elsewhere are the latest among 730 targeting the Sinaloa cartel in a 21-month crackdown.
Feb. 23, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Governor of Mexico's Chihuahua state downplays attack
Gov. Jose Reyes Baeza Terrazas says gunmen who fired on his convoy weren't aiming at him.
Feb. 21, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Ciudad Juarez police chief quits after killings of officers, threats
Posted signs say a policeman would be killed every 48 hours unless Roberto Orduña Cruz resigned.
Feb. 19, 2009 New Mexico Scott Kraft Story Border drug war is too close for comfort
A quaint but quirky border town in New Mexico casts a wary glance at its neighbor over the border, fretting over whether drug-related violence will cross over to its streets.
Feb. 16, 2009 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story Gunmen kill police officer, 10 relatives in Tabasco
Gunmen hit the homes of Carlos Reyes Lopez and his extended family; a 2-year-old nephew and five other children are among the dead. Reyes Lopez was a member of an elite agency tackling police corruption.
Feb. 12, 2009 Phoenix Sam Quinones Story Phoenix, kidnap-for-ransom capital
Juan Francisco Perez-Torres was abducted last month in front of his home and ransom demanded. Hundreds of such incidents occur each year in Phoenix, and Mexican drug-smuggling is usually involved.
Feb. 8, 2009 Tijuana Richard Marosi Story Families want answers from man who says he dissolved 300 people
Santiago Meza Lopez, known as El Pozolero (the Stew Maker), says he stuffed bodies into barrels of lye for drug cartels. He may be a good source of information about missing loved ones.
Feb. 6, 2009 Chihuahua Ken Ellingwood Story Openness is the new order in the courts
Closed-door, written trials give way to U.S.-style proceedings in Chihuahua state. The overhaul could help fight corruption and organized crime, analysts say.
Feb. 4, 2009 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story Ex-general, 2 others found shot to death near Cancun
Mauro Enrique Tello is one of the highest-ranking officials to be killed in the lawlessness fueled by drug trafficking and other gang crime. Elsewhere in Mexico, 14 people are reported killed.
Jan. 29, 2009 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story Mexico drug bosses may have set truce
According to news reports, trafficking chiefs in the state of Sinaloa agreed last month to curb their bloody rivalry. Killings there have declined sharply.
Jan. 25, 2009 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Calderon seeks to dispel talk of 'failing state'
Two recent U.S. reports paint a dire picture of Mexico as its battle against drug crime grows more bloody, but Mexican officials say that though some cities are in trouble, the state itself is strong.
Jan. 24, 2009 San Diego Richard Marosi Story Mexico army nabs vats-of-lye suspect
The man arrested in Baja California is said to have dissolved hundreds of bodies as part of Tijuana's drug turf war.
Jan. 17, 2009 Los Angeles Evelyn Larrubia Story Parents' quest helps identify remains in barrel
The LaPortes’ search for their son ends when Mexican officials confirm the remains found in Rosarito are of their son Daniel. They also learn that he was apparently smuggling marijuana.
Jan. 15, 2009 Mexico City Denise Dresser Story Reality check for U.S.-Mexico relations
Calderon must face facts in Mexico, and Obama may find the drug war a tough foreign policy issue.
Jan. 13, 2009 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story Vatican suggests excommunicating Mexican drug traffickers
Vatican's second-ranking official suggests severe penalty for drug thugs responsible for thousands of deaths in Mexico.
Jan. 13, 2009 Washington Ken Ellingwood, Frank James Story Obama, Calderon meet in Washington
Cooperation in drug war on agenda as Mexican president meets president-elect.
Jan. 8, 2009 Mexico City Associated Press Story More U.S. funds freed for Mexico's drug fight
Washington releases an additional $99 million as part of an aid package to help security forces in their battle with drug cartels.
Jan. 8, 2009 Mexico City Reuters Wire Story Mexico arrests a founder of “Zetas” drug hitmen
Mexico has captured one of the founders of the Gulf drug cartel's brutal "Zetas" squad of hitmen that is behind much of the country's bloodshed, the attorney general's office said.
Jan. 2, 2009 Los Angeles Paul Pringle Story Drug arrests mystify Covina neighborhood
After two Mexican federal agents and two others were arrested in July on drug-related charges, little has emerged about the case and residents are puzzled.
Dec. 31, 2008 Washington Josh Meyer Story Mistrust bedevils war on Mexican drug cartels
The U.S. and Mexico agree that cartels have morphed into crime syndicates that pose an urgent security threat to the region. But working together has not been easy.
Dec. 30, 2008 Los Angeles Times staff Story Strategies for Mexico's drug war
Experts and public figures in the U.S. and Latin America offer a range of views, from stepped-up policing to legalization.
Dec. 28, 2008 Culiacan Tracy Wilkinson Story In Sinaloa, the drug trade has infiltrated 'every corner of life'
'Narcos' have made their way into government, business and culture in this Pacific state, where kids want to grow up to be traffickers.
Dec. 24, 2008 Guadalajara Associated Press Story Mexican beauty queen arrested with suspected drug gang members, guns and bullets
Miss Sinaloa arrested in Zapopan, outside city of Guadalajara, in Jalisco state.
Dec. 22, 2008 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Remains of 9 decapitated men found in Mexico
The heads and bodies were found at separate places in the state of Guerrero, a hot spot in the country's drug war. Local media say the victims may be Mexican soldiers.
Dec. 22, 2008 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story Drug crackdown has little effect on money laundering
The network of money laundering in Mexico reaches from banks and exchange houses in the capital to a small soccer team in the western state of Michoacan.
Dec. 19, 2008 Ciudad Juarez Ken Ellingwood Story Drug violence puts Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on edge
In a harrowing three-day visit, a reporter finds the social fabric badly frayed in Ciudad Juarez, a border city that has suffered the worst of the drug-related violence in Mexico.
Dec. 18, 2008 Tijuana Richard Marosi Story Mystery man blamed for gruesome Tijuana deaths
Teodoro Garcia Simental is the best known but least identifiable suspects believed to be responsible for Tijuana's raging drug violence. His name alone inspires silence.
Dec. 16, 2008 San Diego Richard Marosi Story Less cocaine on U.S. streets, report says.
Mexican trafficking organizations are expanding their control, but interdiction efforts have affected flow.
Dec. 9, 2008 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story Death toll in Mexico's drug war surges
Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora says 5,376 people have been killed so far in 2008, more than twice the toll for the first 11 months of 2007.
Dec. 9, 2008 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Corruption hurting Mexico's fight against crime, Calderon says
Mexican President Felipe Calderon says his government has made strides in combating graft. But police corruption remains a big problem in the battle against drug trafficking.
Dec. 7, 2008 Monterrey Sam Quinones Story 23 seconds of the Mexican drug war
When four people in a jewelry store were killed by gunmen who took nothing, few doubted it was a message sent in the drug war.
Dec. 5, 2008 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story Some in Mexico want the death penalty reinstated
The increase in slayings and kidnappings related to the nation's war on drug traffickers has created a climate of fear. Legal experts see too many obstacles to restoring capital punishment.
Dec. 5, 2008 Los Angeles Raoul Ranoa Interactive Graphic Moments before eternity
The slayings of a Mexican police officer, his wife and two others occurred in Monterrey's busy business district.
Dec. 4, 2008 Ciudad Juarez Ken Ellingwood Story Schools become latest targets in violence-plagued Ciudad Juarez
Anonymous threats warn of unspecified harm if teachers don't hand over their year-end bonuses.
Dec. 2, 2008 Tijuana Richard Marosi Story Tijuana drug violence unabated
Despite a recent military offensive, at least 38 people have been killed in the city's drug wars since Saturday, nine of them decapitated.
Nov. 30, 2008 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Mexico drug suspects extradited at record pace
The new posture on extradition signals President Felipe Calderon's determination to combat violent smuggling groups through closer collaboration with U.S. authorities, officials and analysts say.
Nov. 27, 2008 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story U.S. war on drugs has failed, report says
Former Mexican president Ernesto Zedillo calls for a U.S. effort to curb consumption and halt arms trafficking.
Nov. 22, 2008 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Mexico traffickers bribed former anti-drug chief, officials say
Noe Ramirez Mandujano, a prosecutor who resigned as head of the SIEDO organized crime unit in July, is arrested on suspicion of passing intelligence to Sinaloa drug gangsters.
Nov. 21, 2008 Culiacan Tracy Wilkinson Story Another bloody night in Sinaloa, Mexico
Five federal and state police agents are killed in an ambush in Culiacan as drug gangs try to fight off a government crackdown. The day's toll is 10.
Nov. 19, 2008 Tijuana Richard Marosi Story 500 police officers replaced in Tijuana
Mexican federal agents and army troops are dispatched in a bid to rid the Tijuana police department of cops suspected of having links to drug traffickers.
Nov. 16, 2008 Atlanta Sam Quinones, Richard Serrano Story Mexico drug wars spill across the border
Few regions of the U.S. are immune to drug-trafficking organizations that have left a trail of death, kidnappings and other crimes.
Nov. 12, 2008 Rosarito Beach Richard Marosi Story Rosarito Beach losing tourists to crime fears
The mayor still pushes his seaside city as a cut-rate paradise. 'Tourists are not targeted,' he says. But violence linked to the drug war has made it a harder sell.
Nov. 7, 2008 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Citizen suspicion surrounds Mexico plane crash
A citizenry wearied by drug violence appears unwilling to rule out foul play in the crash that killed Mexico's interior minister, a former top anti-drug official and 12 others.
Nov. 4, 2008 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Two top state police officers slain in Mexico
One of the killings occurs in Mexico state, where 12 officers have been killed in five days, apparently by gangs seeking a foothold in areas near the capital.
Nov. 3, 2008 Culiacan Tracy Wilkinson Story Most-wanted Mexico drug trafficker is found everywhere
Rumored sightings of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman are legion, but Mexico's most-wanted trafficker remains at large.
Oct. 31, 2008 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story Lions and tigers and drugs
A recent raid in Mexico City turns up a menagerie filled with big cats and a monkey, another case of an alleged cartel boss collecting rare exotic species.
Oct. 28, 2008 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story Mexico acknowledges drug gang infiltration of police
The arrest of 35 members of Mexico's elite organized-crime squad is another embarrassing setback in President Felipe Calderon's effort to root out drug trafficking.
Oct. 27, 2008 Tijuana Richard Marosi Story Police capture key drug suspect
Eduardo Arellano Felix, an original member of a notorious cartel, is nabbed after a shootout in Tijuana.
Oct. 25, 2008 Tijuana Richard Marosi Story For Tijuana children, drug war gore is part of their school day
The biggest civilian casualty in Tijuana's raging drug war may be the psyche of children exposed to the carnage.
Oct. 25, 2008 Tijuana Don Bartletti Photo Gallery Tijuana violence
Children frequently witness the gruesome aftermath of Tijuana's raging drug battles.
Oct. 23, 2008 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Mexico arrests major drug-trafficking suspect
Jesus Zambada Garcia is captured after a gun battle in Mexico City. He commanded one of four branches of the Sinaloa cartel, officials say.
Oct. 21, 2008 Culiacan Tracy Wilkinson Story Culiacan, Mexico, feels the pain of a drug-induced recession
In Mexico's cradle of drug trafficking, residents feel the sting of recession as smugglers and their money become scarce.
Oct. 18, 2008 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story U.S. drug czar John Walters reassures, sounds alarm on Mexico drug violence
In Mexico visit, anti-drug chief warns that violent cartels in Mexico "do not respect the border" and pose a threat to the United States.
Oct. 17, 2008 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Two held in Mexico in killings of 24
A municipal police commander is among the accused in connection with the two dozen bodies found in a wooded area outside Mexico City.
Oct. 15, 2008 Huitzila Deborah Bonello Video Recovering addict in Mexico talks about his addiction
Once just a transit nation for narcotics, Mexico now grapples with addiction.
Oct. 15, 2008 Huitzila Ken Ellingwood Story Mexico grapples with drug addiction
Long a corridor for narcotics headed for the U.S., Mexico is now contending with its own addiction problem, as U.S. border controls push traffickers to look elsewhere.
Oct. 8, 2008 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story Killing of Mexico mayor sends message
The slaying of a rising political star is ascribed to his refusal to have any contact with drug traffickers.
Oct. 6, 2008 Tijuana Richard Marosi Story Tijuana killings may signal fall of Arellano Felix cartel
With dozens of bodies found in the last week, some in law enforcement see 'the tail end' of the organization. But others warn that elements of the ruthless cartel remain very much alive.
Oct. 1, 2008 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Mexico's President Calderon has few choices in drug war
Though an attack on civilians in Morelia has tested the public's stomach for the increasingly savage conflict, the president has little room to pull back from his crackdown.
Sept. 30, 2008 Tijuana Richard Marosi Story 12 bodies found near Mexico school
The grisly discovery capped four days of violence that has shaken the sprawling Tijuana metropolitan area and forced Baja California state officials to plead for more federal police to help control the city.
Sept. 28, 2008 Mexico City Tracy Wilkinson Story Morelia suspect tells of holding grenade
'I was hiding it in my hands and it made me shudder,' Juan Carlos Castro Galeana tells an interrogator in a videotaped session about the deadly attack in Mexico. 'I was desperate to get rid of it.'
Sept. 27, 2008 Tijuana Evelyn Larrubia Story An American is missing in Mexico, but his other life emerges
Daniel LaPorte went to Mexico and never came back. His parents didn't know of his drug involvement.
Sept. 18, 2008 Morelia Ken Ellingwood Story Mexicans fear they are all targets now
In the wake of the deadly explosions in the capital of Michoacan state, Mexicans are forced to confront a new kind of victim in the drug wars: anyone.
Sept. 18, 2008 Washington Richard Schmitt Story DEA arrests 175 Mexican drug-trafficking suspects
The suspects, believed to have ties to Mexico's Gulf cartel, were arrested in raids this week in a dozen U.S. states.
Sept. 17, 2008 Mexicali Richard Marosi Video Mexicali drug tunnel
Under a simple home in a typical Mexicali neighborhood, traffickers were busy for months excavating a sophisticated tunnel toward the United States, one of seven discovered this year along this part of the U.S. border
Sept. 17, 2008 Mexicali Richard Marosi Story Suspects in border tunnel charged, Mexico officials say
The eight men arrested in the house where the sophisticated tunnel began include a suspected L.A.-area gang member.
Sept. 17, 2008 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Organized crime blamed for deadly Mexico blasts
At least seven people are killed by the two explosions in the capital of Michoacan state during Independence Day celebrations.
Sept. 17, 2008 Mexico City Deborah Bonello Video Reaction to Independence Day blast
Mexicans react to a hand-grenade blast during Independence Day celebrations in Michoacan.
Sept. 17, 2008 Morelia Deborah Bonello Video Mexican Independence Day celebration disrupted by grenade attack
Victim recounts deadly blast during Independence Day celebrations in Morelia, Michoacan.
Sept. 15, 2008 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Mexico safety chief's tough job: policing the police
Drug money and corruption have long tainted law enforcement. But Genaro Garcia Luna, with President Calderon's backing and the aid of technology, may succeed in reforming the system, analysts say.
Sept. 7, 2008 Tecate Richard Marosi Story In Mexico, a police victory against smuggling brings deadly revenge
Juan Jose Soriano, deputy commander of the Tecate Police Department, helped U.S. authorities find a drug-smuggling tunnel. The next morning, gunmen shot him 45 times in his bedroom.
Sept. 7, 2008 Los Angeles Lorena Iñiguez Elebee Interactive Graphic In Mexico, no police victory goes unpunished
Juan Jose Soriano, the deputy commander of the Tecate Police Department, assisted U.S. authorities in a drug tunnel investigation, and paid with his life.
Sept. 2, 2008 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Calderon presents Mexico's annual report in written form
A new law allows President Felipe Calderon to give his state of the nation report without having to appear before Congress, a move that avoids disturbances.
Sept. 1, 2008 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Fear of kidnapping grips Mexico
The number is rising, and the rich are not the only ones targeted. Criminals sometimes want as little as $500.
Aug. 31, 2008 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Thousands of Mexicans rally to protest rising crime wave
'Enough' they say as they blame officials for failing to curb the rising violence caused by drug gangs.
Aug. 30, 2008 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Drug war bodies are piling up in Mexico
The heap of 11 decapitated bodies found in Yucatan shows that the battle to control the multibillion-dollar drug trade knows no boundaries.
Aug. 29, 2008 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood, Cecilia Sanchez Story 12 decapitated bodies found in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula
The discovery is the first sign of a major outbreak of drug cartel violence in Yucatan.
Aug. 22, 2008 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Mexico moves to curb drug crime wave
President Calderon proposes new anti-kidnapping squads, special prisons, cellphone tracking and aid for local forces.
Aug. 19, 2008 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story In Chihuahua, Mexico, governor calls for tougher crackdown on crime
Gov. Jose Reyes Baeza calls on federal authorities to reform their strategy after 13 people are killed in a weekend shooting.
Aug. 17, 2008 El Paso Miguel Bustillo Story Mexico drug war's costs, risks exported to U.S.
Officers and others wounded across the border are increasingly being transferred to an El Paso hospital.
Aug. 14, 2008 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story 6 officers in Mexico crime unit arrested
The men are believed to have aided drug smugglers in Sinaloa state, officials say.
Aug. 13, 2008 Mexico City Ken Ellingwood Story Mexico violence claims 6 more police officers
The victims include two top commanders in Michoacan, a senior investigator in Chihuahua and a deputy chief in Quintana Roo.
Aug. 10, 2008 Sierra Vista Richard Serrano Story U.S. guns arm Mexican drug cartels
Licensed weapons dealers are abundant near the border. 'Straw buyers' assist the traffickers.
Aug. 9, 2008 Ensenada Richard Marosi Story Mexico anti-drug general is ousted
Sergio Aponte Polito is relieved of duty in Baja California and Sonora states. He has won public praise for his effectiveness but also criticism from officials for accusations against them.
Aug. 5, 2008 Mexico City Marla Dickerson, Cecilia Sanchez Story Mexican police linked to rising kidnappings
Many are afraid to contact authorities about abductions, fearing officers could be involved. The problem is an awkward one for President Felipe Calderon's drug war.
July 30, 2008 Tijuana Don Bartletti Photo Gallery Narcocorridos
As violence mounts, Mexico tries to mute the music dedicated to drug traffickers.
July 30, 2008 Tijuana Richard Marosi Story Muting the music of mayhem
As drug-related violence escalates, Tijuana is losing its taste for songs that glorify gangsters.
July 16, 2008 Ciudad Juarez Tracy Wilkinson Story Drug war mayhem instills a new fear
Drug-related killings have taken thousands of lives, but now those uninvolved in the cartel battles are falling victim, even children.
July 15, 2008 Mexico City Marla Dickerson, Cecilia Sanchez Story Sinaloa rocked by soaring drug violence
At least 21 people are killed in five days as turf wars between splintered gangs appear to heat up.
July 11, 2008 Mexico City Marla Dickerson Story 12 slain in brazen Mexico attack
In daylight near the center of Sinaloa's capital, gunmen kill nine at a shop and three pursuing officers.
July 8, 2008 Tijuana Richard Marosi Story Tijuana finds 11 dead in 3 days
The weekend tally pushes the city's death toll to more than 260, compared with about 152 homicides at this time last year, and underscores authorities' difficulties curbing organized crime.
July 6, 2008 Villahermosa Ken Ellingwood Story Reporters covering Mexico drug wars risk their lives
As violence has soared, more than 30 reporters have died or disappeared in Mexico since 2000, the group Reporters Without Borders says.
June 11, 2008 Los Angeles Ken Ellingwood Story Macabre drug cartel messages in Mexico
Part threat and part boast, the hand-written messages left at the scene of drug killings have multiplied. The words are a warning to enemies, and to society at large.
June 7, 2008 Los Angeles Richard Marosi Story U.S. a haven for Tijuana elite
Three years ago, gunmen tried to kidnap chef Javier Plascencia's younger brother. A year later they tried again but, in a case of mistaken identity, snatched the wrong man.
June 3, 2008 Nuevo Laredo Ken Ellingwood Story Army's role in Mexico drug war seen as crucial yet risky
Observers fear the deployment will hurt democracy and civil institutions, but they see no alternative.
June 3, 2008 Tijuana Ken Ellingwood Story Mexico vs. drug gangs: A deadly clash for control
President Felipe Calderon says the violence is one measure of success: It shows that the cartels have been hurt badly and are now lashing out at the government and one another.

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