Mexico sends 1,260 troops Sinaloa state The Associated Press
Tue, Jul 15, 2008 (8:03 p.m.)
Mexico has deployed 1,260 more federal police to a gang-plagued northern state where shooting sprees have killed at least 19 people in the past week.
The Public Safety Department said Tuesday the deployment brings the number of federal agents in Sinaloa to 2,000.
The Pacific coast state is home to the powerful drug cartel of the same name. It has been one of the hardest-hit regions in a surge of violence sweeping Mexico despite the deployment of 25,000 troops across the country.
Eight people were killed Sunday when gunmen opened fire on four cars in the Sinaloa city of Guamuchil. Days earlier, two police officers and nine other people were killed in separate shootings in the state capital of Culiacan.
Poster Comment:
Many of the drugs that come into the United States and other countries come out of Sinaloa, ranging from marijuana and meth to crack cocaine. In May 2008, the Mexican government dispatched roughly 30,000 troops to control drug-related crime. An estimated 1,000 deaths over the prior year were related to Cartel activity, including Alfredo Beltran Leyva aka El Mochomo, and Ramon Arellano Felix.