Federales Detain Their Own Commander in Juarez

Mexican narcotics agents attack culture of corruption



Ciudad Juarez -- More than 300 federal narcotics agents
raided a hotel and placed their own commander in detention,
demanding his suspension.

Salomon Alarcon Olvera was resting over the weekend at a
residence hotel where he lives when his own officers, most
of them wearing black combat suits and balaclavas covering
their faces, jerked him out of bed and raided his room.

They found marijuana, cocaine and other drugs, weapons and
ammunition, which they turned over to investigators.

Officers made allegations that Sr. Olvera has been planting
drugs on his own men, then using his false accusations to
blackmail them into cooperating with him in various schemes
to make money off of illicit narcotics by accepting bribes
and selling evidence that should be held for prosecution of
smugglers and drug dealers.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon deployed 5,000 Federal
Judicial Police officers to Chihuahua in April to replace
Army commanders and soldiers who were not getting the job
done in enforcement of Mexican drug law.

More than 1,700 people have died this year in drug-related
gang violence in this troubled border city.

The federales were holding Sr. Olvera in arrest, pending an
investigation into his alleged crooked dealings.