Mexico police disarmed
Mexican troops and Baja California state police on Friday disarmed the entire police force of Rosarito, south of Tijuana, after an attempt to kill the town’s police chief raised suspicions that the force had been infiltrated by drug traffickers.
The force’s 200 guns will be checked to see whether any were used in the attack this month, in which one bodyguard was killed.
“We recognize that the enemy is inside our house and for this reason we are purging the ranks,” Baja California state police chief Daniel de la Rosa told reporters. “We need to have confidence in our police.”
Since taking office a year ago, President Felipe Calderon has sent about 25,000 troops to bring order to areas where drug gangs are strong, such as along the U.S.-Mexico border and in the western state of Michoacan.
Still, about 2,500 people have died this year in turf wars among drug gangs.
In January, troops briefly disarmed the police in Tijuana in a similar drug-related purge.
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