Drug cartel issues threat to off-duty Nogales police officers

By Jonathan Clark
Nogales International
Published Friday, June 18, 2010 7:13 PM CDT

A Mexican drug cartel has threatened Nogales police officers, saying they will be targeted for retribution if they conduct off-duty drug busts.

Nogales Police Chief Jeffrey Kirkham told the Nogales International on Friday that the threats stemmed from an incident approximately two weeks ago, when off-duty officers surprised marijuana smugglers while riding horseback in an unincorporated border area east of town.

The officers seized part of the drug load, and the smugglers were able to flee back into Mexico with the other part.

“As a result of that,â€