DEA report warns Mexico of cartel attacks

By Diana Washington Valdez
El Paso Times
January 01, 2010

EL PASO -- U.S. intelligence sources warned the Mexican government that drug cartels may launch unusual attacks in the coming year.

El Pasoan Phil Jordan, a former Drug Enforcement Administration official, said his sources confirmed that the warning has put the Mexican government on alert.

EFE, Spain's news wire service, and El Universal, a national newspaper in Mexico, reported that the DEA provided Mexico with a confidential report about possible counter-offensive attacks by one or more drug cartels against government offices, banks, bridges or other institutions.

DEA officials did not confirm or deny the media accounts.

Jordan said he suspects that the warning is linked to the recent death of Arturo Beltran Leyva, a drug kingpin, who was killed in December by Mexican marines during a shootout in Cuernavaca, Mexico.

One of the marines died in the firefight. Less than a week later, a hit squad killed four of the marine's relatives in the state of Tabasco. Authorities speculated it was a revenge attack.

"The biggest hint of worse things to come was the cowardly attack against the innocent family of the marine who was killed in the shootout with Beltran," said Jordan, who is also former director of the El Paso Intelligence Center.

"It would not surprise me that the cartels will continue to disrupt President Felipe Calderón's initiative against the drug traffickers in Mexico," he said.

On Thursday, extra police and soldiers were seen guarding the Juárez city
government offices near the international Paso del Norte and Stanton Street bridges.

Diana Washington Valdez may be reached at dvaldez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6140.

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