A total of 92 police officers and investigators in the Mexican state of Hidalgo are being investigated for their ties to drug trafficking groups while they are under house arrest. The suspects, who were detained in June, are believed to have been collaborating with the Zetas, a group of specially trained killers that have ties to the Gulf Cartel. Officials with the Mexican Attorney General’s office say the 92 suspects who allegedly worked for the Zetas included local, state and federal law enforcement officials. An additional suspect captured during the June 25 operation apparently was not a law enforcement official.
The investigation into the law enforcement officials started October 2008, when Mexican authorities captured seven accountants in a restaurant who allegedly worked for the Zetas. Along with the accountants, authorities confiscated a computer that included information about how the group’s money was being dispersed, including the amounts that were being used to pay off police. According to a press release, members of the group received monthly payments from the Zetas that totaled up to $225,000, though it was not clear if this indicated the total amount or how much each of the individuals received. The detainees were expected to be held for 40 days under arraigo, a measure that allows their detention without formal charges while investigations are conducted.
From the July Justice in Mexico Project’s Monthly News Report:
http://www.justiceinmexico.org/news/recent_news.php
SOURCES:
“Detienen a 93 policias en Mexico por presunta corrupcion.” Associated Press. June 29, 2009.
“Desarticulan red de proteccion institucional a ‘Zetas’ en Hidalgo.” El Visto Bueno. June 26, 2009.
