A former federal policeman,Edgar Bayardo, was gunned down in a Starbucks in Mexico City on Tuesday. Bayardo was a protected witness in a drug corruption case, whose murder marks the second death of a high-profile witness in Mexico in less than two weeks.Authorities believe that the killing bore all the hallmarks of an organized crime execution. "By the methods used ... this falls outside the realm of common crime," said Slomianski Aguilar.
Back in 2008 Bayardo was detained during the large-scale drug corruption cleanup that reached high into Mexican federal police and prosecutor's office. Federal authorities had suspected him of collaborating with the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel that has swept up Mexico.
Shortly after, Bayardo was released from house arrest and declared a protected witness, said federal and local prosecutors, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
According to the Associated Press, the penetration of the federal system leaves officials understandably uneasy:
Photo Source
Observers and former law enforcement officials said the Bayardo slaying raised questions about Mexico's protected witness program and illustrated the powerful reach of the cartels.
"Obviously, they (prosecutors) should have been providing significant protection because of the kind of accusations he (Bayardo) made," former top anti-drug prosecutor Samuel Gonzalez said, referring to the fact that Bayardo reportedly implicated other top police officials in corruption. "So this is a very serious failure for the agency charged with protecting him."
"These incidents ... show that it is far too easy for criminal organizations to penetrate security arrangements," Oliva said. "The situation is getting worse all the time, and instead of seeing improvement in security, we're seeing more problems."
No comments:
Post a Comment