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Mexican police chief slain a day after taking job
A northern Mexican town's police chief was killed on Friday just 24 hours after replacing a predecessor whose slaying had prompted the rest of the force to quit out of fear of drug gangs.
- AP
- Published: 23:47 August 23, 2008
Ciudad Juarez: A northern Mexican town's police chief was killed on Friday just 24 hours after replacing a predecessor whose slaying had prompted the rest of the force to quit out of fear of drug gangs.
Jesus Blanco Cano's bullet-ridden body was found at a ranch near the town of Villa Ahumada in Chihuahua state, about 130km south of El Paso, Texas, said Alejandro Pariente, a spokesman for the regional deputy attorney-general's office.
He had been beaten, blindfolded and his hands were tied behind his back. Twelve bullet casings were found at the scene.
Cano, 40, had been on the job for just a day. The previous police chief, two other officers and three residents were killed in May when 70 gunmen barged into Villa Ahumada, a town virtually taken over by drug gangs.
The rest of its 20-member police force quit in fear, forcing the Mexican military to take over. The town had slowly been recruiting new police and was without a police chief until Blanco took the job. The troops eventually left.
Mayor Fidel Chavez met on Friday with state police, but nobody at this office could be reached for comment. Chavez had fled after the May attack, taking refuge in the state capital of Chihuahua City, but he returned after soldiers recovered the town.
Drug cartel
Mexico's powerful drug cartels have stepped up attacks against police in response to a military and police crackdown, beheading some officers and killing others outside their homes. Several towns and cities, particularly in the north, have struggled to hold together their police forces. The mayor of Ciudad Juarez, a town just north of Villa Ahumada, announced a plan this week to recruit soldiers to replenish its depleting police force.
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