Embarassing Moments for the Mexican Government

It hasn’t been a good week for the Mexican Government.

On Monday, three policemen were killed by two fellow police officers suspected of working for a drug cartel.

This comes after another embarrassing incident — when police arrested a car salesman they misidentified as the son of a notorious drug lord.

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Marco Werman: Even as Mexico prepares for Election Day this Sunday, there is no let up in the country’s drug war. The latest episode to raise concerns happened yesterday in an unlikely place: the International Airport in Mexico City. Three policemen were killed in a shootout at one of the airport’s food courts. Authorities say the killers were two fellow police officers suspected of working for the drug cartels. Ignacio de los Reyes is a reporter for BBC Mundo in Mexico City. Ignacio, describe yesterday’s shootout in Mexico City’s airport; it was at the food court.

Ignacio de los Reyes: Yeah. Officials say that the three agents who were shot dead were attempting to arrest two other officers of the same police force who were suspected of involvement in a cocaine trafficking rigging in Mexico City’s airport. The suspected traffickers opened fire killing two officers immediately and injuring a third one who later died. They escaped and are being sought by the authorities now. It is important to say that it’s been a shocking event for Mexicans in the capital because the International Airport in Mexico City is considered one of the safest places in the country and obviously because this is the main point of entry for tourists, business people and foreign visitors in general.

Werman: How solid was the evidence in the investigation as they were going after these cops allegedly selling cocaine at the airport?

de los Reyes: Well, this incident is still under investigation but what is true is that traffickers use the capital’s main airport to move drugs but also money and illegal migrants. Actually, shootings in public spaces in broad daylight in Mexico City are very rare and the last time a shootout like this one happened in Mexico was in 1993 when a Catholic Cardinal was shot to death along with six other people by gunmen believed to be involved with drug traffickers, but there is something else. The government says that the suspected killers are members of the federal police involved in drug trafficking and the federal police is considered one of the most trustworthy forces in Mexico and now even its agents are facing allegations of corruption and links with the drug cartels.

Werman: So, after the shootout, once it was revealed that some of the policemen at the airport were being investigated for their involvement in drug trafficking and got away, how embarrassing has this been for the government?

de los Reyes: It’s been very embarrassing and actually this hasn’ t been a good week for the Mexican government at all. We have to remember that there was another incident last week when the security forces detained the son of one of Mexico’s biggest drug cartel leaders. Actually, the authorities then had to admit that they had made a huge mistake; it wasn’ t him at all.

Werman: Right. They were looking for the son of notorious drug lord Joaquin “Chapo” Guzman and it turns out that the guy was a used car dealer. How did the Mexican police get that so wrong? Why didn’ t they confirm his identity before showing him off?

de los Reyes: Well, what the Mexican government said is that they had information provided by the U.S. government and, on the other hand, the U.S. authorities said that they had information provided by the Mexican authorities. On Thursday, officials in Mexico paraded before the media a man that they said was the most wanted man in the country. It later became a major embarrassment for President Felipe Calderón’s administration when the true facts came out.

Werman: So, the cops have a shootout among themselves at the airport while investigating an internal smuggling operation and last weekend they conspicuously arrest the wrong man. All of this is coming before the Mexican Presidential election on Sunday. How do Mexicans currently feel about the competence of their law enforcement? Is it again showing the government weak in solving the drug problem?

de los Reyes: Well, the security forces have long faced allegations of corruption and links with the drug cartels. It is also important to say that local and international NGOs have long warned of widespread impunity for human rights abuses by officials. It is important to say because the government says it’s very respectful of human rights in Mexico, but certainly this is the concern for many here especially when cases like this one with a man mistakenly identified occur.

Werman: Ignacio de los Reyes, reporter with BBC Mundo speaking with us from Mexico City, thank you.

de los Reyes: Thank you.

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