Trouble in Paradise? Mexico and the Growing Drug War

Mexican Drug War Officials are blaming Mexican drug cartels for the kidnapping, torture, and murder of a high-ranking retired military officer.

WASHINGTON (Catholic Online) - Mexican Brigadier Generak Mauro Enrique Tello Quińones, along with his bodyguard and driver, were kidnapped, methodically tortured, and then driven out to the jungle and shot in the head.

This ambush did not take place in a remote area of the country, but in Cancun, one of Mexico plush tourist attractions.

Their bodies were found Tuesday in the cab of a pickup truck on the side of a highway leading out of town. An autopsy revealed that both the general's arms and legs had been broken.

Tello, 63, had retired last month from active duty and moved to the Caribbean resort city to work with the mayor in the fight against drug cartels that have permeated a large part of Mexican society.

The full-dress military funeral last Wednesday was attended by President Felipe Calderón his defense secretary, attorney general, security secretary, and other high-ranking officials, who flanked a general's coffin as an honor guard.

Spokespersons for the military and other government agencies issued expressions of outrage over the violent triple killing, in a drug war that cost the lives of more than 5, 000 people last year. The military has become increasingly active in Mexico's initiatives to destroy the cartels and the leadership has vowed it will not allow Tello's death to remain unsolved or unpunished.

According to U.S. officials, the attach on the general intended to drive a city into submission. One representative said, "That's why it was done. (The General) was going in to take back the streets."

Gov. Félix González from Quintana Roo, of which Cancun is a part, met Friday with other state officials to determine a coordinated response. According to the Washington Post, the governor told interviewers, "This case is the maximum priority of both the state and federal governments." González made a promise to reporters that this murder would be solved.

He also said that Tello was "among the most highly decorated generals in the army, which is one of the strongest institutions in the country, which has the highest confidence of the people," and described his torture-murder as "truly horrible."

As the number one beach attraction on the Mexico's Caribbean coast, officials are very concerned about the city beginning to get a reputation as a dangerous location. The northern cities of Tijuana and Juarez have already been stigmatized by such labels.

"All over the country now we're seeing a big fight over control of the biggest cities," González said, "between the cartels and the government." With easy access to such drug-producing countries as Colombia and Peru, Cancun is an easy target.

Cancun is also a perfect location for drug activity, however, due to its international airport, lots of open water and plenty of opportunities to launder money through hotels, nightclubs, and shopping areas.

Law enforcement officials confirmed that a drug usage problem also exists in the area, with tourists and locals alike purchasing cocaine, marijuana and other substances.

Cancun has also become a popular destination for college students during Spring break. According to government statistics, tourism accounted for nearly $14 billion in annual revenue last year and attracted 18 million visitors with 80 percent coming from the United States.

Tello was in the coastal city working for the mayor, Gregorio Sánchez, who hired him to recruit, train and direct a special police group. As Sánchez described the 100-man hit squad, it would be part SWAT team and part intelligence unit. The group was made up of former federal agents as well as military officers and included sharpshooters, investigators and experts on kidnapping.

Federal agents are currently following several lines of investigation into who killed General Tello; his aide and bodyguard, Getulio César Román Zúńiga, who was an active lieutenant in the Mexican army; and their driver, Juan Ramírez Sánchez, who was a cousin of the Cancun mayor.

Two candidates on their list include the Gulf cartel and an independent enforcer gang, known as the Zetas, whose members include former Mexican military officers.

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Randy Sly is the Associate Editor and Home and family Editor of Catholic Online. A former Archbishop of the Charismatic Episcopal Church, Randy and his wife Sandy came into the full communion of the Catholic Church three years ago.

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