Mexico’s point man in drug war resigns

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s point man in the drug war resigned Monday in a Cabinet shakeup that raised questions about the government’s strategy to crack down on brutal gangs.

Attorney General Eduardo Medina-Mora did not give a reason for his resignation, saying only in his farewell speech that “we have done a lot to clean the house,” referring to his efforts to combat rampant police and government corruption.

His resignation was one of three announced by President Felipe Calderon. Agriculture Secretary Alberto Cardenas and the director of the oil monopoly, Petroleos Mexicanos, Jesus Reyes Heroles, also gave up their posts.

Medina-Mora’s campaign against corruption led to the arrest of several mayors and high-ranking law enforcement officials in the last year. Among them was his subordinate, former drug czar Noe Ramirez, who was arrested for allegedly taking at least $450,000 from a member of a drug cartel in exchange for passing on information about police operations.

The attorney general was highly praised by U.S. law enforcement officials. A top U.S. police source in Mexico said there was no evidence Medina-Mora was involved in corruption. The official insisted on not being quoted by name for fear of being targeted by drug cartels.

Calderon named Medina-Mora to lead his drug war after taking office in December 2006, shortly before he launched his crackdown on organized crime by sending soldiers and federal police to Mexico’s drug hotspots.

“His professionalism, his commitment and loyalty to Mexico have been crucial in pushing forward the modernization and the cleaning of the justice department and in hitting hard organized crime like we have done,” Calderon said Monday.