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Mexico & Nafta - June 2012 (ISSN 1741-444X)
Army generals arrested on brink of election
According to self-help gurus, the repetition of an activity for 21 consecutive days creates a habit. While many Mexicans have been forced to get accustomed to the high levels of violence that result from the widespread presence of drug trafficking organisations (DTOs) and organised criminal groups in the country, the arrest of high-ranking military officers for their alleged collusion with these groups is far from a daily occurrence. In fact, Mexicans hadn't witnessed a comparable case to May's arrest of four high-ranking military officers since 1997 (see sidebar). The timing of the detentions for crimes allegedly committed several years ago has prompted several conspiracy theories, both in the local and international media as well as in intelligence and security circles within Mexico. More worryingly, President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa has long-argued that the spike in inter-DTO killings, which is reflected in the extremely high-murder rates recorded in specific parts of Mexico over recent years, is the result of the armed forces' increased pressure on the DTOs’ illegal activities; should the links between top army officers and drug-traffickers be established by the courts, the government's arguments in defence of its security policy would suffer a major setback, effectively undermining any positive security legacy that the outgoing president could be remembered for (see box below).
