U.S. anti-drug information leaked to Mexico cartels
It’s no wonder we have problems keeping drugs out of the country. With millions of dollars to be made, there’s an immense pressure to keep the drugs flowing northward, and there are always people willing to compromise their integrity for money.
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Corrupt officials inside Mexico’s security forces have leaked U.S. anti-drugs intelligence directly to drug traffickers to help them escape raids, a senior U.S. law enforcement agent said.
A recent anti-corruption sweep showed the infiltration of Mexican police forces had reached alarming levels, with several high-ranking investigators and a presidential guardsman arrested for selling information to drug cartels.
The U.S. agent said the arrests were an encouraging sign that Mexico’s government is serious about stopping drug gangs from getting their hands on intelligence, some of which comes from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA.
“There have been occurrences where we have shared information and then found that the information we shared was compromised, given, provided, leaked to the very targets that were being investigated,” the official told Reuters late on Wednesday on condition of anonymity.