Former drug czar allegedly took bribe

Mexico publicizes corruption inquiry

MEXICO CITY - Mexico accused its former drug czar yesterday of taking $450,000 from a cartel he was supposed to destroy, going public with a scandal that deals a serious blow to the country's US-backed drug war.

Noe Ramirez is the highest-ranking law enforcement official detained yet as part of Mexico's sweeping effort to weed out officials who allegedly shared police information with violent drug smugglers. The corruption scandal is the biggest to rock the Mexican government in more than decade.

Although the arrest complicates President Felipe Calderón's nationwide crackdown on the drug trade, Attorney General Eduardo Medina said it also proved the government's commitment to rooting out corruption.

That commitment could be key to ensuring continued US support for its drug fight. The US Congress conditioned 15 percent of a still-to-be-released $400 million aid package on Mexico's efforts to clean up its police force.

US investigators work closely with their Mexican counterparts, sharing information with those who have been closely vetted. The Drug Enforcement Administration hasn't said if it plans to pull back on cooperation, given the questions surrounding whom to trust.

But Thomas Schweich, a former US deputy assistant secretary of state for international law enforcement, said the revelations suggest Mexico is aggressively dealing with its corruption problem. "It shows a lot of political will on the part of Calderón," he said.

Medina said Ramirez accepted a $450,000 bribe from a member of the Pacific cartel, who offered to pay him similar amounts each month for alerting the drug gang to police operations. It was unclear whether the subsequent payments were ever made.

The cartel member is now cooperating with investigators, Medina said.