By E. EDUARDO CASTILLO (AP) – 16 hours ago

MEXICO CITY — Former President Vicente Fox is joining with those urging his successor to legalize drugs in Mexico, saying that could break the economic power of the country's brutal drug cartels.

Fox's comments, posted Sunday on his blog, came less than a week after President Felipe Calderon agreed to open the door to discussions about the legalization of drugs, even though he stressed that he remained opposed to the idea.

Fox said places that have implemented the legalization strategy have not seen significant increases in drug use.

"We should consider legalizing the production, distribution and sale of drugs," wrote Fox, who was president from 2000 to 2006 and is a member of Calderon's conservative National Action Party. "Radical prohibition strategies have never worked."

"Legalizing in this sense does not mean drugs are good and don't harm those who consume them," he wrote. "Rather we should look at it as a strategy to strike at and break the economic structure that allows gangs to generate huge profits in their trade, which feeds corruption and increases their areas of power."

He said the government could tax the sale of legalized drugs to finance programs for reducing addiction and rehabilitating users.

Fox also called for the quick withdrawal of the military from public security work, a measure Calderon ordered when he succeeded Fox in December 2006 and stepped up a crackdown on the cartels.

Fox, who left office with low popularity, has been criticized by some Mexicans for implementing an anti-cartel strategy aimed at arresting the gangs' leaders.

The approach led to power vacuums that fed fighting among rival cartels, bringing violence that has killed more than 28,000 people since Calderon took office. The government says the largest number of victims have been tied to gangs.

Fox wrote that drug violence has damaged "the perception and image of the country, and economic activity, particularly in tourism and foreign investment."

Mexico already has some of the world's most liberal laws for drug users, after eliminating jail time for possessing small amounts of marijuana, cocaine and even heroin, LSD and methamphetamine in 2009.

In Latin America, several countries have decriminalized possession of small amounts of some drugs for personal use, but legalization has made little headway in the region.

The issue came up at public forum on crime attended by Calderon in Mexico City on Tuesday, where analyst and writer Hector Aguilar Camin said Mexico should take steps toward legalizing "all drugs in general."

"It's a fundamental debate in which I think, first of all, you must allow a democratic plurality (of opinions)," Calderon said. "You have to analyze carefully the pros and cons and the key arguments on both sides."

Hours later, Calderon's office issued a statement saying that while the president was open to debate on the issue, he remained "against the legalization of drugs."

In his blog, Fox harshly criticized rampant drug violence, writing that "the first responsibility of a government is to provide security for the people and their possessions ... today, we find that, unfortunately, the Mexican government is not complying with that responsibility."

The city most affected by drug violence has been Ciudad Juarez, which lies across the border from El Paso, Texas.

Four senior federal police commanders in Ciudad Juarez were removed from their posts after subordinates accused them of having links to drug traffickers.

The action by the Public Safety Department came just hours after 200 federal police officers detained one of their superiors at gunpoint Saturday, alleging he had connections to drug cartels and participated in kidnappings, killings and extortion.

The department said in a statement late Saturday that the commander held by officers earlier in the day was being transferred to Mexico City along with three other officials. All will be investigated for "possible irregular conduct," it said.

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Fast Response Leads to Vehicle Recovery

Before Owner Even Knows It Was Stolen

ROSARITO BEACH, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO---An alert security guard and fast police response led to the vehicle of a San Diego County tourist being recovered before its owner even knew it was stolen.

“It was amazing,” said Gary Pimentel of Vista, California, whose Ford F350 was stolen from the dirt road leading to the popular Popotla fishing village just south of downtown Rosarito.

The suspected thief was arrested within minutes after a very brief police pursuit and Pimentel got his vehicle back the next day.

Pimentel, who also has a home in Baja, had gone to the area of shops and restaurants to buy some shrimp on the afternoon of Jan. 9. He parked on the dirt road past the landmark white arch to the popular tourist attraction.

About 3:30 a security guard saw a man apparently break into Pimentel’s vehicle and drive it away. He immediately called the emergency 066 number and officers from Rosarito’s tourist police force quickly converged on the area.

Four tourist police officers --- Victor Ángel Vela Gazca, Christian Arturo Franco Balderas, Edgar Servando Luna Morales and Christian Fabián Preciado Arreola --- spotted the vehicle a short distance away, near the 7-Eleven by the Scenic Road entrance.

The driver of the stolen vehicle tried to flee on foot. But tourist police officers arrested a suspect, Rodolfo Hernandez, 35 of Tijuana.

“You guys are doing a great job,” Pimentel, the happy owner of the recovered vehicle told police and city officials who assisted him with the recovery. He said it was the first time he’d ever had a problem in eight years of visiting the region.

“Cars get stolen everywhere but it’s very unusual to see one recovered this quickly,” Pimentel said,

Rosarito Mayor Hugo Torres, who started the tourist police force two years ago, praised the effort of both the security guard and the officers who responded so quickly.

“This is how exactly how the response system is supposed to work,” said Torres, who also formed a city office for tourist attention, a citizens’ watch program with 400 members and an ombudsman’s office to assist visitors with any problems.

Torres also began the system of issuing bilingual tickets to visitors which can be mailed in with fines from the U.S.  

Crime in Rosarito the first 11 months of 2009 declined 21 percent from the previous year, to its lowest level in five years.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                     January 4, 2010

Rosarito Crime Declines 21%

To Reach A Five-Year Low

ROSARITO BEACH, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO---From January to November  of 2009 Rosarito had the largest year-to-year decline in crime of any city in Baja California --- 21 percent --- to its lowest rate in five years, according to state figures.

The tourist and retirement destination 35 miles south of San Diego was the only one of Baja California’s five cities to achieve a five-year low. Baja Gov. Jose Guadalupe Osuna Millan has praised it as a success story,

Overall, Baja California crime declined by an average of 10 percent in 2009 from the same 11-month period in 2008 and was lower than the level of the previous two years.

“These are very encouraging figures for Rosarito, especially in difficult economic times, when crime historically increases,” said Mayor Hugo Torres, who ran in 2007 largely on a platform of improving public security and police reform.

Rosarito led all Baja cities in major categories for 2009, recording a 25 percent year-to-year decline in robbery and burglaries, 36 percent in violent crimes and 52 percent in murders, from 54 to 26, according to the January-November state figures.

Five of the killings were between members of rival drug cartels as the government makes it more difficult for them to operate, and three were of police officers.

 “Other people simply are not targets of the violence connected to the organized crime crackdown,” Torres said.

Torres added that the drug-related killings are very troubling but even with them Rosarito has a lower homicide rate than some U.S. cities, including New Orleans, and about the same as Washington, D.C.

“Understandably, much of the media coverage in the U.S. has focused on the crackdown on organized crime --- it’s a vital international issue,” he said. “But that has created a misleading impression about security here.”

“These latest crime figures show that for our typical resident and visitor, Rosarito is as safe or safer than ever. We hope these statistics will be well reported to convey a more realistic picture of life and safety here.”

Since taking office, Torres has led efforts to replace more than half of the city’s police force while expanding its size from about 150 to 230 officers and establishing a special tourist police force which uses bilingual traffic tickets.

The mayor also brought in former Army Capt. Jorge Montero to lead the police department as director of public security. 

Torres praised Montero’s work in improving police performance and reducing crime, as well as the support of the City Council. Montero was honored in a ceremony Saturday night as part of National Police Day.

Torres also cited federal and state support plus a close working relationship with the Rosarito office of the state attorney general, which is responsible for most reporting and investigation of crime.

“Prevention is the key to crime reduction,” said Torres, who added that the city’s focus would remain on public security, including increased efforts in sections of the city where crimes were higher than the average.

Rosarito also is working on expanding positive activities including sports and drug prevention programs for youth. Torres has personally talked to about 15,000 of the city’s 23,000 school children and plans to visit the remainder this year.

New Baja Tourist Police Force Scheduled For Spring Launch SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA---A new Baja Metropolitan Tourist Police force is scheduled to begin patrolling between Tijuana and Ensenada in April, in time for the busy spring and summer visitor season.

Twenty officers who in turn will train 90 or more to be part of the force were recognized at a Dec. 18 graduation ceremony at the San Diego Police Department, where they received a special one-day course. “I’m confident that this relationship will enable us to expand tourism opportunities on both sides of the border,” San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders told an audience of officers, mayors and representatives from both the Mexican and U.S. consulates.

The Metropolitan Tourist Police will join with other agencies in patrolling parts of the 70-mile tourist corridor from Tijuana to Ensenada. They will offer special assistance to visitors and also can issue bilingual traffic tickets that can be paid from the U.S. Tourist police officers will have special uniforms and vehicles. .

Rosarito Mayor Hugo Torres said the special force will help visitors feel more comfortable and welcome in the popular tourist region .Rosarito has had its own 30-member tourist force for two years and it has been well received, Torres said. Additional preparation and training will take place between now and the spring launch. (Accompanying photo shows Rosarito Mayor Hugo Torres talking at the Dec. 18 graduation ceremony for members of the Baja Metropolitan Tourist Police. Photo by Barney Thompson/MexiData.)

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