A former top police official in the Mexican state of Chihuahua will be spending the next 27 years in a federal prison in Texas, after he pled guilty to being a leader of the infamous Sinaloa drug cartel, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Mario De La O Lopez used his police positiojn to safeguard cocaine, wepons, and bulk cash shipments in Mexico, across the border, and in the U.S.
“The sentencing of Mario De La O Lopez is yet another strike against the powerful and violent drug trafficking organizations whose reach stretches across international borders and directly threatens our communities in the United States”, stated DEA El Paso Division Special Agent in Charge Kyle W. Williamson. “We will continue to work together with our law enforcement partners on both sides of the border to pursuethose who threaten our communities through the smuggling and distribution of illegal and dangerous drugs.”
The case also indicates how pervasive official corruption is in Mexico, and how difficult it will be for whomever is elected President in next month's elections to get any sort of control over the cartels.