Health Care
Sierra Tucson
Eating Disorders Program Coordinator Trades/Construction
RANCHO RESORT
MAINTANANCE POSITION Health Care
Dependable Health Services
Physical Therapists Finance and Accounting
Charles E. Gillman Company
Accounting Specialist Mechanical
Komatsu Equipment Co
Resident Field Mechanic Administrative & Professional
Tucson Urban League
CEO/President Construction
West-Press
Printing

MEXICO CITY — Mexico accused its former drug czar Friday 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 U.S.-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 a 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 U.S. support for its drug fight. The U.S. Congress conditioned 15 percent of a still-to-be-released $400 million aid package on Mexico's efforts to clean up its police force.

U.S. 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 trust.

But Thomas Schweich, a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for international law enforcement, said the revelations suggest Mexico is aggressively dealing with its corruption problem.

"I find the whole situation encouraging. If you are a corrupt official, you are no longer immune to prosecution no matter how high up you are," said Schweich, who now works for the Bryan Cave law firm in St. Louis. "It shows a lot of political will on the part of Calderón."

In a statement, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza said the arrest shows "how seriously the government of Mexico is taking the challenge of rooting out narcotics-related corruption."

For many in Mexico, the government's very public admission of the problem was more surprising than the allegations themselves. Friday's news conference provided a rare glimpse into details of how cartels allegedly bought off top officials.

Medina said Ramirez accepted $450,000 from a member of the Pacific cartel, who offered to pay him similar amounts each month for alerts about planned police operations. It was unclear if the subsequent payments were ever made. The cartel member is now cooperating with investigators, Medina said.

Ramirez was named assistant attorney general for organized crime in 2006 when Calderón took office, and resigned in July at Medina's request. No corruption allegations were raised at the time — federal officials said his resignation was part of a law enforcement shake-up by the Calderón administration.

Ramirez was helping to lead Calderón's offensive to take back territory controlled by drug cartels, a two-year campaign involving the deployment of more than 25,000 army troops and federal police.

With the arrest of Ramirez, at least five top officials and two federal agents have been detained this year as part of "Operation Clean House," which targets officials who shared information with the Pacific cartel, an alliance headed by the Sinaloa drug gang.