Mexican teenage hitman is jailed

27 July 2011 Last updated at 08:02 GMT Jimenez was arrested last December while trying to catch a plane to the US A Mexican judge has sentenced a US-born teenager to three years in prison for four murders, which he said he carried out on the orders of a drug gang.

Edgar Jimenez Lugo, 14 at the time of the killings, said he was under the influence of drugs and threatened by gang leaders, according to officials.

The sentence was the maximum allowed for a juvenile in the state of Morelos, where he was tried.

Jimenez was born in California, but has spent most of his life in Mexico.

The juvenile court in Morelos found the teenager guilty of killing four people, whose mutilated bodies were founding hanging from a bridge in Cuernavaca in 2010.

A court spokesman said Jimenez's three-year sentence was effective from 2 January 2010. He will be kept in a juvenile facility.

Jimenez, nicknamed El Ponchis, was arrested by the Mexican army last December. He was trying to catch a plane from Cuernavaca with two of his sisters to get back to San Diego, where his Mexican mother lives.

Intimidation

Officials say the boy confessed to working for the South Pacific drug cartel in Morelos state.

He told them he had been abducted and given drugs, and then ordered to carry out the killings.

At the time of his arrest, the Reforma newspaper quoted Edgar Jimenez as saying: "I felt bad doing it. I was forced to do it. They said they would kill me if I didn't do it.

"I only beheaded them, but never hung [bodies] from bridges, never."

Hanging bodies from bridges at busy intersections is a practice among Mexican cartels as a way to intimidate rivals.

Some 40,000 people have died in drug-related violence since President Felipe Calderon began deploying troops to fight the cartels in late 2006.

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Police row over Mexican jail riot

27 July 2011 Last updated at 23:49 GMT The authorities are back in control of the prison Police in one of Mexico's most violent cities, Ciudad Juarez, have accused federal colleagues of firing at them during a deadly prison riot.

City police chief Julian Leyzaola told reporters his armoured vehicle had been shot at by up to 16 federal police officers as he approached the jail.

But the federal government accused him of breaking through a cordon.

Seventeen people died when one group of inmates reportedly attacked rivals from another drug gang inside the jail.

A spokesman for the city's authorities told the BBC the attackers had used weapons seized from prison guards to carry out the massacre on Monday night.

Further revelations on Wednesday suggested weakness, disorganisation and possible corruption at the jail close to the US border.

It took security forces several hours to regain control.

'Third clash'

"I saw a federal officer in front of my sport utility vehicle firing at me and in turning to a side, there was a group of between 10 and 15 federal officers firing at my vehicle," said Mr Leyzaola, who was uninjured.

In response, the federal public safety department issued a statement to say federal police had opened fire because Mr Leyzaola had refused to stop and identify himself.

"During an operation to prevent an escape of prisoners, he broke through the security cordon and, acting against security protocol, went through a checkpoint without stopping," the statement said.

"And for this reason his vehicle was fired upon to make it stop."

When the authorities finally regained control of the prison, they found 17 people dead, two inmates with gunshot wounds and 72 others with lesser injuries.

It is believed to be the third clash between federal and local police in the city since the start of the year.

Damning video This police detective was running for cover during the operation

Federal police added that two females, including a woman killed in the fighting, were found inside the prison.

Local TV footage seen by the Associated Press news agency suggests guards may have actually allowed the bloodbath to happen.

The footage reportedly shows hooded, armed inmates talking with guards, who then leave the area before inmates grab cell keys, open a door and apparently fire on those inside with a machine pistol and an assault rifle.

Julio Cesar Castaneda, a spokesman for the Chihuahua state prosecutor's office, said it was investigating reports that even more women had entered the prison for a party held by members of one of the city's street gangs, and that most had left after the fight.

The office was also investigating reports that some prison employees may have attended the party.

Federal security spokesman Alejandro Poire called for changes at the city-run prison, saying security at state and local jails across Mexico should be "reviewed and strengthened".

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Texas executes Mexican national

8 July 2011 Last updated at 02:30 GMT Humberto Leal was born in Mexico but came to the US as a small child A Mexican citizen has been executed in the US state of Texas for the rape and murder of an American girl after the Supreme Court rejected a White House-backed appeal to spare the man's life.

Humberto Leal Garcia, 38, received a lethal injection on Thursday evening.

The Obama administration previously said the sentence would put the US in breach of international obligations.

Leal was not told he could have access to Mexican consular officials, in violation of the Vienna Convention.

Roughly one hour before Leal was taken to the death chamber, the Supreme Court justices voted 5-4 to allow the sentence.

The Texas parole board had also refused to halt the sentence, while Texas Governor Rick Perry rejected requests to intervene.

Leal was sentenced to death for the 1994 rape and murder of 16-year-old Adria Sauceda, whose body was found unclothed and beaten, hours after she was seen leaving a party with Leal in San Antonio.

The Mexican native moved with his family to the US as a small child.

'Serious repercussions'

In the death chamber, Leal said he admitted responsibility for the crimes.

"I have hurt a lot of people. ... I take full blame for everything. I am sorry for what I did," he said. "Let this be final and be done."

As the lethal drugs began to take effect he added: "One more thing: Viva Mexico! Viva Mexico!"

He was pronounced dead at 1821 (2321 GMT).

On Thursday afternoon, a state department spokeswoman said that the federal government had filed a brief with the US Supreme Court, supporting Leal's argument for a stay of execution until the end of the year.

US Solicitor General Donald Verrilli wrote in the brief that the execution would have "serious repercussions for United States foreign relations, law enforcement and other co-operation with Mexico, and the ability of American citizens travelling abroad to have the benefits of consular assistance in the event of detention".

The Obama administration had wanted a delay to allow Congress to consider legislation covering foreign nationals who were not given proper consular access before being tried for crimes that carry the death penalty.

The Mexican government said prior to the execution that the nation regarded it as a violation of international law.

"This is about the right that each person has under the Vienna Convention to be able to enjoy the support of their country of origin when they face criminal proceedings in a foreign country," the Mexican Foreign Ministry said.

Leal is one of 51 Mexican nationals on death row who were the focus of a 2004 ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The ICJ said that their convictions should be reviewed because they were denied consular access.

President George W Bush told Texas officials they should comply with the ICJ order but the Supreme Court ruled that he had overstepped his authority.

In August 2008, Texas, which argued that its courts were not bound by the rulings of the ICJ, executed Mexican Jose Medellin.

"If you commit the most heinous of crimes in Texas, you can expect to face the ultimate penalty under our laws, as in this case," Texas spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger said.

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Mexican Hurricane Beatriz weakens

21 June 2011 Last updated at 21:36 GMT Surf's up: Waves whipped up by Beatriz sweep a car out to sea in Acapulco Hurricane Beatriz has weakened to a tropical storm as it moves away from the Pacific coast of Mexico.

Beatriz had been threatening some of Mexico's most popular resorts and left tourists sheltering in hotels, but all warnings have now been cancelled.

Pacific ports which were closed along the coast are gradually being reopened.

The US National Hurricane Center said winds had fallen to 110km/h (70mph) and were expected to continue weakening over the next two days.

The first Pacific hurricane - Adrian - formed earlier this month, causing no damage, but forecasters predict a busier hurricane season over the Atlantic.

Casualties have been light. One tourist is reported to have been injured by a falling tree in Acapulco.

The Mexican government issued a red alert for areas around the resort city of Manzanillo.

And hurricane warnings were issued along coast from Lazaro Cardenas north to Cabo Corrientes.

Tourists

Early on Tuesday, Beatriz had reached winds of up to 150km/h (90mph), and was moving over the coast.

Hurricane Beatriz approaches the Mexican coast in this satellite image, taken on 20 June

The storm was expected to drop 15-30cm (6-12in) of rain along the coast, with a risk of flash floods and mudslides.

The US state department issued a message urging American citizens to find shelter, monitor news reports and follow official instructions.

Mexico has no major oil installations in the Pacific, but its coastal resorts are popular with American tourists.

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Gang wars kill 33 in Mexican city

16 June 2011 Last updated at 18:55 GMT Blood stains and graffiti were left at the scene of one gang killing Mexican officials say 33 people have been killed in the space of 24 hours in Mexico's industrial capital, Monterrey.

Security officials in the northern state of Nuevo Leon, where Monterrey is located, said most of those killed had links to the country's drug cartels.

But two of the victims were identified as bodyguards of the governor of Nuevo Leon, Rodrigo Medina.

Police said a threatening message addressed to Mr Medina had been found next to the bodies.

Mr Medina said the threats would not stop his determination to beat organised crime.

A spokesman for the Nuevo Leon Security Council, Jorge Domene Zambrano, said the killings were almost all connected to a deadly battle for control of the region between rival drug cartels.

"Only five have links to the authorities - the two bodyguards, and three guards from Cadereyta prison," he explained.

According to the authorities, five presumed gang members were killed in a battle with the army and 10 people died in a confrontation between rival gangs.

The bodies of the remaining victims were found dumped in various parts of the city and, in some cases, hanged from bridges.

The state is the stronghold of the Zetas, thought to be one of Mexico's most violent drug cartels.

They are engaged in a deadly battle with the Gulf, Sinaloa, and La Familia gangs.

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