Drug War, Drug Cartel | featured news

Two decapitated bodies were found at the entrance to one of Mexico's most luxurious shopping malls on Wednesday and prosecutors announced that more than 47,000 people have been killed in drug violence in the five years since President Felipe Calderon launched a military crackdown against drug cartels.

Mexican cartels are taking advantage of U.S. gun laws to buy thousands of weapons that are being used in an escalating drug war that has claimed more than 31,000 lives since late 2006, experts and law enforcement officials tell NBC News.

The biggest newspaper in Mexico s most violent city will restrict drug war coverage after the killing of its second journalist in less than two years, just as international press representatives will urge the government to make security for journalists a national priority.

Helicopters, x-ray vans and sniffer dogs were sent to help Mexico tackle drug cartels, but Mexican leaders meeting Tuesday ...

In response to a spate of attacks allegedly by a drug cartel, Mexico more than tripled the number of federal police officers patrolling the state of Michoacan, a government spokeswoman said.

It was the boldest, most widespread coordinated offensive ever mounted by drug traffickers against the Mexican government. Within minutes of the weekend arrest of the La Familia drug cartel's operations chief, the gang launched ...

Fifteen drug hit men and two soldiers were killed in a shootout in the Mexican beach resort of Acapulco, an army source said on Sunday.

Federal forces detained 10 mayors and 18 other officials Tuesday for allegedly protecting one of Mexico's most violent drug cartels in an unprecedented anti-corruption sweep in the Pacific coast state of Michoacan.

Soldiers and federal agents fanned out across President Felipe Calderon's native state to carry out the operation, which an expert called a blow to politicians tied to traffickers in Michoacan.

Mexico has launched a war against drugs but it cannot rely on the institutions most needed to carry it out.