MEXICO: 9 June UPDATE: Billionaire Ex-Tijuana Mayor Rhon...Facing Weapons Charges In Baja.

LINK CHANGE / LATIMES

   Jorge Hank Rhon, 55, ex-mayor of Tijuana and one of Mexico's richest men... who was detained along with 10 bodyguards...after a raid uncovered 88 guns and more than 9,000 rounds of ammunition in his home...has returned to a Baja jail...facing federal weapons charges.
 Prosecutors said only 10 of the seized weapons were licensed. 
 He could get up to 15 years in prison if found guilty of gun law violations.

 Rhon was Tijuana mayor from 2004 to 2007.
 He is a prominent member of the opposition PRI party...and a possible candidate for the state of Baja California governorship in 2013.

MEXICO: Outgunned, 6 Police Massacred In Veracruz State; 06 April UPDATE: 2 Americans Assassinated At Tijuana Border.

AP / M.HERALD                                     (file foto)

   A routine municipal police patrol near El Higo in Veracruz state ran into at least 20 gunmen and a battle ensued...that left 6 officers, including one woman, dead.
   The police were equipped with only two assault rifles, two pistols and a shotgun.
   The attackers also took the dead officers' weapons.
  The federal government subsequently announced that the army will establish a new base near El Higo.

 AND: LINK CHANGE/ MORE DETAILS:
      Two U.S. citizens were murdered while waiting to enter the U.S. at a Tijuana-area border crossing.
      Officials report that Kevin Romero and Sergio Salcido were on their way to work around 3 a.m., waiting in line when they were murdered.
       9-mm shell casings were found at the scene, ammunition favored by narco gunmen.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/05/2152377/authorities-confirm-2-americans.html

MEXICO: Charges Of Brutality Follow Cd. Juarez's New Top Cop.

LATIMES/ K.Ellingwood

   Former Tijuana police chief Julian Leyzaola has been named public safety secretary for Cd Juarez.
   Retired army colonel Leyzaola is credited with cleaning-up and restoring law and order in Tijuana...but critics there accuse him of brutality, taking part in the torture and beatings of suspect police officers.

MEXICO: Tijuana Pot Haul The Largest Ever, Now Estimated At 134 Tons!

AP/        Authorities in Tijuana now report that a marijuana bust was even bigger than first announced, 134.2 tons and not the original estimate of 105 tons with a street value of over $400 million usd.
     Security official Alejandro Poire believes the drugs belong to the Sinaloa drug gang and called it a historic seizure.
      "This is an important milestone that demonstrates the ability of the Mexican state when security forces in three levels of government coordinate and take responsibility around a common goal," he said.
     The pot was stored in tractor trailers and houses wrapped in different colors and labeled with apparently coded phrases and pictures that included the cartoon character Homer Simpson.

MEXICO: Drug War Progress Ends; Tijuana Bleeds Again.

LATIMES/
A few months ago, President Felipe Calderon was praising Tijuana as the success story in the war on drug thugs and a model for the rest of the country. But violence has returned in a big way in 2010 with four decapitations, at least 10 people killed in drive-by attacks, and five kidnappings.

MEXICO: Tijuana's Police Chief Still Standing After 4 Assassination Attempts.

LATIMES/
Two years ago, Tijuana police chief Julian Leyzaola began a crackdown on organized crime and police corruption. Since then he has has survived at least four assassination tries, including a threat to blow up his headquarters. U.S. and Mexican officials say he has cleaned up the police. But a violent crime surge last week of decapitations, dismemberments, hangings and shootouts claimed more than 50 people. "I respect him," said one veteran officer, "but for him to succeed, we have to die."
A U.S. law officer said, "He's a marked man. They( drug lords) want Leyzaola gone because he's effective. He takes this seriously, unlike a lot of these jackass cops."