Mexican mayor vows war against drug lords

MEXICO CITY, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- The mayor of a town caught in the crosshairs of Mexico's drug turf wars says he is ready to do whatever is necessary to fight back, even break the law.

An estimated 14,000 people have died since President Felipe Calderon took office in December 2006. The violence continues despite his deployment of 45,000 army troops to Mexican states to combat the drug lords.

Mauricio Fernandez, the new mayor of San Pedro Garza Garcia, said this week he had created a special unit to rid his community of criminal elements, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

"We're tired of sitting around on our hands and waiting for daddy or mommy Calderon to come to fix our fights," Fernandez said in a recent radio interview. "We in San Pedro took the decision to grab the bull by the horns. Even acting outside the limits of my role as mayor, I will end the kidnappings, extortions and drug trafficking. We are going to do this by whatever means, fair or foul."

Asked if the new squad would operate outside the law, the mayor responded: "In some ways, that's right. What the criminals want is that they can break every law, but that we have to respect every law. Well, I don't get that."

Interior Minister Fernando Gomez Mont Thursday criticized the mayor.

"The Mexican state, in its different levels, can't act above or beyond the law," Mont said. 'Whoever does so is ... a lawbreaker, and we can't accept using criminals to resolve the problem of crime."

Leo Zuckerman, a political analyst in Mexico City, said Fernandez's line in the sand illustrates how bad things have gotten in Mexico.

"A mayor justifies, brags, and celebrates that he has carried out justice by his own hands, outside the judicial institutions," Zuckerman said. "This is bad news for those of us who believe that a civilized society is one where criminals get due process."