Pubdate: Sun, 10 Aug 2008 Source: Dallas Morning News (TX) Copyright: 2008 The Dallas Morning News, Inc. Contact: http://www.dallasnews.com/cgi-bin/lettertoed.cgi Website: http://www.dallasnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/117 Author: Kevin G. Hall Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/mexico TARGETED BY DRUG CARTELS, MEXICAN POLITICIAN QUICKLY RELOCATES MEXICO CITY - Mexican Congressman David Figueroa survived two assassination attempts. Then federal intelligence officials told him that they'd heard another attempt soon would be made. Mr. Figueroa dropped out of the race for governor of Sonora state, a thoroughfare for drugs heading to the Western United States. He was quickly confirmed last week as the country's new consul general in San Jose, Calif. And almost as quickly, Mr. Figueroa, an up-and-coming politician in the President Felipe Calderon's political party, relocated. U.S. law enforcement officials say they think Mr. Figueroa was targeted as part of an effort by drug cartels to turn up the heat on Mr. Calderon. The president has dispatched more than 40,000 soldiers all over Mexico to combat the gangs and has involved the military in other ways that none of his predecessors dared do. Since then, violence has increased. So far this year, by the count of two leading Mexican newspapers, there have been at least 2,400 drug-related murders nationwide. That almost equals the roughly 2,500 drug-related killings for all of last year. To U.S. law enforcement, the escalating violence is a perverse sign of success. "These cartel leaders are starting to feel the pain, and the natural response is to up the ante in terms of violence," said a U.S. law-enforcement official who's close to the drug war and spoke on condition of anonymity. Mr. Figueroa first earned the enmity of drug traffickers when he was the mayor of Agua Prieta, a border town across from Douglas, Ariz. He publicly attributed his departure from the governor's race to a desire to spend more time with his family. But he revealed the real reason in an interview with McClatchy Newspapers in the safety of Mexico's secure congressional building after his diplomatic appointment was approved. McClatchy withheld details until he'd left the country. "They send a clear message," Mr. Figueroa said. The cartels strike "whenever they want." He acknowledged he's surprised that he's still alive. "I live because God is great. I don't know how else to explain it," he said. On Nov. 27, 2006, just days before Mr. Calderon took office, shots from a passing car struck Mr. Figueroa in both legs and the head as he rode in a car outside the city of Toluca, near Mexico City. Authorities later determined that 25 bullets struck the car. Last Oct. 31, he survived a brazen close-range shooting near Mexico's towering World Trade Center building, which was captured on surveillance cameras and later splashed across YouTube. A man dressed in a business suit called out "Congressman," then opened fire as Mr. Figueroa turned to look. Inexplicably, the shots missed the lawmaker. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin