30,000 killed in drug wars

MEXICO said that more than 30,000 people have been killed in drug violence since president Felipe Calderon launched a crackdown against cartels in late 2006.

The government said the violent La Familia cartel in western Mexico has been “systematically weakened” by recent arrests and deaths of leading members of the gang.

Attorney General Arturo Chavez Chavez told reporters that about 12,500 people were killed between January and November, compared with 9,600 for all of 2009.