120 policemen arrested in Mexican anti-corruption swoop

Around 120 state and city police officers have been arrested in Mexico in a lightning swoop believed to be part of President Vicente Fox’s crackdown on drug smuggling and police corruption.

Soldiers and federal police officers arrested the men at an academy in Tecate yesterday.

The officers raided the academy and ordered the detainees to turn over their weapons and credentials before placing them under arrest.

The charges the men are facing are unclear, but local reports said they were arrested for protecting drug smugglers. Among those detained were Carlos Otal, the police chief in Tijuana, and his two bodyguards.