12 drug agents killed in Mexico

Twelve people tortured and killed in a cartel-plagued Mexican state were federal agents investigating organised crime, the government said, marking one of the boldest attacks on federal forces since President Felipe Calderon launched his war on drugs.

Mexico’s national security spokesman, Monte Alejandro Rubido, said the 11 men and one woman were off duty when they were ambushed and abducted by members of the La Familia drug cartel in Mr Calderon’s home state of Michoacan, which has been a centre of his crackdown on drug traffickers.

Their bodies were found piled up along a mountain highway late on Monday near the town of La Huacana. Michoacan state prosecutor J. Jesus Montejano initially said that they were soldiers, but the army denied that.

Initial reports indicated the victims were likely killed over the weekend, when federal agents arrested Arnoldo Rueda Medina, a reputed chief of operations of the Michoacan-based La Familia cartel.

Mr Calderon blasted what he called the “cowardly attacks” against police forces, and called the victims “true heroes who have sacrificed their lives for the peace of Mexican families all over the country".