Mexican ex-police officer murdered

Mexico City has rampant crime levels

By BBC Mexico correspondent Peter Greste

A former senior police official in Mexico City has been murdered, along with his two brothers, in what the authorities said was a gangland-style execution.

The former officer, Jesus Carrola, was found in a parked car in a side street in the Mexican capital. There was evidence that he had suffered torture.

Fox has promised to crack down on crime

He served briefly in 1997 as the head of the city's judicial police force before resigning amid reports that he had been involved in criminal activity.

There are few details available about what happened to Carrola and his brothers, Miguel Angel and Marcos, but what the police do know is that they were abducted by armed men in federal police uniforms on Monday.

A day later, they were found bound, gagged and shot in the back of a stolen van that had been parked in a side street of Mexico City.

There are no suspects, but police said the bodies bear all the hallmarks of an execution by an organised crime gang.

Alleged smuggling links

Media reports have alleged that Carrola was linked to the Tijuana cocaine smuggling cartel and that he had been involved in an extortion ring while he served as a federal agent in northern Mexico.

The former officer is not thought to have had links to the current government, which came to power in elections a year ago.

But the killing will underline the urgent need to clamp down on organised crime.

The new president, Vicente Fox, has made crime, corruption and impunity a priority.

But so far, there has been little progress.