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62 cops linked to drug cartels arrested in Mexico

By the CNN Wire Staff
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Authorities arrest 62 allegedly crooked cops in Baja California state
  • The arrests came after long investigations
  • Both state and municipal police officers were arrested

(CNN) -- Mexican federal authorities arrested 62 police officers in the state of Baja California Thursday suspected of ties to organized crime and drug trafficking, the state's attorney general said, according to the state-run Notimex news agency.

The arrests were the result of investigations ranging between one and two years in length into local police activities. The federal attorney general's office led the efforts, Baja California Attorney General Rommel Moreno said.

A federal judge authorized the arrest warrants, and officers from all three levels of the government participated in the roundup of the police officers.

Those arrested included 16 active state police officers, 40 active municipal police officers and six municipal cops who had already left the force.