The Wall Street Journal
- LATIN AMERICA NEWS
- July 15, 2012, 7:32 p.m. ET
By JOSÉ DE CÓRDOBA
MEXICO CITY—Police captured a fugitive accused of being the mastermind behind a drug-trafficking ring of police officers who gunned down three of their fellow officers in a shootout that sent terrorized passengers diving for cover at Mexico City's international airport last month.
The accused federal officer, Bogard Felipe Lugo, his hands shackled behind his back, was shown to reporters at federal police headquarters. Luis Cardenas, a high-ranking police official, said Mr. Lugo was captured thanks to an anonymous tip and that two other former federal officers accused of taking part in the killings remain at large.
Mr. Lugo had been captured at a Mexico City apartment where he had been holed up since the June 25 shooting, Mr. Cardenas said. A reward of some $360,000 will be paid to an anonymous tipster, he added.
The shootout last month, which involved at least six federal police officers, sent dozens of terrified passengers caught in the food court of the busy terminal sprawling for cover under overturned tables for about 20 minutes. The gunfight seemed to underscore how corruption continues to be a deeply ingrained problem in the newly organized and trained elite federal police force, the cornerstone of President Felipe Calderón's strategy to combat drug traffickers.
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