City leaders praise Mexican general

By Sandra Dibble, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

Tuesday, June 22, 2010 at 6:21 p.m.

Gen. Alfonso Duarte Mugica

ROSARITO BEACH — Saying the Mexican military’s battle against drug gangs has led to a decrease in crime in their communities, civilian authorities paid homage Tuesday to a military general leading the fight in Baja California.

Gen. Alfonso Duarte Mugica was praised for working closely with local governments in their efforts to combat heavily armed criminal groups that once operated with impunity.

Before the military’s presence, “convoys of delinquents would freely roam Rosarito’s territory,” said Mayor Hugo Torres, who hosted the City Hall ceremony.

Also offering praise for the 56-year-old brigadier general was Tijuana Mayor Jorge Ramos. “Without the support of the Mexican military, we civilian authorities would not have had the capacity to confront this type of crime.”

Duarte said the recognition “commits us to not let down our guard, and to keep fighting.”

The violence peaked in 2008, when 844 homicides were reported in Tijuana. In recent months, the number of killings has declined, and authorities theorize that the capture of several major drug gang leaders is the principal reason.

Joining the ceremony was Steven Kashkett, the U.S. consul general in Tijuana, who praised the military’s close coordination with civilian forces in dismantling criminal groups in the region, and said “these achievements would certainly not be possible without the firm leadership of Gen. Alfonso Duarte Mugica.”

The close relationship between civilian and military authorities in Baja California contrasts with growing friction along other parts of the U.S.-Mexico border. Across the Texas border, in Ciudad Juarez, the military is being phased out and drug-related violence continues unabated.