Mexico army marches into drug war — again - Troops have been deployed to a greater extent than ever to fight narcotics traffickers. But critics fear the corruption that afflicts the police will envelop the military.

Although the Mexican army has been able to quiet drug violence in some hot spots, political observers say the deployment of thousands of soldiers could undermine civilian institutions and jeopardize Mexico’s evolving democracy.

Critics say the military lacks the training and sensibilities for such work, and fear it will trample on the rights of ordinary Mexicans.

The army, with its low salaries and high desertion rate, also could prove as vulnerable to corruption as police, who often have acted as hired guns for smugglers. Five Mexican soldiers, including a major, were indicted in January on charges of leaking information on their unit’s movements to members of the Sinaloa drug cartel.”*

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