Prosecutors bring drug, weapons charges against 25 police in Mexican resort of Acapulco

Mexico charges 25 Acapulco police for drugs, arms

ACAPULCO, Mexico — Drug, weapons and organized crime charges have been filed against 25 police officers caught with unregistered weapons in the resort city of Acapulco, prosecutors said Thursday.

The federal Attorney General’s Office said that in all, 29 officers in four patrol vehicles were detained after being stopped and searched by navy personnel Tuesday. Four face only illegal weapons charges.

Searchers found a 33-pound (15-kilogram) bag of marijuana in one of the vehicles and 36 non-regulation firearms overall, mostly machine pistols and assault rifles, authorities say.

Corrupt officers in Mexico have been known to carry unregistered firearms for use in illegal activities, since their official weapons are tracked and tested by police departments.

Farther to the west in the Pacific coast state of Guerrero, police reported Thursday that a crowd of villagers chased down a group of alleged kidnappers, freed their victims and shot the three men to death.

Guerrero state police said the men apparently entered the hamlet of La Union, near the coastal resort of Zihuatanejo, and abducted a man and two boys. They allegedly also shot another man to death.

Residents pursued the kidnappers as they fled in a truck and freed the kidnap victims, according to a police statement.

The three alleged abductors were apparently related.

Guerrero state is a hotspot violent crime, illegal logging and drug trafficking.