MEXICO CITY
Mexico's former acting federal police chief was accused Friday of collaborating with a notorious cartel and stealing money from a mansion during a raid to bust a drug trafficking ring.
A judge ordered Gerardo Garay's formal arrest on suspicion of organized crime, robbery and abuse of power, according to a statement from the Attorney General's office. Garay had been under preliminary detention for a month, but authorities had not revealed the allegations against him. He has previously denied any wrongdoing.
Garay is among several federal police officers arrested in "Operation Clean House," which aims to weed out corruption that came to light after the January arrest of Alfredo Beltran Leyva, a reputed Sinaloa cartel lieutenant.
Some of those arrested had been at the helm of President Felipe Calderon's nationwide offensive to take back territory controlled by drug gangs, a two-year campaign involving the deployment of more than 20,000 soldiers.
The U.S. has backed that effort with $400 million to provide Mexican security forces with training and equipment, although Congress has conditioned 15 percent of the aid on Mexico's efforts to clean up its police force.
The Attorney General's office said Garay is accused of protecting the Beltran Leyva brothers, reputed drug gang leaders. Officials declined to elaborate.
He is also accused of stealing money from a mansion during an October raid that led to the breakup of gang that allegedly arranged for cocaine shipments from Colombia to the Beltran Leyvas. At the time, police also seized a collection of animals, including two tigers and two lions, from a private zoo at the ornate mansion in Mexico City.
Garay took over as acting federal police chief earlier this year after the assassination of his predecessor.
He was transferred to a federal prison Thursday, along with three other federal police officers.
One officer was also accused of collaborating with the Beltran Leyva brothers and stealing from the mansion. The other two were accused of protecting Jesus "The King" Zambada, a reputed Sinaloa cartel lieutenant arrested in October. Zambada allegedly led drug smuggling operations through the Mexico City airport.
Separately Friday, the No. 2 immigration official in the southern Mexican border state of Chiapas was fired for allegedly taking bribes from nightclub owners who employed illegal migrants.
An official with the National Migration Institute says Erick Alejandro Jan is under investigation for corruption and abuse of authority. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized the disclose the information.
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