Mexican troops in Monterrey as violence soars

MONTERREY, Mexico, Jan 27 (Reuters) Mexican soldiers manned road blocks in the northern industrial city of Monterrey as part of a nationwide crackdown by President Felipe Calderon against rampant organized crime.

Troops armed with assault rifles set up temporary checkpoints overnight across the city in Nuevo Leon state, including the San Pedro business district. Soldiers stopped and searched vehicles but made no arrests yesterday.

''Violence and organized crime is at critical levels in Nuevo Leon and it is a key objective to contain this and make the necessary arrests,'' state Attorney General Luis Carlos Trevino told a news conference.

One man was found shot to death near a checkpoint. Trevino said the shooting had the hallmarks of a drug-related execution.

Some 2,000 killings linked to drug cartel violence were recorded in Mexico last year, including the murders of five police chiefs in Monterrey.

Since taking office in December, Calderon has sent thousands of troops to hunt for gang members in northern and western Mexico.

Federal agents armed with automatic weapons searched cars in the Pacific resort city of Acapulco in mid-January, and troops have been sent to destroy drug plantations.

Also this month, Mexico handed over four major drug traffickers, including alleged Gulf cartel boss Osiel Cardenas, to the United States. Officials say more extraditions will follow.

Mexico, the gateway for South American cocaine, marijuana and heroin into the United States, has faced a surge in violence as it seeks to clamp down on drug gangs, intensifying turf wars between rivals as cartels battle over trafficking routes.

REUTERS PDS RN0736