The family of a Mexican marine who died in the shootout last week which killed Arturo Beltran Leyva was wiped out by more than a dozen hitmen from the drug kingpin's cartel as reported by Sara Miller Llana for The Christian Science Monitor:
"This is a new message by organized crime, in which intimidation even reaches the families of those who are fighting them," says Erubiel Tirado, a security expert at the Iberoamerican University in Mexico City. "This is a very worrisome indicator of their behavior, and a new pattern that we might see." Fallen marine Melquisedet Angulo was buried Monday with the highest honors, after participating in a raid that took down Leyva – the most prominent trafficker to be killed since Mexican President Felipe Calderón sent troops to root out organized crime three years ago. Leyva and six others were killed in the shoot-out in the city of Cuernavaca, south of Mexico City on Dec. 16. Mr. Angulo was the only marine to die and he was called a hero by the government. But hours later, hitmen opened fire at his family's home in the state of Tabasco, reportedly killing his mother and three other relatives, officials said Tuesday.
