State officials in the pocket of feared Mexican drug cartel

Sunday 12 February 2012 01:00 GMT

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One of Mexico's most notorious drug cartels paid $4.5m (£2.85m) in bribes to officials in a state run by the country's main opposition party, a US court case has revealed.

The bribes were made by the infamous Zetas cartel in the state of Tamaulipas between 1999 and 2005, a period when the state was controlled by Mexico's PRI party.

PRI is seeking re-election in Mexico's presidential elections on a platform of de-escalation in the war on the drug cartels.

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State officials in the pocket of feared Mexican drug cartel

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