- The Washington Times - Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Mexico is trying out a new weapon in its war on drug cartels: mariachis.

Authorities south of the border have turned to a group of 21 officers known as the Federal Police Mariachis to improve the reputation of Mexico’s law enforcement community, which has taken a beating in recent years due to corruption scandals and cartel violence.

“We change weapons by instruments,” Mariachi Musical Director Juan Ramó told El Universal on Aug. 25. “Crime prevention comes through music and trust.”

Mr. Soto said “erroneous” opinions about law enforcement will be combated by sending musicians into dangerous regions such as Michoacán and Sinaloa.

Christopher Wilson, deputy director of the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center, told Fox News Monday that Mexican President Peña Nieto may want to prioritize resources differently given the gravity of the situation.

“[He] needs to deal with police reform,” Mr. Wilson said. “It’s happened already to some extent with the federal police, but state and local police make up the vast majority of the law enforcement in the country.”

At least 200,000 citizens have died in violence related to Mexico’s drug war since it began in 2006, with a record 2,566 homicide victims in June, the network reported.

• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.

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