Governor hides children to protect them from drug cartels
Mexican officials have sent some of their children abroad in a bid to keep them safe from increasingly high levels of violence from drug cartels.
The governor of Sinaloa state, home to Mexico's most powerful drug cartel, admitted yesterday (November 24th) that his three young children are living in another country for their safety.
Mario Lopez Valdez told of how he shipped his kids off after police overheard gang members discussing how to kidnap one of his relatives or close associates.
The discussions suggested that the cartel members wanted to kidnap high-profile members of the governor's family in a bid to gain cash through bribery and ransom.
[Mr] Lopez Valdez told reporters from the Associated Press: "We took the necessary measures, to the extent that we can, in order not to be in a vulnerable situation, and to be able to fulfill our duties on the issue of security."
The Sinaloa Cartel, which operates in the region, is often described as the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organisation in the country.
