Mexico has fired 700 of its customs officers at airports and land crossings in a bid to stamp out corruption.

A new workforce is now being drafted in as part of Mexico’s massive clean-up on drugs and other contraband Some of the fired customs staff can re-apply for their jobs as long as they can prove they have no links with organised crime. Soldiers have taken control of at least one border post but the government says there are no plans to militarise the customs network along the border with the US Tens of thousands of soldiers have been on Mexico’s streets battling the drugs cartels. Some major arrests have been made and large amounts of cocaine seized, but the drugs barons mostly remain at large. They are locked in a war for control of the multi-billion dollar smuggling routes to the United States.More about: Customs, Mexico

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