Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.latimes.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Drug Dealers Shoot Down Voting Idea Date: Wed, 18 Nov 92 06:38:52 EST Message-ID: HEADLINE: Drug Dealers Shoot Down Voting Idea Publication Date: Tuesday November 17, 1992 BYLINE: Juanita Darling Sinaloa officials, premiering a new state election law, were eager to get returns quickly and smoothly. So Hector Ruiz Almada, chairman of the state election commission, organized a fleet of helicopters and light planes to deliver ballots and vote tally sheets from the state's most remote precincts to the county seats. One big problem: Culiacan is viewed as the capital of Mexico's drug trade. Here, small aircraft are usually carrying either drugs or federal police looking for drug dealers. Shortly after Ruiz Almada announced his plan, he received an anonymous note from Sinaloa de Leyva, a county in the heart of drug country, warning that helicopters and small planes flying around there would be shot down, even on election day. As an alternative, the authors--presumably local drug dealers--offered to distribute and pick up the ballots themselves. State officials opted for overland delivery. This article is copyright 1992 The Los Angeles Times Home Edition. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM