TROOPS SET FIRE TO DRUG FIELDS

Mexican President Orders Raid

APATZINGAN, Mexico (AP) - Thousands of troops rolled into a key
Mexican drug stronghold yesterday to set fire to marijuana and opium
fields and round up traffickers, sent by President Felipe Calderon to
restore order in a region where smugglers have defied authorities
with beheadings and large-scale drug production.

Navy ships were patrolling the Lazaro Cardenas port, a hub for drugs
arriving from Central America and Colombia on their way to the United States.

Cornelio Casio, one of several generals overseeing the operation in
the western state of Michoacan -- Mr. Calderon's home state -- said
6,500 soldiers and federal police were deployed.

"We aren't going to lose any time," he said. "We are completely
focused on this war."

The campaign echoes crackdowns by previous Mexican presidents who
repeatedly ordered mass firings of drug-corrupted police, revamped
courts, sent thousands of troops to battle traffickers and
accelerated drug seizures -- without making much of a dent in the
quantity of narcotics crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

In an interview yesterday with the Televisa network, Attorney General
Eduardo Medina Mora said the operation was aimed at "reconquering
territory" controlled by drug gangs.

"It's not just a war against drug lords," he said. "It's a war
against the entire criminal structure."

Mr. Calderon brushed aside concerns the crackdown could lead to
violations of human rights and claim innocent victims.

"It's about recovering the calm, day-to-day life of Mexicans who live
in the state," he said.