JUDGE KILLS ONE CHARGE AGAINST SUSPECT LINKED TO DRUG CARTEL

TIJUANA -- A Mexican federal judge dismissed a charge this week against
alleged drug cartel member Ismael Higuera Guerrero that linked him with
secret airstrips used to transport cocaine into Mexico.

Although Higuera remains in prison on additional charges, the dismissal is
considered a blow to investigators' efforts to detail his alleged
drug-trafficking activities.

Higuera, also known as "El Mayel," was captured by soldiers and federal
agents May 3 after a morning shootout at an Ensenada beachfront house.

He is believed to have operated as the chief lieutenant for the
Tijuana-based Arellano Felix drug cartel, overseeing the group's vast
transportation and storage networks.

The notoriously violent cartel is thought to be responsible for shipping
cocaine, marijuana, heroin and methamphetamine into the United States.

The federal charge dismissed against Higuera stemmed from the 1995 capture
of an airplane carrying 10 tons of cocaine. The plane landed at a hidden
airstrip in the southern part of Baja California.

Higuera still faces charges connecting him with organized crime and
bringing cocaine into the country. He also is charged with illegally
carrying a firearm.