MEXICO POLICE SEARCH FOR DRUG TIE IN SLAYING

Police said Wednesday they uncovered possible drug paraphernalia in
Francisco "Paco" Stanley's
minivan, fueling speculation that the comedian's murder Monday was a
drug-related hit.

Police said they searched Stanley's Lincoln minivan for clues to his
murder and found a small mortar and pestle, items frequently used to
crush cocaine into powder. On Monday, police found cocaine packets in
Stanley's clothes after he was gunned down leaving an upscale Mexico
City restaurant.

Medical examiners also confirmed they found traces of cocaine in
Stanley's blood.

Stanley's son, Francisco Daniel, blasted news accounts linking his
father to drug dealers.

A musician who worked for Stanley said the comedian never openly used
drugs on the set. But the musician, who asked not to be identified,
said Stanley spent most of his off-screen hours "partying" in private
with a steady stream of friends who crowded the backstage area.

Separately, the Interior Ministry said it had given Stanley a
credential identifying him as a government agent in order to
facilitate his request for a concealed weapons permit, something
difficult to obtain due to strict gun controls in Mexico.

Network embarrassed

The discoveries possibly connecting Stanley to drug use embarrassed
the Azteca network, which aired his daily variety show. The network
has recently led a high-profile public service campaign against drug
use.

The Mexico City newspaper El Universal alleged Stanley was connected
to notorious crime syndicates.

The newspaper claimed Stanley was a friend of the late Amado Carrillo
Fuentes, who headed the Juarez drug cartel until his death after
plastic surgery in 1997. Citing government anti-drug police and
military intelligence files, the newspaper said Stanley frequented
billiard parlors with Carrillo Fuentes, and stayed at posh beach
resorts the government believes are owned by drug dealers.

Military officials again denied the existence of files linking Stanley
to former Gen. Jesus Gutierrez Rebollo, once Mexico's top anti-drug
cop, now imprisoned on charges he was working with Carrillo Fuentes.

Public sympathetic

Despite the allegations of drug connections, public sympathy toward
Stanley does not appear to have diminished. And the media-driven
demand for a government crackdown on crime has become a hot political
debate.

Three gunmen ambushed Stanley in broad daylight, firing at least 50
rounds from semiautomatic pistols. The comedian and a bystander were
killed. Five others -- a television reporter, another bystander and
three bodyguards -- were injured.

Police still have no concrete leads on shooters, although a sketch of
one suspect -- a tall, bald man in a business suit -- has been
plastered around the city and in newspaper and television reports.

News anchors and other network executives continued to call for the
resignation of city officials, alleging they have been ineffective in
fighting crime.

Supporters of Mayor Cuauhtemoc Cardenas responded Wednesday,
displaying in newspaper ads a list of crime categories that have
diminished since the left-of-center politician took control of the
city in 1997.

Cardenas' Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) also denounced as
politically motivated attacks by television commentators including
Azteca owner Ricardo Salinas Pliego and Televisa's Jacobo Zabludovsky,
longtime supporters of the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party.

`Lynch-mob atmosphere'

A "lynch-mob atmosphere," initiated by Salinas Pliego after
[Stanley's] murder, actually endangers the democratic advances in this
city," said Pablo Gomez, PRD president. He said the city and PRD plan
a huge anti-crime rally this weekend in downtown Mexico City to show
support for Cardenas' crime policies.

Cardenas has invited the federal attorney general's office to help
with the investigation, akin to calling in the FBI on a local murder
in the United States.

Cardenas is the party's likely presidential candidate in next year's
election, although he has slipped in the polls recently.

A new poll Wednesday said nearly half of Mexico City residents think
the Stanley killing will adversely affect Cardenas, but that he and
federal officials from PRI share responsibility for rampant crime.

"His [Stanley's] links to drugs won't change the public atmosphere,
because people are fed up with crime in this city and this is a good
vent for that anger," said Salvador Tinajero, a Mexico City crime
analyst. "Nothing will change as long as the government does nothing
of note to combat crime."