Politico, 7/15/2010
Mexican Minister of the Interior Fernando Gomez Mont, who oversaw the crackdown on some of the country’s most notorious drug cartels, resigned Wednesday, and other key appointments are shifting roles, with businessman Bruno Ferrari replacing Gerardo Ruiz Mateos as economy minister and Mateos replacing Patricia Flores Elizondo as the president’s chief of staff.
Calderon will name former Baja, California Secretary of Government Jose Francisco Blake Mora as Mont’s replacement. The outgoing secretary made a name for himself by helping to implement Calderon’s tough-talk reforms, such as mobilizing armed forces against drug cartels and establishing greater transparency at the judicial level during the last three years.
As Interior Minister he will be the administration’s spokesperson for its anti-cartel policies and the primary enforcer in the country’s war on drugs.
“Blake comes into this having some real experience in Baja at a time when the cartels were very strong and violent,” Olson said. “His knowledge, his experience there, is crucial.”
Mexico Institute 