Identifying the Rest

Nuevo León authorities have announced that they have identified the seven Casino Royale suspects who remain at large, including the man they are referring to as the intellectual author. They also said that the five in custody were detained thanks to an anonymous tip.

While the federal government has certainly responded --3,000 new federal troops are headed to the area-- it's striking how the state authorities have taken the lead on this. The investigation into and arrest of Mano con Ojos leader Óscar Osvaldo García Montoya earlier this month was similar, though the state was Edomex, not Nuevo León. I can't remember too many significant security episodes in which an entity other than the federal government was the protagonist. Those are both PRI-run states, as well. And it seems as though the federal authorities has been more than happy to cede the leading role to their state counterparts. It's commendable that instead of wanting to steal a piece of good news, the administration is living up to its rhetoric regarding the need for lower levels of government to pick up the slack. It will be interesting to see if this pattern is continued.