Forty police officers in the cocaine trafficking center of Medellin have quit because of a campaign by drug traffickers to kill them, a newspaper reported Saturday.
Two more law officers were assassinated Friday in Medellin, Colombia's second-biggest city, a police spokesman told The Associated Press by telephone. Their deaths bring to 125 the number of Medellin law officers killed by gunmen working for the Medellin drug cartel so far this year.The cartel in April offered to pay $4,300 to anyone who kills a policeman.
The El Espectador newspaper, citing police sources, said the Medellin police department accepted requests from 40 officers who had asked to resign during the past three months.
The police spokesman said several officers had resigned, but that he did not know how many.
El Espectador's report said the police department had asked officers requesting to resign to stay on until after elections last month.
Rumors circulating in Medellin indicate hundreds of police have quit, but police have denied this.
In the past two months, authorities have sent 1,500 new soldiers and policemen to reinforce Medellin's security force. More than 4,000 policemen are now patrolling the streets of Medellin, which has about 3 million residents.
Bombings and assassinations by drug traffickers have forced officials to place the city under virtual military occupation.