Mexican church officials have helped arrange a truce between 2 warring drug cartels

By FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ
Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A Roman Catholic priest in Mexico says churchmen have helped arrange a truce between two warring drug cartels whose turf wars have blooded the state of Guerrero. It is the latest in a series of attempts by bishops and priests to get cartels to talk to each other about reducing their bloody turf battles. The implicit assumption is that the cartels will divide up the territories where they charge extortion fees and sell and traffic drugs, without so much killing. Rev. José Filiberto Velázquez said Thursday that the talks kinvolved leaders of the notoriously violent Familia Michoacana cartel and a gang known as the Tlacos.