Drug war chaos clouds Calderon exit

Warning- Video contains graphic content.

Relentless carnage in Mexico's drug war.

In the final days before Mexico's presidential elections, humiliating mistakes in the state crackdown on the violence continue to tarnish outgoing President Felipe Calderon's term.

On Monday, gunmen killed three policemen near a fast-food court at Mexico City's international airport.

Hours later, the government said the killers were police officers on a drug cartel payroll, and that they escaped.

Last week, Mexican marines announced that they had captured a son of the country's most wanted trafficker.

The next day, the attorney general admitted they had the wrong man.

Calderon's successor will inherit the ongoing drug-related violence plaguing the nation.

As elections approach, however, candidates are largely shying away from the looming issue, journalist Jose Reveles told Reuters.

(SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JOSE REVELES, JOURNALIST AND EXPERT ON ORGANIZED CRIME AND SECURITY, SAYING:

"Curiously, in the comments of the candidates, the topic has been almost absent. Everybody speaks a little bit about the insecurity, what they will do with the army on the streets, gradually returning them to their barracks, as well as establishing a national police force. But they haven't established any other sort of measures to take that will diminish the levels of violence we are living."

Mexico's presidential elections are on July 1.

Sarah Sheffer, Reuters