Mexico’s Poire defends anti-drug campaign

Mexico’s security spokesman Alejandro Poire has the tough task of explaining the progress made by his government in its ongoing war against drug cartels.

Piore believes the problem erupted roughly 15 years ago when drug gangs became “much more powerful and much more damaging”.

“We needed to confront these organisations head on, to diminish them, to weaken them,” Piore said, adding that some Mexican cities had seen reduced levels of violence as a result of government efforts.

As part of its series Drug Central, Al Jazeera’s Lucia Newman spoke to Poire about the ups and downs of Mexico’s battle against narcotics trafficking and the crime that comes with it.