By Peter Arrabal, Editor in Chief
After a quick ascent to one of Mexico’s most powerful positions, Juan Camilo Mourino, Mexico’s Interior Secretary, died in a fiery plane crash in Mexico City. He was also a 1993 Univesity of Tampa economics grad.
Mourino, who drew criticism in Mexico because he was Spanish-born and U.S.-educated, was a key player in Mexico’s war on drugs. He was traveling in a government jet from San Luis Potosi, where he was celebrating the launch of a program to welcome back migrant workers. The plane was headed to the international airport in Mexico City.
“With his death, Mexico has lost a great Mexican, intelligent, loyal and committed to his ideals and his country,” Mexican President Felipe Calderon told a news conference. “I ask all Mexicans that they don’t allow any event, no matter how difficult or painful, to weaken them in the pursuit of a better Mexico.”
The plane crashed into an affluent neighborhood, the Associated Press reported. Several buildings and cars were set on fire, and officials evacuated buildings in the area, displacing about 1,800 people.
Mourino, 37, previously was the chief of staff for Calderon and ran his election campaign in 2006. He said in a 2007 interview with “UT Journal” writer Dan Sullivan that he faced big challenges in creating jobs for poor Mexicans and fighting organized crime.
Officials from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and FAA will assist the Mexican government in the investigation of the crash.
