11.   Salinas has adamantly denied any ties to drug traffickers.

12.   Samper was accused of having links to drug traffickers.

13.   The so-called federales have long been known nationwide for their tight links to drug traffickers, despite frequent purges of their ranks aimed at weeding out corrupt officers.

14.   The tone of the statement surprised many here, who took it as a sign that the government feels increasingly threatened by allegations linking Samper to drug traffickers.

15.   The U.S., however, remains sensitive to any hint that Colombia is making concessions to drug traffickers.

16.   U.S. officials considered his administration to be corrupt and beholden to drug traffickers.

17.   Police and army commanders stationed in the remote Huallaga valley have often been linked to drug traffickers in the past.

18.   Police believe the gunmen were linked to drug traffickers.

19.   A former state governor under investigation for alleged ties to drug traffickers said in a letter published Tuesday he has gone into hiding to escape politically-motivated persecution.

20.   Among the most popular theories was that Colosio was killed as a result of power struggles within the PRI, or that the killing was linked to drug traffickers.