Mexico's Interior Minister Fernando Gomez Mont said Thursday that criminal groups being targeted by the government consist of "cowards without scruples (肆无忌惮)." 
updated 1:58 p.m. ET July 16, 2009
MEXICO CITY - Mexico quadrupled (使成四倍) the federal police presence Thursday in a western state after a cartel killed 20 officers and troops in the boldest revenge attack ever mounted by drug traffickers (私贩毒品者) against the government.
The government deployed (部署) 1,000 more federal police to the cartel's home state of Michoacan, bringing the total to 1,300, Public Safety Department spokeswoman Veronica Penunuri. They will be backed by (由...支持) at least three Black Hawk helicopters and three armored vehicles (装甲车辆).
The weekend attacks were a blatant (公然的，无耻的) challenge to President Felipe Calderon, who has deployed about 45,000 soldiers and tens of thousands of federal police across the country in an attempt to halt the escalating (逐步上升的) drug trade.