Canadian killed in Mexico talked of prison access, high connections

Police near Acapulco, Mexico are testing DNA from the charred remains of a body found in a burnt-up rental car to determine whether it belonged to 51-year-old Daniel Dion of Sherbrooke, Que. Several Mexican sources have quoted the state prosecutor’s office as saying Dion had been kidnapped from his apartment on Oct. 23. One of Dion’s businesses, Ecopurse, made handbags using Mexican prisoners as labour, who he paid more than double the minimum wage. In August 2009, Dion told local news agency Irza that both Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Federal District Governor Marcelo Ebrard knew of his business. He also said he had a verbal agreement with state officials to move freely in and out of the prisons where his purses were made.

Toronto Star