Peruvian Judge Hernán Saturno Vergara, who has been involved in the prosecution of drug dealers alleged to have links to the Tijuana Cartel in Mexico, was shot dead in a Lima restaurant on Wednesday evening, only shortly after having dismissed his police protection for the night.

The 60-year-old had been having dinner with his cousin, Hugo Miguel Vergara, when he let his bodyguard go for the night because of some family matters he wanted to discuss. Soon after, two men entered “Bunker” restaurant and opened fire. The judge died on the spot after being hit by four bullets, while his cousin was rushed to hospital where he is now recovering.

The prosecutions resulted from the arrest of 25 people in 2002 on charges of working with the Tijuana Cartel. Vergara was one of three judges involved in the case. Officials have claimed that Mexican cartels are now heavily into the smuggling of cocaine to the U.S. from Peru, the second largest-producer of cocaine in the world. If his murder is indeed connected to the case let’s hope that the all too common assassinations of officials in Mexico isn’t replicated in Peru.

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