MEXICO CITY, June 9 (Reuter) A man considered one of Mexico's most feared
drug kingpins received a new break on Monday when an appeals court judge
slashed his prison sentence to 2.5 years.

The Mexican government, which has feverishly sought to disprove charges in
the U.S. Congress that it is soft on drug traffickers, responded by
immediately threatening to punish the judge for ``his irregular conduct.''

The appeals court decision was the latest in a string of victories for Hector
``The Blond'' Palma, considered one of Mexico's most feared drug kingpins
until he was caught by accident after his plane crashed in western Mexico in
1995.

At the time, the government said they found evidence that he was enjoying the
protection of the chief of the antidrugs police in the western state of
Jalisco.

His breaks began in January, when Palma, alleged head of the socalled
Sinaloa Cartel, was cleared of drugs charges and sentanced to six years in
jail on weapons charges in Jalisco.

Mexico's attorney general's office appealed the ruling, noting that the judge
who made it admitted he had ``feared for his life.''

On Monday the appeals court judge went one stage further, cutting the
sixyear weapons sentence to 2.5 years and also finding no evidence of drugs
crimes.

``He suffered an accident, but he did not commit crimes,'' the attorney
general's office quoted the appeals judge, Fernando Lopez Murillo, as saying
of Palma.

The government expressed ``its most profound rejection of the magistrate's
decision.''

In April Palma was also cleared of drugs charges during a seperate trial in
the northern state of Sonora.

Mexico's government has been under fire in the U.S. Congress after its top
antidrugs warrior, an army general, was arrested on drugs corruption charges
in February. The Attorney General's Office pledged in its statement that
Palma would not go free.