MEXICO CITY -- A leading anti-kidnapping official has been abducted in northern Mexico by men pretending to be federal agents.

State officials said Enrique Ruiz Arevalo, the head of Coahuila state's anti-kidnapping and organized crime unit, was taken earlier this week, El Universal newspaper reported Thursday.

A recent spike in organized crime fueled by the drug trade has prompted Mexican President Felipe Calderon to deploy about 20,000 troops to states plagued by kidnappings and killings.

On Wednesday, gunmen killed four Mexican police officers near the U.S.-Mexican border.

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