Mexicans believe drug gangs winning war with gov't

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A majority of Mexicans believe violent drug gangs are winning a war with President Felipe Calderon's government after one of the worst months on record for killings, Reforma newspaper reported on Sunday.

According to a poll by the newspaper, 53 percent of Mexicans think that drug traffickers hold the upper hand against government forces which are trying to clamp down on cartels that ship drugs to the United States.

Only 24 percent said they believed the government was winning the battle. The remaining 23 percent gave no opinion.

May was one of the most violent months on record for drug killings, both between gangs and targeting federal forces. Calderon has sent thousands of troops onto the streets in a bid to stop cartels from operating.

Close to 500 people were slain in May -- including a wave against police chiefs -- the highest number of killings since Calderon took office in December 2006, according to a tally kept by Milenio newspaper.

Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora said last month that 4,152 drug-related killings have been registered in Calderon's administration, 450 of them police, military or government officials.

Calderon, however, kept up his approval rating in the Reforma poll. Some 64 percent approved his work as president, up from 63 percent in March. A year ago his rating was 65 percent.

The poll was carried out among 1,515 people nationwide on May 23-25 and had a margin or error of plus or minus 2.5 percent, Reforma said.

(Reporting by Chris Aspin; Editing by Eric Beech)