Pubdate: Wed, 04 Sep 2002
Source: Post and Courier, The (SC)
Website: http://www.charleston.net/index.html
Address: 134 Columbus Street, Charleston, SC 29403-4800
Contact:  2002 Evening Post Publishing Co.

DESERVED PRAISE FROM DRUG CZAR

There's good news from the front line of the war on drugs.

Visiting Tijuana, a dangerous crossing point for trade in narcotics, U.S. 
drug czar John P. Walters last week praised the Mexican authorities for 
cracking down on the cocaine cartels and said, "From two years ago, there's 
no question that Mexico is moving ahead."

Mr. Walters, who was sworn in as director of the White House Office of 
National Drug Control Policy only eight months ago, was giving deserved 
credit to Vicente Fox, Mexico's first truly democratically elected 
president, for purging corrupt police officers and government officials.

The visit of the drug czar to Tijuana, his second foray into the area, 
signaled that at long last Mexico has become a true ally of the United 
States in dealing with the scourge of narcotics.

Since he took office two years ago, President Fox has dealt blow after blow 
to the cartels. The breakup of the notorious Arellano Félix organization 
began with the arrest in March of Benjamín Arellano Félix, the leader of 
the multibillion-dollar cartel.

Joint investigative work and Mexican cooperation also led to the arrest of 
Consuelo Marquez, a former account representative in a New York financial 
company, who was charged with money laundering.

In the past, Mexican authorities at national and state levels spurned U.S. 
offers to help in enforcing anti-drug laws, and some Mexican officials 
secretly worked for the drug lords.

That has changed. The day before Mr. Walters' visit to Tijuana to address a 
meeting of the Inter American Press Association on the media's role in 
fighting drugs, Mexican Attorney General Rafael Macedo de la Concha told 
journalists how he was working to make Mexican law enforcement professional 
and corruption proof.

President Fox ordered federal police and the military to make arrests in 
areas where local law enforcement officers were in the pay of the drug lords.

In Tijuana alone more than 100 police officers have been charged with 
taking bribes and working for the drug cartels. They were detained by 
federal police and the Mexican army and flown to Mexico City under heavy guard.

Mr. Walters is on record as saying, "The tempo and magnitude of disruption 
and arrests of leaders of these organizations is like we have never seen 
before - in any country."

According to the Mexican government, well over 11,000 drug-trafficking 
arrests have been made since President Fox assumed office in December 2000.

At least a dozen drug lords and some 200 of their lieutenants, hit men and 
financiers are in custody in Mexico or the United States. Drug Czar Walters 
was quick to say,

"I'm not saying the job's done, that's obviously not true," but he made it 
clear that he is satisfied that the Mexican authorities are pulling their 
weight.

And he pleased the Mexican press by acknowledging that the root of the drug 
problem is to be found in the voracious demand of American consumers. That, 
too, is a sign of progress.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens