Pubdate: Thu, 11 Oct 2007 Source: El Paso Times (TX) Copyright: 2007 El Paso Times Contact: http://www.elpasotimes.com/ Drug War: U.S. BORDER REPS WORKING WITH MEXICO Good news is that, along the border, there seems to be increased cooperation between local officials here and those as far south as Mexico City in regard to fighting Mexico's drug cartels. Mexican cartels produce the drugs, and we've been blaming Mexico for that. We have the appetite for drugs, and Mexico blames us for that. We wish the quest for solutions to that dilemma would carry north to Washington D.C. and become more of a national priority, right along with our dilemma of securing our borders from terrorists. Locally, things were coming together this week. It seems like a semblance of a pact is forming. U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso, was among a U.S. Congressional delegation that met with the Mexican Congress to discuss how the U.S. can help Mexican President Felipe Calderon and his federal, physical war on drug cartels. Meanwhile, Jose Reyes Ferriz was sworn in as the new mayor of Juarez Wednesday, and from early indications, and with praise from El Paso Mayor John Cook, it appears cooperation on several fronts is in order. To top it off, there is a new chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration office in El Paso, and he put the U.S./Mexico narcotics situations under a spotlight for all to understand. John "Jack" Riley emphasized that El Paso is a central point in the web of drug trade. To a large extent, large amounts of drugs come into the U.S. through here and the ill-gained drug money goes back to Mexico through here. Riley made an important point about a new major concern: "Heroin can now be smoked or snorted. The taboo of using needles and the fear of AIDS or hepatitis is no more, so it's attracted new users." Congressmen like Reyes, along with local mayors like Cook and Reyes Ferriz in border cities, are banding with the DEA and other agencies that deal with our major problem with illegal drug use. Calderon is the first Mexican president to go after drug cartels in a physical way. The Mexican military is actively burning poppy and marijuana fields and has been somewhat successful in capturing cartel leaders. It's time that the U.S. officially teams with Calderon. It appears the U.S. Congressional delegation that met in Mexico City Tuesday, which included our congressman, is a good step in that direction. It appears there will be El Paso-Juarez cooperation. Border cities must do that. Let it be a signal to Washington that it will take teamwork from both countries to crack the drug cartels. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake