Pubdate: Tue, 12 Aug 2008
Source: Dallas Morning News (TX)
Copyright: 2008 The Dallas Morning News, Inc.
Contact: http://www.dallasnews.com/cgi-bin/lettertoed.cgi
Website: http://www.dallasnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/117
Author: David McLemore, The Dallas Morning News

MEXICO IS PRAISED FOR ANTI-DRUG WORK

US Officials Say Binational Response Can Curb Violence

EL PASO - Top U.S. law enforcement officials praised Mexico's 
anti-drug efforts Monday and urged more binational cooperation as an 
antidote to the drug-fueled violence along the border.

FBI Director Robert Mueller, addressing the fifth annual border 
security conference at the University of Texas at El Paso, said that 
is concerned with the high level of violence along the border and the 
drug and human smuggling and gang activity that generates it.

Of particular concern is the violence just across the border in 
Ciudad Juarez, where 700 people have been killed in drug violence 
this year, Mr. Mueller said. He praised Mexican President Felipe 
Calderon for his strong response.

"We have two cartels fighting for control. President Calderon has 
taken the fight to them, but serious challenges still exist to border 
security that must be met with a joint effort," he said.

Jose Riojas, UTEP vice president of strategic initiatives, also said 
the problem demands a shared response.

"We have to develop a strategy that is best for public safety no 
matter what side of the border people live on," he said. "We believe 
that is best arrived at through a binational effort that provides for 
both border security while protecting commerce.

Today at the conference, Mr. Riojas will be formally named executive 
director of the university's new National Center for Border Security 
and Immigration.

"We are destroying the crime organizations' structure, and that has 
spurred more violence . as the drug organizations spread out to 
kidnapping and extortion to make money," he said. "What we need is 
the full commitment of the United States, particularly in helping 
integrate technology we don't have access to. .

"We are seeing the benefits of greater cooperation between the United 
States and Mexico, but the price has been high for us," Mr. 
Suarez-Mier said. "More than 2,500 people have been killed in the 
drug wars, and people want immediate results."

Michael Sullivan, director of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, 
Firearms and Explosives, praised Mexico's efforts.

"We have asked Mexico to assist in stopping the flow of drugs across 
our borders, and they have done so extraordinarily well - and at 
great cost to civilians and law enforcement officers targeted for 
execution and assassinations by the drug cartels," Mr. Sullivan said. 
"What Mexico asks us to do is something similar, to halt the flow of 
guns into Mexico."

ATF data shows that 90 to 95 percent of the guns used to drug 
violence in Mexico enter illegally from the United States, adding 
significantly to the rising tide of violence.

U.S. and Mexican law enforcement agencies recently unveiled a joint 
effort, called Armas Cruzadas (Crossed Arms) to disrupt cross-border 
weapons smuggling through the sharing of databases and better 
monitoring of illicit sales at gun shops and gun shows.

The new measures will also give Mexican law enforcement officials 
greater access to the eTrace computer database in the U.S., allowing 
them to use the serial numbers to trace weapons used in Mexican 
crimes to U.S. gun dealers.

Mr. Mueller noted that the FBI is engaged in 146 separate task force 
investigations, 12 of them in Texas, aimed at drug smuggling groups 
and gang activity.

And the agency is engaged with Mexican police in a binational 
anti-kidnapping task force. Asked how U.S. agents know they can trust 
Mexican law enforcement officers, Mr. Mueller stressed that drug 
corruption does not just affect Mexico.

"Mexico struggles to build up its rule of law. President Calderon has 
led the way in this attack on public corruption," he said. "We 
carefully vet the agencies we share information with. We work only 
with those we can trust."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom