As everyone knows, drug trafficking is rampant in the northern regions of Mexico, near the U.S. border. The border towns of Juarez and Tijuana are literal war zones where rival drug gangs battle for control of the incredibly lucrative U.S. market. Although only 6% of the world's population lives in the United States, its residents consume 33% of the worlds production of cocaine - and two thirds of that cocaine comes from South America through Mexico .
Mexico is also the source of much of the Marijuana that makes its way into the U.S. The Mexican crop is largely produced in the north of Mexico in a region where much of the land is owned by high-ranking officers in the Mexican military. Mexico's former chief drug law enforcer, "Drug Czar" Jesus Gutierrez Rebollo, was a general in the Mexican army. He lost his official title and his military rank when he was convicted of protecting the country's leading drug lord from prosecution.
The arrest, trial, and sentencing of Mexico's former top anti-drug official has prompted DEA officials to believe that Mexico's military is much more involved with drug trafficking than Mexican authorities will admit. In a confidential Drug Enforcement Agency report published by the New York Times, officials expressed the fear that General Rebollo might have passed sensitive intelligence information to members of the drug cartel led by Amado Carrillo Fuentes. The DEA report showed there was growing evidence that military officials discussed a deal to let the drug gang operate in exchange for large bribes. A drug enforcement official told the newspaper that if indications of the Mexican military's wider involvement with drug trafficking were true, "it points to much of our work in Mexico being an exercise in futility."
These allegations prompted a move in the U.S. Senate to reverse President Clinton's endorsement of Mexico as a reliable ally in the drug war. The Senate voted 54-45 against a Republican-led resolution proposing the reversal. In a rare show of bi-partisanship, Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein of California and Sen. Paul Coverdell of Georgia complained Mexico has failed to stop the smuggling of billions of dollars of cocaine, heroin and other drugs into the U.S. They said Mexico has not arrested a single drug lord or extradited a single Mexican on drug-related charges. Seizures of illegal drugs have fallen and they have become cheaper and more available on the streets of U.S. cities. Americans spend $55 billion a year on illegal drugs.
The Clinton State Department rejected the new charges against Mexico, saying that the Mexican government is doing all it can to fight drug trafficking and corruption. But State Department spokesman, James Rubin admitted that "it's impossible to imagine that the Mexican military, like other Mexican institutions, will not be challenged ... by drug corruption.
White House drug policy director General Barry McCaffrey recently met for two days in Mexico City with Mexican anti-drug officials. McCaffrey announced that Mexico has for the first time begun a crack-down on money-laundering, and has agreed to cooperate on extradition of suspected drug traffickers.
The Mexican government was recently embarrassed to discover that a drug cartel had bought two banks in Mexico. The discovery prompted an international scandal resulting in passage of overdue legislation against money laundering.
Although a defender of Mexico, McCaffrey admits "There's no question there is a massive level of violence and corruption that comes from ...let's say $6 billion in corrupting money." But he claims there have been notable successes. The Juarez Cartel leader Amado Carrillo Fuentes died last July after undergoing surgery to change his appearance, a step he felt necessary due to increased drug law enforcement. Also the brothers who run the bloodthirsty Tijuana Cartel, are on the run and five of their top directors have been arrested.
However, these facts are somewhat misleading. The Juarez Cartel is rapidly regrouping after a vicious turf war to fill the space left by Fuentes. And although on the run the Arellano Felix brothers of Tijuana are still at large.
Most disturbing, the Washington Times in early February published an article quoting a secret CIA report alleging Mexican Interior Minister Francisco Labastida had colluded with the drug lords where he was governor of the northern state of Sinaloa.
Meanwhile, up to 60% of the Mexican army is stationed in Chiapas where drugs were very rare until brought in by members of the Mexican army. A complaint heard from indigenous people living under the military threat is that the soldiers give marijuana cigarettes to their children. This issue is serious enough to be mentioned in a list of indignities that includes torture, gang-rape, "disappearances," and outright murder. - Lynda Vaughn