MEXICO Federations Government of Government

4 T amaulipas amaulipas 2007

Three Mexican state governors celebrate the 2007 cabalgata or interstate cavalcade on horseback in March. From left: Eugenio Hernandez Flores, Governor of ; Humberto Moreira Valdés, Governor of ; and Natividad Gonzalez Paras, Governor of Neuvo León. june | july july | june Uniting to Fight the Drug Lords President Calderón’s plan could take years to implement

BY LISA J. ADAMS

he three northern mexico check. “In terms of drug trafficking, we north has forged similar alliances with border-state governors pre- are going to continue waging the battle, neighbours Coahuila and Sinaloa. sented the perfect image of and in this we have to work together,” In February, the National Conference Mexican tradition and unity, said Natividad Gonzalez Paras, Governor of Governors (CONAGO) issued a “Public Triding side by side on horseback in an of Nuevo León, as he joined his counter- Safety Declaration” expressing its “full annual celebration of regional pride. The parts from the states of Coahuila and willingness to join forces and resources one aberration: hundreds of state and Tamaulipas in a 53-kilometre journey with the federal government; our com- federal police officers guarding them through the region in late March 2007. plete commitment to construct a single, with high-powered weapons from the As the two-day cabalgata came to a strong, decisive, and vigorous front that roadway and rooftops. The annualcabal - close, authorities from Coahuila, allows us to show that no criminal entity gata, or “horse parade,” is held to Durango, , Tamaulipas and can overpower the Mexican state.” celebrate common cultures and goals, Nuevo León, joined by the U.S. state of It wasn’t always this way. In the past, but this year, its seventh, it took on a , announced they had signed 19 Mexico’s municipal, state, and federal weightier meaning: joining ranks against cooperative agreements, including an governments did not collaborate; they the deadly drug traffickers who have accord to share intelligence and forge competed with each other or they passed turned their communities into blood- collaborative crime-fighting operations. the buck. “States and cities had the abil- stained battlefields. ity to cooperate legally but it didn’t lead More than ever before, the 31 states of States Erect Roadblocks to any results,” said Maria del Rosario the Mexican federation are collaborating Just days later, authorities in Nuevo Castro Lozano, Director of the National with each other and the federal govern- León’s capital of Monterrey revealed that Institute for Federalism and Municipal ment to fight the ruthless multibillion- they and neighbouring states would Development (inafed), an agency of dollar drug cartels that are engaged in a together set up roadblocks to capture Mexico’s Interior Department. “The brutal contest for prime smuggling drug traffickers crossing their borders. states would say, ‘It’s not our responsibil- routes and exercising ever more brazen The reason: the slaying of nine people in ity, it’s the federal government’s,’ or the acts of violence against the poorly the city, including two state police com- municipalities would say it was the state’s equipped and corrupt law enforcement manders, in less than 48 hours. The jurisdiction. That has changed,” Castro agencies charged with keeping them in crime-plagued state of Durango in the said. “Now public safety is seen as the responsibility of all. They are sharing Lisa J. Adams is a correspondent for The Associated Press in Mexico City. For the last seven years, intelligence information and coordinat- she has covered a range of issues in Mexico and Central America. ing better in both preventive and punitive

forumfed.org The victims included more than 70 police A T T vacuumscreated by arreststhe high-of 2006, President2006, C year, according to officials who say the the say who officials to according year, H work manner,” inaunited C M G C C Calderón Promises Police Reform trainingstandards, out weed testing to internationalimplementing through term, permanent cooperation offederal, traffickers will bewon with only the long- the past.” inthancollaborating moreare they troops to fight organized crime in crime organized fight to troops home state of has sent more than 24,000 army 24,000 than more sent has plus the federal district of district federal the plus government.of levels public safety officials in looking to others for help,” said posed revampingposed national police forces battle forsmuggling routes andanever- ranking cartel members in recent years. increasedpower to fill violenceispartly northern house’slower the of member public man the be safety nation’s public that insistence cannot confront trade drug thepowerful and police departments in all 31 states31 all in departments police and a gathering of state governors and top top and governors state of gathering a “ agencies. S alone,and each other and law enforcement officers. officers,according federalto thisof threemonths first the in deaths operations.” T overwhelming the states and they are growing acknowledgment that thestates growing domestic drug market, targeting gence database, accessible to all three three all to accessible database, gence state, and municipal law-enforcement law-enforcement municipal and state, sons for this newfound cooperation: a cooperation: newfound this for sons set up anationalset trafficking drug intelli strategy“ is N servative safety commission. forumfed.org eaching. “ eaching. inaloa and the amaulipas, key piece of of piece key ity drug expert expert drug ity entre for for entre e stresses that the war against the drug uerrero, exico had nearly 500 drug-related 500 nearly had exico The scaleThe is huge. R “The problem isso serious that it is S o, since he took office on office took he o,since F rancisco rancisco N B o. 1 priority. aja C ational A President E T I P t is indispensable that wethat indispensable is t hiapas, and his centralhis and hiapas, conomic conomic here is every indication every hereis latform M C here are rea primary two S G alifornia, ichoacan, among others. J C avier avier nla southern inaloa, J ulf are waging a bloody alderón’s anti-crime anti-crime alderón’s orge orge alderón, ofthecon ction P M ival drug cartels in in cartels ival drug F S R C elipe elipe J H antos antos exico,”toplan a anuary. esearch and and esearch habat, of the the of habat, e has also pro also has e N uevo arty arty M alderón told C exico exico A C M alderón’s D rreola, a rreola, ongress- ( L exico exico pan ec. 1,ec. eón, City ) , - - - - several anti-narcotics raids in Mexico in April. Agency stands guard over items seized during An officer from Mexico’s Federal Investigative “loopholes through which criminals which through “loopholes A 1995 within the newly established established newly the within 1995 I witness protection programs, and a sin M M Mexico’s States Begin to Collaborate to obligate them to participate. to them obligate to incomplete provided others and tion that states some didn’tprovide informa to-date technology. tion by the states with the federal the with states the by tion however, both then and under to reforms sweeping proposing is he public accountability. accountability. public police,”the predecessor, by corruption, inefficiency anda lack of inefficiency by corruption, now writes its own code,own its now writes and reforms, ofwhich require some congres- forces with new equipment or improved police strengthening at aimed funding more or less a voluntary thing.” database. intelligence nism that also envisioned a nationala envisioned also that nism national public safety system, amecha and punishments for crimes often create cient manner. Therewere no mechanisms data, that so itdidn’twork out inan effi corrupt elements, and introducingelements,up- and corrupt ensure that the public can trust our trust can public the that ensure eral standards –to comply with that will escape justice.” gle, nationwide criminal code. government was proposed as early as early as proposed was government sional approval, include oral trials, trials, oral include approval, sional said thedifferences definitions between n fact, J ccording to ccording exico’s justice system, for years plagued exico –local, stateexico and,ofcourse, fed “ A T nother obstacle was money. money. was obstacle nother he idea is for all police forces inforces police all for is idea he orge C P President resident said. said. resident inafed habat explains, collabora ’s V C T T icente he suggested suggested he astro,federal he problem, problem, he I n addition, addition, n C E C alderón’s ach state alderón F ox, “is ox, I t was t ------“W

A L E well states comply with instructions to instructions with statescomply well will will take years to implement. M

Legislature Legislature is Final Hurdle C training, often didn’t reach its target under to specific projects and goals, and localgoals, and projectsand specific to fit. saw they as money the than two dozen victims, including 12 police ty’s lack ofamajority housesand inboth departments, police in testing drug tory package of judicial and legal reforms to by posed provide information for a national a for information provide provocation or attacks,”or provocationdrug- told he beheaded beheaded in a widely distributed video. new federal aidpackage to thestates, pro informants in in pushing forward the police, justice, justice, police, the forward pushing in funds have been used as intended. fighting troops during a recent pep talk. talk. pep recent a during troops fighting and prison reformsand for prison a suc necessary a system that allowed states to distribute and has set up a system to monitor how monitor to system a up has set and approved by C are not going to surrender,to going arenot fromeither aresignalling that gotoplan don’t they cessful battle against organized crime. crime. organized against battle cessful officers, the daughterarmy ofan general database. cartel members, one of whom was whom of one members, cartel down easily. This year, just from F governments will be audited to ensure the shot in in shot r ila Agu l e ani D REUTERS/ ike pril pril 2, drug-related crimes claimed more ven if theyare approved, such actions ongress, but hewas by stymied hispar exico’s enemies.” e will give no truce or quarter to quarter or truce no give will e The newpresident’s 2007federal bud The powerful drug gangs, meanwhile, workers’systemcoun the pension – who also shot down his proposed proposed his down shot also who with his opponents that that opponents his with C through thefederal legislature, which try’s first significantfederal in reform the resistance of opposition parties opposition resistanceof the political consensus is just the first step proposed overhaul of the government lower house and the both in plurality a has now party more than adecade. S ident, acareer has politician, already also recently passed a passed recently also energy, fiscal and labour reforms. reforms. labour and fiscal energy, get proposal soared effortlessly soared proposal get C C shown the capability of negotiating negotiating of capability the shown alderón may have better luck.mayhavealderón better alderón has vowed to fight on. “ on. fight to vowed has alderón alderón has instituted manda also C alderón, exico Mexico P resident resident C ongress, disburses money ancun, and two purported F C ox presented a massive ity, two alleged police police alleged two ity, S enate, and the pres C till, achieving a till, achieving a alderón and and alderón I n contrast, a contrast, n F C ox did not. not. did ox alderón- eb. 6to H W is e ------

june | july 2007 5 Federations