DOCSLIB.ORG

Mexico, Drug Cartels, and the Merida Initiative: a Fight We Cannot Afford to Lose Ray Walser, Ph.D

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Mexico, Drug Cartels, and the Merida Initiative: a Fight We Cannot Afford to Lose Ray Walser, Ph.D No. 2163 July 23, 2008 Mexico, Drug Cartels, and the Merida Initiative: A Fight We Cannot Afford to Lose Ray Walser, Ph.D. Since Mexican President Felipe Calderón took tiative could become an important legacy of the office in 2006, a virulent war has raged with the Bush presidency in the Western Hemisphere and Mexican drug cartels, and this drug-related violence should create a solid platform for U.S.–Mexican has spilled across the U.S. border, threatening U.S. cooperation for the next Administration. lives and public safety. Geostrategic pessimists fear The initiative, however, is just a start. The U.S. that the U.S. has been taking Mexico’s stability for needs to do more to secure the border, reduce the granted and warn that Mexico is teetering on the flows of illegal arms and illicit cash south into brink of a drug-induced disaster. Mexico, and alter immigration laws to permit tem- However, the seriousness of the drug threat to porary workers to cross the border legally to help Mexico also presents a strategic opportunity. At the fill the U.S. demand for labor. Policymakers need to invitation of the Mexican government, the Bush develop a comprehensive strategy that covers all Administration is working to establish a partnership transit and source countries. to make Mexico safer and more secure without sac- Mexico needs to continue exercising the political rificing the sovereignty of either nation. The Bush will to combat the deadly drug cartels and continue Administration’s Merida Initiative—a three-year, reforming its judicial system, overhauling police $1.5 billion anti-drug assistance package for Mexico and law enforcement, and modernizing and devel- and Central America—is a quantitative and qualita- oping its economy. Finally, the Mexican government tive jump in support for the drug fight in the region. needs to take an active role in preventing illegal Unlike Plan Colombia, which helped to rescue third-country nationals from transiting Mexican Colombia from the throes of a narco-war, the Mer- territory, as well as in closing down smuggling orga- ida Initiative will provide assistance in equipment, nizations that operate on Mexican soil and discour- technology, and training without a significant U.S. aging Mexican citizens from entering the U.S. military footprint in Mexico. President George W. Bush signed the Merida Initiative into law as part of the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008 on This paper, in its entirety, can be found at: June 30, 2008. www.heritage.org/Research/LatinAmerica/bg2163.cfm Produced by the Douglas and Sarah Allison A Test of U.S.–Mexican Relations. In Mexico Center for Foreign Policy Studies and in the press, the Merida Initiative is being of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis viewed as a critical test of U.S.–Mexican relations. Institute for International Studies Its implementation will be closely scrutinized on Published by The Heritage Foundation 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE both sides of the aisle in Congress. The Merida Ini- Washington, DC 20002–4999 (202) 546-4400 • heritage.org Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of The Heritage Foundation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before Congress. No. 2163 July 23, 2008 illegally. Both nations would benefit substantially migration, illicit trade, and infiltration by for- from a return to law and order on both sides of eign terrorists. the border. • Make immigration reforms part of the solu- Building on the Merida Initiative. The Merida tion. Creating a new, streamlined, effective Initiative opens a door to multiple challenges and approach that allows temporary workers to enter opportunities. It recognizes that fighting and pre- the U.S. legally should be a high priority. vailing in the war on drugs, first declared in the • Set appropriate benchmarks for the Merida 1980s, remains central to U.S. strategy and security Initiative that will encourage the Mexican gov- in the region. However, much more needs to be ernment to reform and modernize state institu- done. In the months and years ahead, the Adminis- tions and exercise the political will to break the tration and Congress need to: Mexican drug cartels. Mexico needs to continue • Implement a robust Merida Initiative. The increasing investments in law enforcement and next Congress should consider restoring the judicial reform and undertake the deeper eco- $100 million cut by this Congress and resist the nomic and structural reforms that will underpin temptation to raid the Merida Initiative’s funding its future viability and prosperity. in the coming years. If results meet expectations, • Develop a comprehensive strategic frame- Congress should be prepared to provide funding work that incorporates the Caribbean, the Mex- above the originally proposed $1.5 billion. ican–Central American corridor, the Andean • Use the Merida Initiative to leverage addi- source areas, and the U.S. market into a single tional cooperation agreements with Mexico. integrated, bipartisan counterdrug strategy. The Administration should use the Merida Initia- Conclusion. Mexico is teetering on the brink of tive to leverage other changes in bilateral coun- another crisis, which involves bullets rather than terdrug cooperation, such as negotiating a banking policies and exchange rates. The victims of comprehensive maritime agreement that allows this crisis range from honest cops and Mexican chil- the U.S. to intercept and board Mexican-flagged dren to American youth who become hooked on vessels on the high seas and resolving the acci- cocaine or methamphetamines. dent liability issues that forced termination of Operation Halcon, a successful helicopter-based Mexico and the U.S. face the same enemy: elu- border surveillance operation in 2006. sive, sophisticated, resourceful, and violent transna- tional criminal networks that exploit U.S. and • Use public diplomacy and offer quick, tangi- Mexican weaknesses and vulnerabilities, defy his- ble assistance. The Administration should look torical concepts of sovereignty and nationhood, specifically for short-term measures to bolster supply the most dangerous and darkest human the morale of the Mexican law enforcement com- desires, and undermine the foundations of demo- munity and to provide immediate help with non- cratic governance and the basic concepts of free lethal items, such as body armor, training, and societies. Making common cause against such an real-time intelligence. enemy makes eminently good sense. • Strengthen border security. The border remains —Ray Walser, Ph.D., is Senior Policy Analyst for a sore point in U.S.–Mexican relations. The Latin America in the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center U.S. needs to exercise better control over the for Foreign Policy Studies, a division of the Kathryn and north–south flows of guns and cash into Mexico Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies, without reducing resources for other programs at The Heritage Foundation. designed to secure the border against illegal No. 2163 July 23, 2008 Mexico, Drug Cartels, and the Merida Initiative: A Fight We Cannot Afford to Lose Ray Walser, Ph.D. Since Mexican President Felipe Calderón took office in 2006, a virulent war has raged with the Mex- ican drug cartels, and this drug-related violence has Talking Points spilled across the U.S. border, threatening U.S. lives • Mexico is under siege by violent, well-armed, and public safety. Geostrategic pessimists fear that the well-financed drug cartels, and Mexican Pres- U.S. has been taking Mexico’s stability for granted and ident Felipe Calderón has responded force- warn that Mexico is teetering on the brink of a drug- fully to the challenge with the full might of induced disaster. the Mexican Army and government. However, the seriousness of the drug threat to • The Merida Initiative is a joint U.S.–Mexican Mexico also presents a strategic opportunity. At the undertaking to bolster Mexico’s capacity to invitation of the Mexican government, the Bush fight the cartels and win. It will provide air- Administration is working to establish a partnership craft, equipment, and training to stem the to make Mexico safer and more secure without sacri- flow of drugs crossing the U.S. border. ficing the sovereignty of either nation. • As a drug-consuming nation and a major source of arms, cash, and precursor chemi- The Bush Administration’s Merida Initiative—a cals, the U.S. shares responsibility with Mex- three-year, $1.5 billion anti-drug assistance package ico for combating the drug trade. for Mexico and Central America—is a quantitative and • The Merida Initiative will enable both nations qualitative jump in support for the drug fight in the to fight the drug trade without infringing on region. Unlike Plan Colombia, which helped to rescue each other’s sovereignty. Colombia from the throes of a narco-war, the Merida • The Merida Initiative will also help to make Initiative will provide assistance in equipment, tech- the border more secure by targeting traffick- nology, and training without a significant U.S. military ers who ruthlessly exploit security vulnerabil- footprint in Mexico. President George W. Bush signed ities on the U.S.–Mexican border. the Merida Initiative into law as part of the Supplemen- 1 tal Appropriations Act of 2008 on June 30, 2008. This paper, in its entirety, can be found at: In Mexico and in the press, the Merida Initiative is www.heritage.org/Research/LatinAmerica/bg2163.cfm Produced by the Douglas and Sarah Allison being viewed as a critical test of U.S.–Mexican rela- Center for Foreign Policy Studies of the tions. Its implementation will be closely scrutinized Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis on both sides of the aisle in Congress. The Merida Ini- Institute for International Studies tiative could become an important legacy of the Bush Published by The Heritage Foundation 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE presidency in the Western Hemisphere and should Washington, DC 20002–4999 (202) 546-4400 • heritage.org Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflect- ing the views of The Heritage Foundation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before Congress.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Justice-Reform
    Mexico Institute SHARED RESPONSIBILITY: U.S.-MEXICO POLICY OPTIONS FOR CONFRONTING ORGANIZED CRIME Edited by Eric L. Olson, David A. Shirk, and Andrew Selee Mexico Institute Available from: Mexico Institute Trans-Border Institute Woodrow Wilson International University of San Diego Center for Scholars 5998 Alcalá Park, IPJ 255 One Woodrow Wilson Plaza San Diego, CA 92110-2492 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20004-3027 www.sandiego.edu/tbi www.wilsoncenter.org/mexico ISBN : 1-933549-61-0 October 2010 The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, established by Congress in 1968 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a living national memorial to President Wilson. The Center’s mission is to commemorate the ideals and concerns of Woodrow Wilson by providing a link between the worlds of ideas and policy, while fostering research, study, discussion, and collaboration among a broad spectrum of individuals concerned with policy and scholarship in national and international affairs. Supported by public and private funds, the Center is a nonpartisan institution engaged in the study of national and world affairs. It establishes and maintains a neutral forum for free, open, and informed dialogue. Conclusions or opinions expressed in Center publications and programs are those of the authors and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Center staff, fellows, trustees, advisory groups, or any individuals or organizations that provide financial support to the Center. The Center is the publisher of The Wilson Quarterly and home of Woodrow Wilson Center Press, dialogue radio and television, and the monthly news-letter “Centerpoint.” For more information about the Center’s activities and publications, please visit us on the web at www.wilsoncenter.org.
    [Show full text]
  • Reviewed By: Mckenzie O'brien, May 24, 2011
    Reviewed by: McKenzie O’Brien, May 24, 2011 Organization Attributes Sheet: Zhenli Ye Gon Organziation (formerly listed as Unnamed Chinese organization) Author: Jeff Carasiti Review: Phil Williams A. When the organization was formed + brief history This group was discovered March 15, 2007 with the seizure of a large cash pile assumed to be connected to illegal chemical imports into Mexico. The group was originally unnamed, but can legitimately be named for Chinese-born Mexican businessman Zhenli Ye Gon who possessed the alleged drug money.1 The group consisted of Ye Gon’s Unimed Pharm Chem Mexico Company, being used by Ye Gon to carry out his illegal smuggling activities.2 This company was established in April 1997.3 Ye Gon established the precursor to this company, with a man named Hongju Ye, on November 28, 1996, in Hong Kong. Named Unimedic Hong Kong Company Ltd, the company began operations as a supplier of raw materials, such as pseudoephedrine, for the pharmaceutical industry. This company became the Emerald Import and Export Corporation, and used false import documentation to transport pseudoephedrine into Mexico with Ye Gon’s Unimed Pharm Chem of Mexico.4 The large sum of money seized in Ye Gon’s home would likely have been used to start up the major lab in Toluca, Mexico State, if operations had not been disrupted by authorities.5 (See “Resources: logistical” below.) B. Types of illegal activities engaged in, a. In general Illegal importation of chemicals, production and suppliers of methamphetamines and ephedrine. Possession of counterfeit money.6 Murder (possible contract killings or assassinations).7 b.
    [Show full text]
  • Global Integrity Scorecard: Mexico
    Global Integrity Scorecard: Mexico Mexico: Reporter's Notebook By Leonarda Reyes The discovery was horrifying. A headless body was left near a garbage facility covered with paper—the kind of big paper sheet children use at school for drawing. But instead of happy faces or trees or animals, the paper was covered with dark red blotches of blood. The corpse had been mutilated. One hand had four fingers missing; a fifth was placed on top of the paper sheet, along with a note that read: "This they did to me for making an anonymous phone call. They fingered me." The head was later left in a box at the entrance of a local newspaper. Who were "they"? In Tabasco, the narrow southern strip of Mexico where the crime happened, there was little doubt. "They" were the sicarios (narco-traffic hitmen). Witnesses saw eight men in three vehicles abduct the victim. The deceased was 40 years old, a concerned father and community representative who had alerted the police with what he believed to be an anonymous phone call. The message was clear: Whoever meddles with narco-trafficking will be killed, and police are not to be trusted because many are on the cartels' payroll. Today Mexicans fear both police and criminals alike. Indeed, it is becoming impossible to distinguish one from the other, since drug killers often disguise themselves as federal policemen. Mexico for many years has served as a corridor for transporting drugs from South America to supply the large drug market in the United States. Until the mid-'90s, most of the cocaine was transported in airplanes to Mexico's northern border, and drug violence was mostly isolated there.
    [Show full text]
  • La Familia Drug Cartel: Implications for U.S-Mexican Security
    Visit our website for other free publication downloads http://www.StrategicStudiesInstitute.army.mil/ To rate this publication click here. STRATEGIC STUDIES INSTITUTE The Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) is part of the U.S. Army War College and is the strategic-level study agent for issues related to national security and military strategy with emphasis on geostrate- gic analysis. The mission of SSI is to use independent analysis to conduct strategic studies that develop policy recommendations on: • Strategy, planning, and policy for joint and combined employment of military forces; • Regional strategic appraisals; • The nature of land warfare; • Matters affecting the Army’s future; • The concepts, philosophy, and theory of strategy; and • Other issues of importance to the leadership of the Army. Studies produced by civilian and military analysts concern topics having strategic implications for the Army, the Department of De- fense, and the larger national security community. In addition to its studies, SSI publishes special reports on topics of special or immediate interest. These include edited proceedings of conferences and topically-oriented roundtables, expanded trip re- ports, and quick-reaction responses to senior Army leaders. The Institute provides a valuable analytical capability within the Army to address strategic and other issues in support of Army par- ticipation in national security policy formulation. LA FAMILIA DRUG CARTEL: IMPLICATIONS FOR U.S-MEXICAN SECURITY George W. Grayson December 2010 The views expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, the Department of Defense, or the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Drug-Related Violence in Mexico: a Case of Failed State?
    DRUG-RELATED VIOLENCE IN MEXICO: A CASE OF FAILED STATE? A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY AYŞEGÜL DURSUN IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION JULY 2020 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Yaşar Kondakçı Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Prof. Dr. Ayşe Ayata Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Attila E. Aytekin Supervisor Examining Committee Members Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aylin Topal (METU, ADM) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Attila E. Aytekin (METU, ADM) Assist. Prof. Dr. Ertan Erol (İstanbul Uni., PSIR) PLAGIARISM I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last Name : Ayşegül Dursun Signature : iii ABSTRACT DRUG-RELATED VIOLENCE IN MEXICO: A CASE OF FAILED STATE? Dursun, Ayşegül M.S., Department of Political Science and Public Administration Supervisor : Assoc. Prof. Dr. Attila E. Aytekin. July 2020, 139 pages This thesis focuses on accelerating drug-related violence in Mexico since the early 2000s which has pushed Mexico into arguments around the concept of “failed state” which does not provide a sufficient basis for explaining the violence and security issues in Mexico.
    [Show full text]
  • BBVA Bancomer Detecta 2,500 Sitios De Fraude
    MIÉRCOLES 19 de octubre de 2016 Año C Tomo V, No. 36,204 Ciudad de México 104 páginas $15.00 FUNCIÓN ADRENALINA Histórico LOCOS Dos mexicanos, Marco Estrada y TECNOLÓGICOSLlega a Netflix Black Mirror, serie que Julio Urías, abrirán por expone enredos de las personas que primera vez en un mismo día partidos hacen un mal uso de la tecnología. de postemporada de Grandes Ligas. PEÑA DESTACA VALOR DE FUERZAS ARMADAS Cienfuegos: claro que hay desgaste Tenemos muchas tareas; si tenemos que hacer más, necesitamos más, dijo el secretario de Defensa; pidió marco legal para lucha anticrimen POR RAÚL FLORES Y DAVID VICENTEÑO Hay un desgaste en las Fuer- Estamos trabajan- zas Armadas por las tareas do en todo el país, en de seguridad que realiza en toda hora, en todo el país para ayudar a los go- biernos estatales y munici- momento, en la sierra, pales, reconoció el general en las ciudades, claro Salvador Cienfuegos Zepe- que hay un desgaste.” da, titular de la Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional (Sedena). SALVADOR Al término del seminario CIENFUEGOS La Defensa Nacional del Es- TITULAR DE LA SEDENA ENCARCELADO EN EL ALTIPLANO tado Mexicano, ciclo 2016, Cienfuegos Zepeda planteó legal para actuar contra la que el Ejército es “proporcio- delincuencia. EU ENTREGA A Especial Foto: nalmente pequeño” para las En tanto, en la celebra- tareas de seguridad que hace. ción del centenario de la ZHENLI YE GON “Lo que tenemos son creación de la Industria Mi- muchas tareas. Si tenemos litar mexicana, el presidente que hacer más, necesita- Enrique Peña Nieto recono- stados Unidos envió ayer a Zhenli mos más”, expuso el secre- ció el valor de las Fuerzas Ar- tario de la Defensa Nacional madas por ser un ejemplo Ye Gon a México; ya se encuentra para después hacer un lla- de amor a la patria, lealtad Foto: Especial en el penal de máxima seguridad mado a que se otorgue a las y valentía.
    [Show full text]
  • Find Ebook # Mexican Drug Traffickers
    P9YPVUBKHGJ0 / Kindle // Mexican drug traffickers Mexican drug traffickers Filesize: 4.54 MB Reviews This publication is really gripping and exciting. It really is basic but unexpected situations in the 50 % in the book. It is extremely difficult to leave it before concluding, once you begin to read the book. (Prof. Salvador Lynch) DISCLAIMER | DMCA MKGOXQF4ALEA ~ PDF // Mexican drug traffickers MEXICAN DRUG TRAFFICKERS Reference Series Books LLC Sep 2012, 2012. Taschenbuch. Book Condition: Neu. 245x189x10 mm. Neuware - Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 38. Chapters: Beltrán-Leyva Cartel traickers, Colima Cartel traickers, Guadalajara Cartel traickers, Gulf Cartel traickers, Juárez Cartel traickers, La Familia Cartel traickers, Los Zetas, Sinaloa Cartel traickers, Sonora Cartel traickers, Tijuana Cartel traickers, Joaquín Guzmán Loera, List of Mexico's 37 most-wanted drug lords, Juan García Abrego, Edgar Valdez Villarreal, Arturo Beltrán Leyva, Amado Carrillo Fuentes, Zhenli Ye Gon, Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, Miguel Treviño Morales, Sandra Ávila Beltrán, Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano, Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, Ismael Zambada García, Teodoro García Simental, Héctor Beltrán Leyva, Juan José Esparragoza Moreno, Los Negros, Nazario Moreno González, Jorge Lopez-Orozco, Carlos Beltrán Leyva, Antonio Cárdenas Guillén, Héctor Luis Palma Salazar, Rafael Caro Quintero, Carlos Rosales Mendoza, Miguel Caro Quintero, Sergio Villarreal Barragán, Alfredo Beltrán Leyva, Servando Gómez Martínez, Eduardo Ravelo, Ramón Arellano Félix, Benjamín Arellano Félix, Osiel
    [Show full text]
  • Mexico's Methamphetamine Precursor Chemical Interventions: Impacts On
    RESEARCH REPORT doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010.03068.x Mexico’s methamphetamine precursor chemical interventions: impacts on drug treatment admissionsadd_3068 1973..1983 James K. Cunningham1, Ietza Bojorquez2, Octavio Campollo3, Lon-Mu Liu4 & Jane Carlisle Maxwell5 Department of Family and Community Medicine,The University of Arizona,Tucson,AZ, USA1, Directorate General of Epidemiology, Ministry of Health, Mexico City, Mexico2, Center of Studies on Alcohol and Addictions, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico3, Public Economics Research Center, College of Social Sciences, National Taiwan University,Taipei,Taiwan4 and Center for Social and Behavioral Research,The University of Texas,Austin,TX, USA5 ABSTRACT Aims To help counter problems related to methamphetamine, Mexico has implemented interventions targeting pseudoephedrine and ephedrine, the precursor chemicals commonly used in the drug’s synthesis. This study examines whether the interventions impacted methamphetamine treatment admissions—an indicator of methamphetamine consequences. Design Quasi-experiment: autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA)-based intervention time–series analysis. Interventions: precursor chemical restrictions implemented beginning November 2005; major rogue precursor chemical company closed (including possibly the largest single drug-cash seizure in history) March 2007; precursor chemicals banned from Mexico (North America’s first precursor ban) August 2008. Settings Mexico and Texas (1996–2008). Measurements Monthly treatment admissions for methamphetamine (intervention series) and cocaine, heroin and alcohol (quasi-control series). Findings The precursor restriction was associated with temporary methamphetamine admissions decreases of 12% in Mexico and 11% in Texas. The company closure was associated with decreases of 56% in Mexico and 48% in Texas; these decreases generally remained to the end of the study period.
    [Show full text]
  • By Leonarda Reyes the Discovery Was Horrifying. a Headless Body Was Left Near a Garbage Facility Covered with Paper—The Kind O
    By Leonarda Reyes The discovery was horrifying. A headless body was left near a garbage facility covered with paper—the kind of big paper sheet children use at school for drawing. But instead of happy faces or trees or animals, the paper was covered with dark red blotches of blood. The corpse had been mutilated. One hand had four fingers missing; a fifth was placed on top of the paper sheet, along with a note that read: “This they did to me for making an anonymous phone call. They fingered me.” The head was later left in a box at the entrance of a local newspaper. Who were “they”? In Tabasco, the narrow southern strip of Mexico where the crime happened, there was little doubt. “They” were the sicarios (narco-traffic hitmen). Witnesses saw eight men in three vehicles abduct the victim. The deceased was 40 years old, a concerned father and community representative who had alerted the police with what he believed to be an anonymous phone call. The message was clear: Whoever meddles with narco- trafficking will be killed, and police are not to be trusted because many are on the cartels’ payroll. Today Mexicans fear both police and criminals alike. Indeed, it is becoming impossible to distinguish one from the other, since drug killers often disguise themselves as federal policemen. Mexico for many years has served as a corridor for transporting drugs from South America to supply the large drug market in the United States. Until the mid-’90s, most of the cocaine was transported in airplanes to Mexico’s northern border, and drug violence was mostly isolated there.
    [Show full text]
  • Drug Enforcement Administration, 2003-2008
    160 During the early years of the 21st century, DEA realized DEA’s Drug Flow Attack Strategy implemented in mid-2005 significant success combating the national methamphetamine yielded promising results designed to significantly disrupt the epidemic, attributable to a number of factors including flow of drugs, money, and chemicals between the source zones legislation adopted by 43 states that curtailed availability of in Latin America and the United States through aggressive, well- the three meth precursor chemicals and similar national planned, and coordinated enforcement operations with host- legislation, the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of nation counterparts in global source countries, transit zones, 2005. Contributing as well to impacting the U.S. meth and arrival zones. Successful operations that were part of this problem were focused enforcement efforts by DEA and strategy included All Inclusive 2005-2007 and Imperial successful investigations such as Operations Northern Star, Emperor. The average U.S. price per pure gram of cocaine Imperial Emperor, and Wildfire; domestic initiatives, three months following Operation All Inclusive implementation including increasing meth priority target investigations, and was found to have increased 43 percent compared with the three expanding the primary focus of DEA clan lab enforcement months prior. During the first three quarters of 2007, the average teams; and international initiatives, including, in particular, U.S. price per pure gram of cocaine increased 44 percent, while partnership efforts with the Government of Mexico to target average purity fell 15 percent, indicating the success of the the most significant meth trafficking organizations on both Drug Flow Attack Strategy’s large-scale operations.
    [Show full text]
  • Affidavit in Support of Complaint and Arrest Warrant for Zhenli Ye Gon
    AFFIDAVIT IN SUPPORT OF COMPLAINT AND ARREST WARRANT FOR ZHENLI YE GON I, Eduardo A. Chávez, Special Agent, Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Department of Justice, being duly sworn, do depose and state: 1. I have been employed as a Special Agent (SA) with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) since July 2000 and am presently assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administration, México City Country Office in México City, México. I am a law enforcement officer of the United States within the meaning of Title 18, United States Code §2510(7), who is empowered to conduct investigations of, and make arrests for, narcotic offenses enumerated in Title 18, United States Code §2516. I have successfully completed a sixteen (16) week DEA Basic Agent Training Academy at the DEA Academy in Quantico, Virginia. This training included instruction in the investigation of federal drug and money laundering crimes, including, but not limited to Title 21, United States Code §§841, 846, and 959, and Title 18, United States Code §§2, 1956 and 1957. I have discussed with numerous law enforcement officers, defendants, and informants, the methods and practices used by chemical and narcotic distributors. I have acted in an undercover capacity conducting multiple chemical and methamphetamine transactions and have been the affiant on numerous federal and state search warrants, complaints, and wiretap affidavits and have testified in court in the area of narcotics on several occasions. 2. The facts set forth in this Affidavit are known to me as a result of my investigation and interview with agents and law enforcement officers. These are not all the facts known to me throughout the course of this investigation, but rather only those which are essential to establish probable cause for charging a complaint against Zhenli YE GON for the federal violations listed here.
    [Show full text]
  • AT a CROSSROADS: Drug Trafficking, Violence and the Mexican State
    BrIEFING PaPEr THIrTEEN NOVEMBEr 2007 THE BECKLEY FOUNDATION DRUG POLICY PROGRAMME AT A CROSSROADS: Drug Trafficking, Violence and the Mexican State 1 Maureen Meyer, with contributions from Coletta Youngers and Dave Bewley-Taylor SuMMary In this joint WOLa-BFDPP policy brief, the authors provide an operations launched by the new administration in Mexican states overview of current and past drug policies implemented by the where organized crime was believed to be concentrated. Despite the Mexican government, with a focus on its law enforcement efforts. efforts of the Calderón Administration, however, 2007 promises to be It analyzes the trends in the increased reliance on the Mexican yet another bloody year, with the number of killings reaching 2,113 by armed forces in counter-drug activities and the role that the united the second week of October.1 States government has played in shaping Mexico’s counter-drug efforts. It is argued that government responses that are dominated Successive Mexican presidents have undertaken major initiatives by law enforcement and militarization do little to address the issue to combat drug trafficking in the country. Yet the power and reach in the long term and draw attention away from the fundamental of the so-called Mexican drug cartels, and the violence associated reforms to the police and justice systems that are needed to combat with them, have only escalated. Like Calderón, both Presidents public security problems in the country. The brief also argues that Ernesto Zedillo and Vicente Fox came into office promising to tackle the most effective way to address drug trafficking and its related organized crime and violence, announcing national crusades and problem is through increased efforts to curb the demand for illicit expanding the role of the military to restore public order.
    [Show full text]