Mexico cannot control border: WikiLeaks documents

with U.S.-Mexico relations, the AP reported.

The Mexican government’s crackdown against drug cartels began under Calderón in December 2006, but U.S. statistics indicate Mexico’s drug wars have not put much of a dent on drug-trafficking in the West Texas region.

Seizures for cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine rose in calendar year 2009 compared to the prior year, according to the West Texas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area in El Paso. Only marijuana seizures were down.

West Texas HIDTA reported the following seizures in pounds as follows:

  • Cocaine: 3,040 pounds in 2009; 1,115 pounds in 2008.
  • Heroin: 132 pounds in 2009; 65 pounds in 2008.
  • Methamphetamine: 67 pounds in 2009; 18.6 pounds in 2008.
  • Marijuana: 210,854 pounds in 2009; 295,814 pounds in 2008.

The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area agency coordinates and funds federal, state and local task forces to disrupt or dismantle drug-trafficking organizations. Different regions across the United States are represented by regional HIDTAs.

 

According to a 2010 Drug Intelligence Center report, cocaine smuggling routes have shifted due to the increased flow of cocaine to Europe, tougher enforcement in Mexico, unrelenting drug cartel violence and U.S. interdiction efforts.

“Conversely, heroin seizures along the Southwest border have been increasing, most likely as a result of the growing Mexican influence in heroin production and transportation,” the 2010 report said.

Mexican officials said drug dealers in Mexico are also selling more illegal drugs in the domestic market than in the past, probably because they are finding it harder to smuggle drugs across the U.S. border.

Drug rehabilitation experts said this is a troubling trend that can be seen in Juárez, which is ravaged by unprecedented violence, and where the number of drug addicts (excluding alcohol addicts) surpasses 100,000.

DEA officials said most of the drugs smuggled into the United States come through Mexico, which is also a producer of heroin and marijuana.

For U.S. border agents, intercepting illegal narcotics is practically a daily occurrence.

This past week, two El Pasoans with express border crossing privileges were arrested in two separate busts after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found marijuana in their vehicles. They were charged with drug smuggling, and their SENTRI status was revoked.

To get a permit under the Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection program, applicants must undergo a background check and pay extra fees.

“We have an absolute zero tolerance policy for violations in the SENTRI lane, and we maintain the integrity of the program through random and targeted exams,” said William Molaski, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s El Paso port director.