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Column 101005 Brewer

Monday, October 10, 2005

Fighting the U.S.-Mexico war against drugs

By Jerry Brewer

The drug war is continuing to drive up corruption and

violence to epidemic proportions. Democracies that are
weak and failing to rigidly address the problems in a
concerted effort are at great risk. The tail cannot
simply wag the dog anymore. Mexico’s location,
described as an accident of geography as it relates to
this drug dilemma, makes it a key corridor between
drug supply and demand. The drug organizations
continue to boldly intimidate and attempt efforts at
corruption. At issue at this level for the cartels in
intimidating and corrupting is simply about money.

We continue to hear that there is progress in this war.

Millions in drug profits are being seized in Mexico and
the U.S. Significant drug loads are occasionally being
captured. But does this stop the corruption and
intimidating of government, judicial, and police
officials? Does it stop their being murdered?

The answer is no.

Traffickers regroup, cut their losses, and in most cases

they execute those they believe compromised the
situation. And supply and demand continues the ugly
course in the pursuit of profits.

There are a lot of clever projects that help such as anti-

money laundering, drug awareness and demand
reduction, aviation support, crop eradication, and other
reactive strategies. However, as long as there are
principal organizers, cartel kingpins, and the upper-
echelons of the drug trade, they will move drugs for the
huge profits and they will place those profits in a cave if
necessary.

You cannot put drugs and money in jail, nor can you
make drugs or money name their friends. The problem
is with people. Authorities must hunt flesh. These
criminal organizations cannot be merely pruned so they
can simply grow back stronger. Tons of drugs and
currency sitting in the evidence storage areas of law
enforcement are nothing but a virtual wasteland. Drugs
are destroyed and currency seizures and other assets
are forfeited to fund law enforcement equipment and
related needs. The cartels lose their money and their
toys and police get new ones to resume the fight as the
cartels buy new ones. Hence, the vicious spin cycle
continues.

A strategic and proactive organizational plan, in the

targeting of drug kingpins, is not to simply make an
arrest along the chain of command. With that practice
there will always be a slot vacant for someone to move
into. The organization must be uprooted like a tree,
chopped to splinters, the splinters burned, and the
ashes buried. That particular tree will never grow
again. Everyone linked to that organization, from the
makers and growers; those who wholesaled the
product, shipped it, collected the money; and invested
the receipts must be part of the operational attack plan.
This targeting strategy is a methodical, meticulous, and
relentless effort in fighting and defeating criminal
organizations.

The absence of organized plans in targeting cartel

kingpins is a continued pursuit of reactive versus
proactive strategies, and a continuing waste in both
time and money.

Mexico considers narcotics trafficking a national security

issue. However the Mexican government has said that
the subject of drug trafficking does not require new
legislation in order to fight this organized crime, rather
for police to be put to work.

Mexico’s failure to overhaul the justice system is the

dilemma. The professional development of their law
enforcement officials, investigators, prosecutors, and
judicial institutions, through new legislation, is
paramount to requisite elements necessary for
successful continuity.

Other critical concerns are police corruption, along with

difficulties in sharing sensitive intelligence, both being
primary building blocks in the fight against organized
crime. Previous reports of top Mexican investigators
with an elite U.S.-trained police unit having ties to drug
traffickers has essentially been the Achilles heal
preventing proactive efforts.

Mexico has a critical need for support of maritime and

land interdiction, as well as the intelligence and analysis
that goes into post-seizure analyses. This is of critical
importance in fighting trafficking organizations. This
also requires binational task forces. Legislative policy
analysis and changes are thus needed to develop these
strategies.

As well, the U.S. has consistently communicated the

need for protection of both nations’ agents to Mexico —
appropriate physical and legal protection.

The national security of the U.S., along its borders and

in cities with organized drug trade, is an issue that
must be addressed constantly. In doing so the FBI lists
millions of dollars in rewards for the capture of Mexican
drug kingpins. There are price tags on cartel members,
and money available to those who are serious about
fighting this war and profiting monetarily.
____________________
Jerry Brewer, the Vice President of Criminal Justice
International Associates, a global risk mitigation firm
headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama, is also a columnist
with MexiData.info. He can be reached via e-mail at
Cjiaincusa@aol.com jbrewer@cjiausa.org