Mexico's Counter-Narcotics Efforts Under Zedillo and Fox, December 1994 to March 2001

Publication Date: March 2001

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Social conditions

Type:

Coverage: Mexico

Abstract:

This report provides information on Mexico's counter-narcotics efforts during the six year presidency of Ernesto Zedillo (December 1, 1994 to December 1, 2000) and a short period of the presidency of Vicente Fox (December 1, 2000, to March 1, 2001), with special emphasis on calendar year 2000, covered by the State Department's report on international narcotics control.

Share of Traffic. Mexico continued to be the transit point for about 50-65% of the cocaine entering the United States from South America in 2000, with the uncertain and varying estimates being similar to estimates in recent years. Mexico also continued to be a major source country for heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine, and a major center for money laundering activities.

Control Efforts. Seizures of cocaine by Mexico in 2000 were down 31% from 1999, and down 12% from the 1994-1999 average, which might be viewed as lagging performance. Seizures of opium were down from unusually high levels in 1999, but represented a 32% increase over the 1994-1999 average. Seizures of heroin were up slightly, while seizures of marijuana, methamphetamine, and drug labs were up significantly. Arrests were up slightly in 2000, to reach the highest levels in the last seven years except for 1996, but numerous instances of apparent corruption persist. Several important drug traffickers were arrested in 2000, including key members of the Arellano Feliz or Tijuana cartel, Ismael "El Mayel" Higuera Guerrero (chief operations officer) and Jesus "Chuy" Labra Aviles (financial manager). While only one Mexican national was extradited to the United States in 2000 on drug-related charges, a January 2001 ruling by the Mexican Supreme Court, and Mexican Senate approval of the temporary surrender protocol are promising developments. Eradication of opium and marijuana declined somewhat in 2000, but with fewer hectares of cultivation, the potential yield of opium declined markedly to a new record low, and the potential yield of marijuana was lower than four of the previous six years.

Cooperative Efforts. U.S.-Mexico counter-narcotics cooperation continued at unprecedented levels during the final years of the presidencies of Zedillo and Clinton, with the full range of law enforcement, military, border, and drug control agencies being involved. In the last two years the countries agreed on measures to gauge the effectiveness of the joint anti-drug strategy, they established a new interdiction working group that led to significantly increased maritime interdiction cooperation, and they took various cooperative steps to control money laundering activities. They also cooperated on U.N. and OAS anti-drug activities, including the development and first application of the multilateral evaluation mechanism (MEM) of the InterAmerican Drug Control Commission (CICAD) to assess the counter-narcotics performance of all member countries. Following elections in both countries, Presidents Fox and Bush met in Mexico in mid-February 2001, and agreed to strengthen law enforcement and counter-narcotics cooperation between the countries.