23 June 2006
U.S. Officials Cite Cooperation with Mexico in Drug Fight
Majority of methamphetamine said to come from Mexico
Washington -- Mexico plays an important role in the U.S. drug war against methamphetamine, U.S. law enforcement officials say.
At a June 21 congressional hearing, Karen Tandy, administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), said Mexico is a major transshipment point for the majority of the methamphetamine entering the United States, but the two countries are cooperating to counter the flow of illicit drugs. Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Tandy said drug laboratory seizure data suggests about 80 percent of the methamphetamine used in the United States comes from Mexico.
Anne Patterson, the State Department's assistant secretary for international narcotics and law enforcement affairs, said in prepared testimony that from 2002 to 2004 imports of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine in Mexico increased by 140 percent, but that Mexico is making progress in limiting imports of the key chemicals used to produce methamphetamine. (Seerelated article.)
One such limitation, Patterson said, was made between 2004-2005, when the Mexican government restricted imports of pseudoephedrine to only drug companies and prohibited any imports weighing more than three tons. Mexico also limited the sale of pseudoephedrine-based products and the amount that can be purchased by each individual, she added.
According to Patterson’s testimony, results for 2005 were positive, showing a 40 percent reduction of methamphetamine imports, yet the assistant secretary concluded that "the threat of illegal smuggling of precursor chemicals and pharmaceutical preparations from third countries into Mexico will continue to be a challenge."
The DEA's Tandy highlighted recent developments in the U.S.-Mexico partnership on battling illegal drugs. These developments include a new DEA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service effort focusing on ports of interest, a "Most Wanted Methamphetamine and Chemical Drug Trafficking Organization List" developed by DEA and Mexican police and the transfer of eight DEA trucks to Mexican methamphetamine enforcement teams.
John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, outlined the strong efforts of Mexican officials to control the methamphetamine problem.
"Mexican authorities have seized more than 55 million methamphetamine precursor pills since December 2000," he said.
Walters said the United States will be working closely with Mexico to help train and equip Mexican law enforcement teams to identify and destroy methamphetamine laboratories. In addition, he said, the United States also will work with Canada, China, Germany and India on the problem. Those countries, he said, produce and export bulk ephedrine and psuedoephedrine.
Tandy’s prepared testimony is available on the DEA Web site.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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