| | |  Editorials | Issues | July 2009 
President Calderón a Hero: DEA
 Notimex/El Universal
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July 17, 2009
 |  | From our point of view, President Calderón is a hero who is fighting head to head with criminals, and we are going to help.
-Anthony Placido |  | | |
The US anti-drug agency supported the Mexican government's position of rejecting any dialogue or pact with organized crime.
Mexico City - The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) approved the Mexican government’s position of not negotiating with drug traffickers or criminal groups, whose only possible destination is prison.
Mexican President Felipe Calderón “Is right not to make agreements with criminals. Criminals must be put in prison, period," declared DEA Head of Intelligence Operations Anthony Placido.
“From our point of view, President Calderón is a hero who is fighting head to head with criminals, said Placido, adding: “We are going to help.”
At the same time, Placido expressed the DEA's concern over the violence carried out by the drug cartels who feel threatened by the operations undertaken by Mexico's police and military forces.
“We are very concerned about the growing attacks by criminal groups on government forces, honest, hard-working people that are doing their job," said Placido.
“Unfortunately, I do not think that this is new. Drug traffickers have been attacking police and military agents for some time," he told journalists after a Congress hearing on violence on the border.
Placido also mentioned the pact offered to the Mexican government by the group of drug traffickers known as "La Familia Michoacana" following an attack on federal police, which the Mexican authorities rejected.
He said that La Familia Michoacana is a “new drug smugglers’ cartel,” and described its members as “cowards that attack innocent people in Mexico and other places.”
He said that these drug traffickers want to be able to continue with their illegal activities, but that the Mexican government "has every right" to pursue them.
Placido presented his testimony to the Sub-Committee of Border, Maritime and Anti-Terrorism Affairs of the House of Representatives, together with assistant director of the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Office (ATF) William McMahon.
The DEA officials described drug cartels as a threat to both Mexico and the United States, adding that the increase in violence reflects the advances of both countries in "interrupting the activities" of these organizations.
He considered that an important component of the US government in “neutralizing the powerful Mexican drug cartels” is the Merida Initiative for strengthening Mexico’s legal institutions and providing forensic experts.
He said that this initiative helps his Mexican counterpart to develop teams with US federal agencies to deal with the drug traffickers, among other resources offered for institutional reinforcement.
Legislator Loretta Sánchez, president of the Border Affairs’ Sub-committee, highlighted agreements by the states to reduce the flow of arms to criminal organizations.
She pointed out that 90% of weapons confiscated from drug cartels come from the United States and that drug-related violence left over 6,200 dead in the US in 2008.
As an example of federal government's efforts, Sánchez mentioned the memorandum of understanding of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with the ATF and DEA for better coordination and research of weapons and drugs-related cases.
“These agreements have been reached after many negotiations and a great deal of hard work on the part of the departments of Internal Security and Justice," he said. |
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