BajaNomad

President Calderon and BBC News

Mulegena - 3-30-2009 at 07:59 AM

'US graft adds to Mexico's woes'
In an exclusive interview with the BBC's John Simpson, Mexican President Felipe Calderon has warned that corruption among American officials may be making it harder to deal with drug-trafficking between Mexico and the US.



Mexican President Felipe Calderon tells John Simpson about US 'complicity'
Speaking in Mexico City before leaving for his state visit to London immediately ahead of next week's G20 summit, Mr Calderon said violence in the border city of Juarez had fallen by 73% in the month since he sent 7,000 extra troops there.

There has been open warfare in Juarez for more than a year; last year, 5,600 people were killed in drug-related attacks in Mexico, many in Juarez.

The drop in murders there has been a big success for him, especially coming as it does immediately before he meets other world leaders in London.

But analysts in Mexico City point out that there was also a fall in the violence in Juarez last year when he sent a first detachment of troops in. It quickly rose again.

US 'complicity'

Juarez has become a battleground because the heads of the Sinaloa drugs cartel decided to move in on the lucrative cross-border routes run by the Juarez cartel. The city lies just across the border from the American city of El Paso, in Texas; the two are less than a mile apart.


The riches of the drugs trade have spawned a bloody conflict in Mexico

President Calderon said it was impossible to smuggle tonnes of cocaine into the United States without the complicity of some American authorities.

"There is trafficking in Mexico because there is corruption in Mexico," he told the BBC.

"But by the same argument if there is trafficking in the United States it is because there is some corruption in the United States... It is impossible to pass tonnes of cocaine to the United States without the complicity of some American authorities."

President Calderon complained about the smuggling of American guns into Mexico. Ninety per cent of the guns used in the current wave of drugs violence came from the US, he said, and he pointed out that there were 11,000 gun stores in towns and cities close to the Mexican border.

Relations with the Obama administration in Washington have improved greatly since Hillary Clinton, the American secretary of state, visited Mexico City last week.

She made it absolutely clear that Washington did not regard Mexico as a potentially failed state, as some American officials had previously suggested.

But there is no doubt that the situation along the border is very sensitive politically, and although the White House may wonder privately whether there is some corruption among some American customs, immigration and police officials, it is unlikely to admit it publicly.

Empty streets

As for the border city of Juarez, it is starting slowly to come back to life, now that the army patrol the streets. But at night it is a different story.


The bodies of victims of the drugs war crowd a morgue in Juarez

"No-one here goes out after seven in the evening," a man told us, and we found it was true. By nine o'clock, the streets of the city centre were entirely deserted.

In the past, Juarez was a late-night city. Now most of its shops, bars and restaurants close from the late afternoon onwards.

In a usually popular bar we went into, there were only three customers. Round the corner, a big restaurant was almost entirely empty, the waitresses standing round talking to each other in a corner.

The sound of gunfire from those weapons smuggled across the border is much rarer in Juarez now than it was four weeks ago.

But public confidence will take much longer to return. Especially at night-time.

John Simpson's full interview with President Calderon will air on BBC World TV at 2030 and 2230GMT on Monday.

Iflyfish - 3-30-2009 at 08:07 AM

The Anderson Cooper Special on the border estimated that 60 BILLION US dollars worth of marijuana cross the border in one year. Stunning. With that sort of money involved it is no wonder that there is corruption on both sides. One hopes that the people of Juarez can one day again feel the freedom of tranquility.

Iflyfish

Woooosh - 3-30-2009 at 09:06 AM

You'd think there would be some upside for the USA economy from intercepting that $60 Billion in cash headed south and returning it to the US Treasury.

If Calderon thinks he can advance his blame game by saying US authorities must be corrupt and complicit for this to be happening- he's barking up the wrong cactus.

[Edited on 3-30-2009 by Woooosh]

lizard lips - 3-30-2009 at 01:32 PM

It is sad what is happening in Ciudad Juarez. I spent last week there investigating the death of a Mexican national who was kidnapped and killed. The family paid the money but never contacted the police, for obvious reasons.

The police contacts I have there told me that most everyone with the money has already moved to El Paso and the ones that haven't are driving old beat up cars and are very careful as far as changing their daily routines from day to day. According to my police contacts there are more than 15 to 20 groups of kidnappers who work in various parts of the city and have been doing this for several years. When it comes to drug related killings there are many but the newspapers never take into account how many people have been kidnapped and killed, or were accosted by the kidnappers and then killed because they resisted.

The streets are deserted and the restaurant (Sanborns) that was right next to my hotel, was always pretty empty compared to my many other trips there. As I drove through the city I saw a lot of soldiers with red hats, special forces, as well as federal police. They were not only in trucks driving but on foot patrol through many areas of the city.

The locals I talked with said that it seemed that the violence has subsided since the military has arrived but they think it will be business as usual for the cartels once they are gone.

I have been to Juarez at least 50 times over the last ten years and have seen it change so much. Many of southern Mexico's poor came to this city when the maquiladoras started to be built and there were many. More than 300. 60% of these foreign based businesses have closed because of the violence which have left these people to fend for themselves. More crime because of it? You bet, which has been another problem altogether.

It's really strange to drive along the road next to the river in Juarez and look over into El Paso and think why does it have to be this way, but it is really a world away. I cross the border into San Diego every week and when I see the buildings in San Diego from TJ I have not thought the same thing for some reason. I guess I feel safer in TJ.

This guy's starting to make sense.

Dave - 3-30-2009 at 03:20 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mulegena
"There is trafficking in Mexico because there is corruption in Mexico," he told the BBC.

"But by the same argument if there is trafficking in the United States it is because there is some corruption in the United States... It is impossible to pass tonnes of cocaine to the United States without the complicity of some American authorities."


Someone needs to explain it to him. :rolleyes:

BajaBruno - 3-31-2009 at 08:41 AM

Arrests of US Border Protection officers for taking bribes to allow drugs or illegal aliens to pass through their lanes have become common, unfortunately. Watchdog groups say the internal affairs division of Customs and Border Protection has been inept at investigating complaints and they allege that many corrupt officers are still working, or have been relegated to office jobs because IA is unable to build a strong enough case to fire or prosecute them.

The money involved in smuggling is very tempting to even otherwise honest and productive workers. There is, of course, a solution...

bacquito - 3-31-2009 at 04:15 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaBruno
Arrests of US Border Protection officers for taking bribes to allow drugs or illegal aliens to pass through their lanes have become common, unfortunately. Watchdog groups say the internal affairs division of Customs and Border Protection has been inept at investigating complaints and they allege that many corrupt officers are still working, or have been relegated to office jobs because IA is unable to build a strong enough case to fire or prosecute them.

The money involved in smuggling is very tempting to even otherwise honest and productive workers. There is, of course, a solution...


Good point. It is not unusal to read of a corrupt inspector being caught.