Mexico and the United States: Neighbors Confront Drug Trafficking

• NCJ Number: 218561
• Author(s): James O. Finckenauer Ph.D; Joseph R. Fuentes; George L. Ward
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 19 pages
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)

Annotation

This paper describes the nature of drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States and discusses initiatives to curtail the drug flow and strategies to combat the drug problem in both countries through a cooperative effort.

Abstract

The United States-Mexico bilateral response to the illicit drug market affecting both countries has continued to persevere with an acknowledgement by both that measures to reduce demand are a critical component of their drug strategies. Cooperation between the United States and Mexico in the anti-drug campaign has been manifested in various forms, including law enforcement training, cooperative investigations, and military aid. A central component of bilateral counternarcotics cooperation between the two countries is the High Level Contact Group for Drug Control, or HLCG. Created in 1996, the HLCG brings together counterparts from both countries to discuss the many aspects of the illicit drug market and formulate an effective response. The United States-Mexico Binational Drug Strategy is one of the acclaimed products of this venture. Mexican drug traffickers have become a significant supply source for most of the major drugs consumed in the United States. Across the globe, nations such as the United States and Mexico have forged partnerships to address the problems associated with illegal drugs. In the United States-Mexico experience, there are relevant lessons for countries engaged in cooperative counternarcotics efforts. One such lesson is that the illegal drug market has metastasized at the cost of thousands of lost lives and billions of dollars. References