Mexico: The New Colombia

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has declared war on drug cartels in his country — but so far the cartels appear to be winning.

Since taking office in December 2006, Calderon has deployed about 30,000 soldiers to aid police in gathering intelligence about drug smuggling, interrogating suspects, and seizing contraband.

But drug gangs have intensified their degree of violence and engaged in bloody turf wars, ignoring traditional “codes of honor” that moderated their activities in the past, according to the Center for Strategic & International Studies’ Transnational Threats Update.

As in Colombia, gangs have assassinated police, soldiers, and judges engaged in prosecuting the war on drugs. They have even killed family members of those targeted, including young children.

More than 4,000 deaths due to drug-related violence have been reported over the last two years.

The growing power of these drug gangs has a direct effect on the United States, since according to a United Nations report, 99 percent of all methamphetamines produced in Mexico wind up in the U.S.

Mexico is the No. 1 foreign supplier of marijuana to the U.S., and an estimated 90 percent of the cocaine consumed in the U.S. enters this country from Mexico.

The Mexican government’s cartel-fighting efforts have had some moderate successes. More than 1,000 suspects have been arrested, and at least 80 drug dealers have been extradited to the U.S., the Update reports.

The government has also undertaken measures to reform the nation’s corruption-plagued police, where in some areas they are forced to choose between accepting bribes or risk being killed.

And Mexico reached an agreement with the U.S., the Merida Initiative, which will apportion $1.4 billion to Mexico’s antidrug efforts over the next three years.

According to the U.S. Department of State’s International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, issued this month, Mexico made “unprecedented efforts and achieved unprecedented results in attacking the corrosive effects of drug trafficking and consumption” during last year.

The report cited the seizure of 48 metric tons of cocaine by Mexican law enforcement officials.

But the Transnational Threats Update asserts, “Despite Mexican President Felipe Calderon’s use of the military to crack down on narcotics smuggling by drug cartels, they have proven resistant to such measures.”