MEXICO'S FOX UNVEILS PLAN TO ESCALATE WAR ON DRUGS

Far-Reaching Effort To Target Supply, Demand

MEXICO CITY - President Vicente Fox pledged Monday to launch an all-out war on the drug trade, saying his administration would go beyond nabbing drug lords and take on drug consumption and production in Mexico.

Mexico has long been a haven for drug smugglers moving their goods into the United States. But since Fox took office two years ago, his administration has arrested several high-profile cartel leaders -- including one of the country's most-wanted criminals, Benjamin Arellano Felix.

Fox said Monday that officials must do more to halt the growing problem of drug abuse and cultivation in Mexico.

"This is a war that we have to fight on all fronts,'' he said. "It's not enough to attack the supply. We must also stop the growth of demand.''

Fox said his Cabinet would spend the next four years -- the remainder of his term -- working to stop smuggling at all levels, including arresting drug lords and preventing children from becoming users.

Authorities are targeting all drug cartels -- not just one region or one group, Attorney General Rafael Macedo de la Concha said. In the past, corrupt officials have focused on fighting one group while taking bribes from others.

Macedo added that Mexico would work toward even greater cooperation with drug-enforcement agencies from the United States and other countries that suffer from the drug trade. U.S. officials have praised Fox's efforts to fight the drug trade.

Both Fox and his Cabinet promised to continue to purge corrupt officials from the government, arresting anyone caught helping the drug trade and forcing them to face justice.

On Friday, a military court convicted Gen. Francisco Quiros Hermosillo and Brig. Gen. Arturo Acosta of helping move ******* and marijuana through Mexico. Fox called the convictions "without precedent in the history of our country.''

"Never before has a military court convicted such high-ranking officials of drug smuggling,'' he said. "With actions such as this, the army is demonstrating once again it is an institution of unquestionable integrity that is committed to transparency.''

For years, Mexican officials let the drug trade thrive, with the money it generated supporting everyone from the poor farmers who grew marijuana to cartel leaders who smuggled planeloads of ******* into the United States.

Mexico's new war includes a focus on helping Mexicans who have long had little choice but to participate in the drug trade -- either for financial reasons or because of pressure from drug lords. Officials want to improve education and create jobs to lure people away from drugs or to prevent their use, Social Development Secretary Josefina Vazquez said.

"We must make sure that real opportunities exist and we must strengthen the social fabric, the autonomy and the dignity of people,'' she said.

While Mexico has long battled drug smugglers, drug abuse also has grown. The national program outlined Monday offered the first comprehensive effort at battling consumption -- something Mexico usually says the United States must do. Officials promised to do more to help addicts.

Macedo, the attorney general, said he would continue efforts at extraditing drug lords to the United States, while sharing information on the drug trade with authorities all over the world.

The fight is important not just to halt the drug trade, he said, but also to stop the underworld of terrorists and other illegal activity it creates.

"Never again will we be hostages to criminal organizations,'' Macedo said. "United we will triumph.''


Pubdate: Tue, 5 Nov 2002
Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Copyright: 2002 San Jose Mercury News
Contact: letters@sjmercury.com
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