U.S. to embed agents in Mexican law enforcement units battling cartels in Juarez

U.S. to embed agents in Mexican law enforcement units battling cartels in Juarez
By William Booth
washington post foreign service
Wednesday, February 24, 2010

CIUDAD JUAREZ, MEXICO -- For the first time, U.S. officials plan to embed American intelligence agents in Mexican law enforcement units to help pursue drug cartel leaders and their hit men operating in the most violent city in Mexico, according to U.S. and Mexican officials.

The increasingly close partnership between the two countries, born of frustration over the exploding death toll in Ciudad Juarez, would place U.S. agents and analysts in a Mexican command center in this border city to share drug intelligence gathered from informants and intercepted communications.

Until recently, U.S. law enforcement agencies have been reluctant to share sensitive intelligence with their Mexican counterparts for fear they were either corrupt or incompetent. And U.S. agents have been wary of operating inside Mexican command centers for fear they would be targeted for execution in the sensational violence and lawlessness in Ciudad Juarez that left more than 2,600 people dead last year.

But those attitudes are changing amid strong support from Washington for President Felipe Calderón's war against the cartels, including a $1.4 billion aid package. The Obama administration views spiking drug violence in Mexico as a direct threat to U.S. security and has taken unprecedented steps toward on-the-ground cooperation with Mexican authorities. It is seeking an additional $310 million for drug enforcement aid for Mexico in its 2011 budget.

More:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/23/AR2010022305560.html?wprss=rss_world

Also posted in LBN:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4281260

Found it unusual that the W. Post reporter did not even mention Camarena.

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On Thursday, February 7, 1985, at 2:00 p.m., Special Agent Enrique Camarena left the American Consulate in Guadalajara to meet his wife, Mika, for lunch. Known to his friends as "Kiki," Special Agent Camarena had been in Mexico for four and one-half years on the trail of Mexican marijuana and cocaine drug traffickers. Kiki was due to be reassigned in three weeks because he had come dangerously close to exposing the top leaders of a multi-billion drug pipeline.

When Kiki was abducted in Mexico, he was tortured and brutally murdered by drug traffickers. His badly beaten body was recovered nearly one month after he was kidnapped.

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DEA glorification:

http://www.justthinktwice.com/hot/kiki.cfm

as if having DEA people inside Mexico is a recent thing.

As for the DEA article, I have to say I've never heard of their agent, and was completely unaware people throughout the country were wearing red ribbons to commemorate his life, and death. Definitely looks like glorification got the upper hand there.

It's not going to be a walk in the park for future DEA agents in Mexico, is it?

No doubt in time this will all look every bit as foolish as 1930's prohibition was.

who have been working for the drug lords. Now that's interesting. Some of them are former cops, too. Geez.

http://www.dossier.com.mx.nyud.net:8090/artistas/osielcardenas.jpg http://media3.washingtonpost.com.nyud.net:8090/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/01/20/PH2007012001468.jpg http://www.banderasnews.com.nyud.net:8090/0702/images/drugkingpin.jpg

http://odszkodowania24.bblog.pl.nyud.net:8090/i/blog/users/1787/files/Image/070125cardenas-tm.jpg
Thanks for the material, it's good to learn about these things.

Mexico and Colombia like "reservations". With embedded officers and then handling judicial and punishment.