The war on drugs in Mexico is more than just a war on the flow of cocaine and other drugs. It’s about stability in the Mexican government, law and order, mass murder, fear and the corruption of American law enforcement agents. When so much money is involved, it takes a lot to bring things under control. This isn’t about people smoking pot to treat their glaucoma. It really is a war and the U.S. needs to treat it like one.
By William Booth and Steve Fainaru
The Washington PostMEXICO CITY — To avenge the arrest of their leader, Mexican drug cartel commandos went on a rampage this summer across the lawless state of Michoacan, seizing 12 Mexican police officers and dumping their bound and stripped corpses in a pile beside a busy highway.
The slaughtered federal agents, it later emerged, had something in common: All had been vetted and trained by the U.S. government to work alongside its anti-narcotics agents.
Officials said the American connection made them high-value targets for the cartels, which are lashing back ruthlessly against a military crackdown involving unprecedented cooperation between the two countries.
After decades of mistrust and sometimes betrayal, Mexican and U.S. authorities are increasingly setting aside their differences to unite against a common enemy.
