TRUST ACROSS THE BORDER

Spirit Of Cooperation Between U.S., Mexico Is Bearing Fruit

Drug trafficking has been a contentious issue between Mexico and the United
States for decades. Washington complains that corruption south of the
border makes controlling illegal drugs difficult. Mexicans reply that they
wouldn't have the problem were it not for their northern neighbor's
insatiable appetite for illegal substances.

But since the advent of a fairly elected administration in Mexico last
year, the old disagreements have shifted toward a spirit of cooperation.

The resulting victories against organized crime on both sides of the border
include the recent arrest of a powerful Mexican former state governor
believed to be associated with drug lords. U.S. officials looking for him
shared information on his whereabouts with their Mexican counterparts, who
kept it a secret until they made the arrest. Such an exchange would have
been unthinkable a few years ago: The information surely would have been
leaked to the suspect. The extradition of Mexican criminals wanted in the
United States is now a reality.

Trust is based on deeds, like the rigorous vetting procedure that all
Mexican law enforcement officials now have to undergo. It includes a lie
detector test and an investigation of financial assets. The United States
has responded to these positive actions with more funding to help train
Mexican drug agents.

Similar cooperation will be needed as the two nations crack down on other
international crime problems, like money laundering, gun and people
smuggling, cyber-crime and customs fraud.

The power of drug cartels cannot be underestimated, so it is likely that
individual corruption scandals will continue to emerge in Mexico. Yet, a
top U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration official says he is "cautiously
optimistic ... that the Fox administration is dealing with (endemic)
corruption." That is something people of goodwill on both sides of the
border should find encouraging.