BULTER SHERIFF SENDS MEXICO A BILL

No, He Doesn't Expect Them To Pay For Drug Bust Cost, But He'd Like
To Get Their Attention

HAMILTON - Dear Mr. President - or Senor Presidente - pay up!

Butler County Sheriff Rick Jones Tuesday popped a letter into the
mail that promises to land with a thud on the desk of Mexico's
president, Felipe Calderon.

The letter, sent in both Spanish and English, asks Calderon to
reimburse the county for a recent drug bust of Mexicans caught with
55 pounds of marijuana in Butler County.

The invoice totals $61,141.25 - a $1,000-per-pound "fine" plus 125
deputies' man-hours spent investigating the case and arresting the
suspects. "It is my opinion that your government has not done enough
to prevent drugs from being smuggled across the border and ending up
in my country," Jones' letter says.

Jones also tells Calderon that the billed amount excludes costs of
housing the arrestees, salaries of court personnel and judges. "This
is just but one incident of thousands throughout the United States,"
Jones said. "As you can see, the illegal trafficking of marijuana
from Mexico into the United States creates a financial burden that
the taxpayers of this country must bear."

The Mexican Consulate in Indianapolis has not returned a reporter's
telephone message left Monday seeking comment.

"It would be really nice if they pay, but I honestly don't think they
will," Jones said. "My real goal is to get their attention and make
them want to do something about this."

The demand for payment is the latest in a series of moves the
outspoken sheriff has made to crack down on illegal immigrants in
Butler County.

In 2005, Jones started sending bills to the U.S. government to cover
the cost of housing illegal aliens in jail - but hasn't received payment yet.

After criticizing U.S. immigration officials for lack of action on
illegal immigration, Jones persuaded federal authorities to allow his
deputies to receive training that will allow them to make immigration
arrests and begin deportations.

Jones' stance on illegal immigration has earned him a national
reputation. Earlier this year, the National Sheriff's Association
appointed Jones to the group's Congressional Affairs Committee on
Immigration - one of the few members of that committee who is from a
location far from the Mexico border.