HEAD OF THE SNAKE

U.S.-Mexico Effort Lands Big Fish In Drug Wars

The arrest of infamous drug kingpin Francisco Javier Arellano Felix
may not be a deadly strike to the Tijuana cartel that bears his family
name, but it is another blow to its once all-powerful international
drug business.

Even after Mexican authorities in 2002 arrested one brother, Benjamin,
and killed another, Ramon two of the cartel's key players the
Arellano Felix dynasty continued shipping its poison to El Norte.

Last week, the U.S. Coast Guard caught up with Francisco Arellano
Felix, the 37-year-old playboy known as "El Tigrillo," as he relaxed
on a deep-sea-fishing boat off the coast of Baja California.

"We've taken the head off the snake," said Michael Braun, chief of
operations for the Drug Enforcement Agency.

And while that may well be true, we must not forget that there are
plenty of other snakes ready to claim a piece of this
multibillion-dollar business. Bloody turf wars are almost certain to
follow, as rival drug cartels try to seize the opening and grab a
share of the lucrative trans-border smuggling routes.

During its 1990s glory days, the Tijuana cartel was believed to supply
almost half the cocaine sold in the U.S. In January, when authorities
discovered a half-mile tunnel from Tijuana to San Diego, all fingers
pointed to them. Authorities have said the Arellano Felix clan is
responsible for dozens of slayings, including the deaths of
Guadalajara Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas Ocampo in 1993 and Tijuana
Police Chief Federico Benitez in 1994.

Three years later just south of Tijuana and in retaliation for an
unpaid debt the cartel killed 19 members of three families,
including five women and seven children.

The latest top-shelf arrest is another reminder that U.S. and Mexican
authorities must continue to strengthen their ties in the fight
against the drug traffic plaguing both countries.

Mr. Arellano Felix is in jail today, thanks in part to a tip that led
to what Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty described as
"extraordinary coordination and cooperation" between Mexican and U.S.
officials.

This must become the rule, not an exception.