CROSS-BORDER TRUST GROWS

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 U.S.
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.