NO LONGER A SAFE HAVEN

Our Position: Mexico Is Right To Start Extraditing Drug Lords To The
United States

Outgoing Mexican President Vincente Fox is sending a forceful message
to drug lords:

You can no longer hide behind our borders.

Mr. Fox is vowing to extradite "all of those who have pending matters
with U.S. justice," setting a course that should be followed by his
successor, Felipe Calderon.

This is a critical step in Mexican policy toward drug cartels.
Although Mexico has routinely extradited suspected criminals to the
U.S., it has been reluctant to target drug kingpins, arguing they
should be tried in Mexico. Government officials have also refused to
send anyone to the U.S. who would face death penalty charges.

The drug cartel hierarchy in Mexican jails include 16 "big leaders"
along with dozens of intermediaries such as financiers and money
launderers and 75,000 lower level members of various cartels. Mr. Fox
delivered its first major drug lord -- accused kingpin Francisco
Rafael Arellano Felix -- to the U.S. last weekend

Mr. Fox's intent to cooperate with the U.S. is admirable, given the
political controversy that divides his country. Losing Leftist
challenger Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador continues to dispute the
election results and has threatened to establish a parallel government.

The good news is that Mr. Calderon wants to "deepen and widen" U.S.
ties by following Mr. Fox's lead, said Arturo Sarukhan, Mr.
Calderon's international-affairs adviser.

Keep the criminals coming. And be warned that Mexico is no longer a
safe haven for the notorious kings of dope.