POLICE CHIEF'S SLAYING RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT MEXICO'S WAR ON
DRUGS

TIJUANA, Mexico - The murder of Tijuana's police chief during the weekend
could not have come at a worse time for Mexico. On Wednesday, President
Clinton sends Congress his list of countries that are certified as U.S.
allies in the war on drugs, and Mexico will be on the list.

That will kick off another round of debate in Washington, with some
lawmakers expected to argue that Mexico does not merit certification because
it has not done enough to stop the flow of illicit drugs.

Tijuana Police Chief Alfredo de la Torre Marquez was gunned down Sunday in
an ambush that bears the marks of organized crime, only days after Mexican
President Ernesto Zedillo promised to get tough on drug smugglers.

Tijuana is home to the Arellano-Felix drug organization, Mexico's
second-largest drug cartel. It's also one of the country's biggest transfer
points for U.S.-bound drugs, including cocaine, marijuana and
methamphetamines. Drug dealers have not been tied to de la Torre's murder,
but his killing was similar to the 1995 murder of a police chief that was
linked to drug gangs.

Each year, U.S. presidents must certify antidrug efforts of countries where
drug trafficking and production are a problem. Decertification can lead to
trade sanctions and a loss of economic aid.

Because Mexico is the United States' second most important trading partner,
congressional analysts say Clinton is unlikely to decertify the country,
even though drug seizures are down and authorities have had little effect on
drug-related violence.

"The Mexican effort against drug smugglers amounts to no more than stopping
cars for random searches," said Jesus Blancornelas, editor of the Tijuana
weekly newspaper Zeta and survivor of an assassination attempt by drug
cartel hit men in 1998. "there is no real federal investigation or
intelligence effort against drug lords."

Street skirmishes between drug gangs in Tijuana have killed at least two
dozen people in recent weeks. In all, 80 murders have been reported this
year in Tijuana. A U.S. law enforcement official who has worked in the San
Diego- Tijuana region scoffed at Mexican and U.S. claims that the two
countries' agents are working together against drugs.

"There's no way I'd have a Mexican [drug agent] working in my office. It
would be like allowing a spy into our ranks."