A COSTLY STING IN MEXICO

In less than a month the Clinton Administration has shifted from boasting to
backtracking about its big drug-money-laundering sting in Mexico. More than
150 suspected drug traffickers and their alleged banker confederates were
arrested, but Washington, inexcusably, failed to obtain Mexico's approval
for undercover operations carried out on Mexican soil.

That failure has turned a law enforcement coup into a diplomatic fiasco,
with the Administration now trying to repair the damage to drug enforcement
efforts. The episode began when American customs agents began encountering
large checks issued in dollars by Mexican banks -- ideal instruments for
laundering drug profits.

The Customs Service, which is part of the Treasury Department, ran a sting
operation in the United States to collect more information. Then it notified
mid-level Mexican officials and asked for permission to extend undercover
operations to Mexico. American and Mexican accounts differ on how much
detail Customs provided about its findings and its undercover plans.

But both sides agree that Mexico never gave the approval that Treasury
legally needed to proceed.

That should have moved matters to a higher level of discussion between the
two Governments. Mexico's Attorney General could have been approached
directly, or President Ernesto Zedillo himself.

Instead, American officials concluded that corrupt or incompetent Mexican
officials were sitting on their request.

Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin allowed the sting to proceed without Mexican
permission. Neither Secretary of State Madeleine Albright nor the White
House drug czar, Barry McCaffrey, were informed of this unlawful and
undiplomatic venture.

Undercover activities are sometimes necessary in the fight against Mexican
drug cartels, and many Mexican law enforcement officials are tied to the
drug trade themselves. But Washington should not stage operations in Mexico
without the approval of President Zedillo or one of his Cabinet ministers.
Violating Mexican sovereignty is a sure prescription for undermining
cooperation between the two Governments, without which there can be no hope
of success in the fight against drugs.