HALTING DRUG TRAFFIC

On May 11, The Dallas Morning News published a story quoting a confidential
report of the U.S. Customs Service that allegedly indicated the success of
NAFTA was a contributing factor to drug trafficking between Mexico and the
United States of America ("U.S. task force says smugglers exploit rising
cross-border trade").

Would halting all legal trade between the three NAFTA partners eliminate
drug trafficking? Clearly not. The problem is too broad and complex for
simplistic solutions and fingerpointing.

But we have our work cut out for us. According to your article, an estimated
330 tons of cocaine are smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico annually. All
that cocaine could be transported at the same time in less than 10
semi-trailers. It is regarding the magnitude of the trade flows between our
countries, not in NAFTA, where the challenge lies to our common efforts
against the scourge of drugs.

Before NAFTA, about 7,000 trailers crossed the border.

Today, that traffic has almost doubled. Most people will agree that it is as
difficult to detect a volume of drugs that can fit in 10 semi-trailers among
7,000 as it is out of 14,000 trucks.

In addition, the sophisticated, multi-national drug criminal organizations
have billions of dollars and every kind of technology to conduct their
illegal operations. Moreover, the U.S. Customs Service inspected more than
900,000 trucks in 1997. It found drugs in only 47 of them.

The answer to curbing the flow of drugs between our nations is cooperation
and intense efforts to cut production, dismantle trafficking organizations
and curb demand.

For instance, money-laundering investigations need to continue, intelligence
sharing on traffickers must be advanced, and Mexican and U.S. customs
officials need better and more effective equipment to search for drugs.

The good news is that we are working to resolve the issues together.

JOSE ANTONIO ZABALGOITIA, Minister for Information and Public Affairs,
Embassy of Mexico, Washington, D.C.

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett