SECRET DRUG OPERATION DRAWS PROTEST

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO -- Mexico said Thursday it formally will protest a U.S.
undercover operation that exposed the laudering of more than $110 million
in drug money through 12 Mexican banks.

It charged that the agents acted secretly in Mexico without informing the
government.

Atty. Gen. Jorge Madrazo Cuellar accused Washington of deceiving Mexico by
making officials believe the entire three-year undercover operation, known
as Casablanca, had been conducted inside the U.S.

President Ernesto Zedillo ordered his diplomats to deliver the protest
after he determined that conducting a hidden operation on Mexican soil
violated several agreements between the countries, officials said.

U.S. officials said they did not inform their Mexican counterparts about
the operation, which involved 200 undercover agents, until less than two
hours before they announced its results Monday.

Officials also believe the agents and confidential informants who worked in
Mexico broke several Mexican laws.

Checked-by: jwjohnson@netmagic.net (Joel W. Johnson)