MEXICO CITY, March 25 (Reuter) Drug traffickers have murdered
``hundreds'' of honest Mexican lawenforcement offials in the past year, U.S.
drug policy coordinator Barry McCaffrey said on Tuesday.

``Hundreds of honest police officers and prosecutors and judges have been
murdered in the last year struggling to protect Mexican democracy,''
McCaffrey told the Mexican television network Televisa from Miami.

McCaffrey is the White House representative who coordinates the U.S.
antidrug effort.

An excerpt from the interview was broadcast on Tuesday night on the 24
Hours news programme.

International drug traffickers who move billions of dollars worth of
cocaine, marijuana and heroin through Mexico each year are known to be
violent, but officials have been reluctant to quantify the number killed
while attempting to stem the tide.

McCaffrey also said drug traffickers spend $6 billion of their profits
each year to bribe Mexican officials and grease the path for their illicit
products.

``Violence and corruption are the two tools of international crime, and
in this case it's with $6 billion of corruption money that comes from the
United States,'' McCaffrey said. ``So it's a terrible challenge to Mexico and
the United States to work together for the years to come.''

U.S.Mexican relations in the war on drugs became strained recently
during the U.S. ``certification'' process of determining whether Mexico is an
aidworthy ally in combatting the narcotics trade.

The Clinton administration, including McCaffrey, stood by Mexican
President President Ernesto Zedillo, calling him an honest warrior even if
many below him are corrupt.

The U.S. House and Representatives and Senate have taken less friendly
views, voting to partially overturn Clinton's certification of Mexico.

Mexico has rejected the certification process as a unilateral attempt to
trample over Mexico's internal affairs, while Mexican commentators have
criticised the United States for providing the world's most lucrative drug
market.