U.S. AND MEXICO ANNOUNCE JOINT BATTLE ON METH

DALLAS - The United States and Mexico have begun working together to battle
the methamphetamine problem as production of the cheap and highly addictive
drug has moved south of the border, U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
announced Thursday.

Gonzales, his Mexican counterpart Daniel Cabeza de Vaca and other officials
outlined several new cooperative tactics for fighting the drug, including
new specialized enforcement teams on both sides of the border. "We have
seen a rise in trafficked meth into this country," Gonzales said during the
appearance at a national conference on the drug. "Without the strong
American demand for these toxic substances, there would be no incentive for
Mexican labs to produce the substance. So we have a lot of work to do here
at home."

Tough state legislation and passage of the federal Combat Meth Act have
made meth ingredients like pseudoephedrine harder to obtain and shut down
numerous labs over the past year, said Karen Tandy, head of the Drug
Enforcement Administration.

Gonzales said much of that production has moved to Mexico, with about 80
percent of the meth distributed in the U.S. coming from Mexican-run
organizations on both sides of the border. He described the groups as
mixing corporate sophistication with street-gang violence.

Cabeza de Vaca stressed Mexico's domestic efforts to target meth suppliers,
including port searches, training, treatment for addicts and citizen
education. "Never before have drug traffickers been as severely depleted as
they have been in the last five years," he said. "The Mexican government's
strikes have been powerful and frequent."

In addition to the specialized border teams, the two nations announced
DEA-led training for 1,000 Mexican police officials on fighting meth. They
also announced an agreement to share information among the nations' drug
enforcement agencies and a new bi-national law enforcement working group
focusing on the drug.

"For those of us who have been quick to write off any hope of making real
headway against drug traffickers in Mexico, today is a new day," Tandy said.

U.S. officials also introduced a planned national listing of properties
known to have housed meth labs or dump sites. Owners and renters would have
access to the database so they could avoid contamination and illness
associated with the toxic residues.