DOCUMENT: MEXICO CAN'T CONTROL BORDER

The Mexican government has no control of its 577-mile border with
Guatemala, where arms, drugs and immigrant smugglers appear to have
free rein, according to a U.S. diplomatic cable disclosed recently by
WikiLeaks.

The document says that Mexico does not have enough resources to
patrol the border.

"Limited resources also undermine the effort: while there are 30,000
U.S. CBP officers on the 1,926-mile Mexican/U.S. border, only 125
Mexican immigration officials monitor the 577-mile border with
Guatemala," the document states.

"The weakness of the state (Guatemalan government), the pervasive
violence, the widespread corruption, and the country's strategic
location for drug trafficking are creating a very dangerous cocktail."

The state of lawlessness in Guatemala is such that residents rely on
the Zetas instead of police to provide security, the released
documents say. The Zetas, who formerly worked for the Gulf cartel,
are reported to be making inroads in Chihuahua state.

Several U.S. documents leaked to online whistleblower WikiLeaks
mention diplomats' interest in the drug trade and drug corruption in
Latin America and the Middle East.

In another recent document, U.S. diplomats voiced concerns that
Mexican drug dealers could end up buying certain high-tech weapons
that Russia had sold to Venezuela. Such weapons are capable of
shooting down U.S. combat helicopters.

The document said U.S. officials feared that members of the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) would obtain the
weapons for the Mexican cartels.

FARC guerrilla members have been reported in Mexico for the past 10
years and are suspected of helping one of the Mexican drug cartels
kidnap a high-level official of the National Action Party, officials said.

Last month, the Colombian government asked Mexico for details about a
shooting victim in Juarez who was suspected of belonging to FARC. In
Colombia, officials said, the FARC has carried out hundreds of
kidnappings and extortions, and collaborates with drug cartels to
finance its operations.

Mexican drug cartels also have operations in Nicaragua, where U.S.
diplomats were told that high-level Nicaraguan officials received
suitcases filled with cash to protect drug-traffickers, and that
judges in that country released drug dealers soon after they were
arrested by Nicaragua's police.

Other leaked U.S. documents have portrayed a Mexico that has lost
control of some regions to drug cartels and struggles to develop an
effective anti-drug strategy.

President Obama condemned WikiLeaks' disclosure of sensitive U.S.
diplomatic cables, and called Mexican President Felipe Calderon on
Saturday to assure him the leaks would not interfere with U.S.-Mexico
relations, the Associated Press reported.

The Mexican government's crackdown against drug cartels began under
Calderon in December 2006, but U.S. statistics indicate Mexico's drug
wars have not put much of a dent on drug-trafficking in the West Texas region.

Seizures for cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine rose in calendar
year 2009 compared to the prior year, according to the West Texas
High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area in El Paso. Only marijuana
seizures were down.

West Texas HIDTA reported the following seizures in pounds as follows:

Cocaine: 3,040 pounds in 2009; 1,115 pounds in 2008.

Heroin: 132 pounds in 2009; 65 pounds in 2008.

Methamphetamine: 67 pounds in 2009; 18.6 pounds in 2008.

Marijuana: 210,854 pounds in 2009; 295,814 pounds in 2008. The High
Intensity Drug Trafficking Area agency coordinates and funds federal,
state and local task forces to disrupt or dismantle drug-trafficking
organizations. Different regions across the United States are
represented by regional HIDTAs.

According to a 2010 Drug Intelligence Center report, cocaine
smuggling routes have shifted due to the increased flow of cocaine to
Europe, tougher enforcement in Mexico, unrelenting drug cartel
violence and U.S. interdiction efforts.

"Conversely, heroin seizures along the Southwest border have been
increasing, most likely as a result of the growing Mexican influence
in heroin production and transportation," the 2010 report said.

Mexican officials said drug dealers in Mexico are also selling more
illegal drugs in the domestic market than in the past, probably
because they are finding it harder to smuggle drugs across the U.S. border.

Drug rehabilitation experts said this is a troubling trend that can
be seen in Juarez, which is ravaged by unprecedented violence, and
where the number of drug addicts (excluding alcohol addicts) surpasses 100,000.

DEA officials said most of the drugs smuggled into the United States
come through Mexico, which is also a producer of heroin and marijuana.

For U.S. border agents, intercepting illegal narcotics is practically
a daily occurrence.

This past week, two El Pasoans with express border crossing
privileges were arrested in two separate busts after U.S. Customs and
Border Protection officers found marijuana in their vehicles.

Officials identified the suspects caught at the Stanton Street
international bridge as Raunice Reyes, 33, and Esther Ivon Navarro, 53.

They were charged with drug smuggling, and their SENTRI status was revoked.

To get a permit under the Secure Electronic Network for Travelers
Rapid Inspection program, applicants must undergo a background check
and pay extra fees.

"We have an absolute zero tolerance policy for violations in the
SENTRI lane, and we maintain the integrity of the program through
random and targeted exams," said William Molaski, U.S. Customs and
Border Protection's El Paso port director.