(2)

	Estimates of Mexico's Share of Drug Trafficking Activity

According to estimates by the Department of State's Bureau for International Narcotics and Law EnforcementAffairs,Mexico is the primary transit point for cocaine entering the United States from South America, and is a majorsourcecountry for heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine. Table 1. Data on ephedrine seizures were provided by the Embassy of Mexico for thereporting period December 1, 1999 to November 30, 2000. (7)
Seizures of cocaine, which many consider to be the key test, were down to 23.2 metric tons in 2000, a 31% decline from theseizures in 1999, and a 12% decline from the average seizures in the previous six years (1994-1999), but roughlyequal tothe performance in recent years except for 1997 and 1999. Seizures of heroin were up to 0.302 metric tons in 2000, a 17% increasefrom 1999, a 31% increase over the 1994-1999 average, and the highest rate in the last seven years except for 1996. Among the key arrests in 2000 were the apprehensions of five members of the Arellano Feliz or Tijuana cartel, with themost important being Ismael "El Mayel" Higuera Guerrero (chief operations officer) and Jesus "Chuy" Labra Aviles(financial manager), and lesser collaborators being Enrique Harari Garduno, Carlos Ariel Charry Guzman, andIsmaelHiguera Avila. Critics argue that Mexican authorities have failed to weed out corruption, to arrest major drug traffickers, to extraditeMexican citizens to the United States on drug-related charges, and to enforce the country's anti-money-launderinglegislation (9) . Following the meeting of Presidents Bush and Fox in Mexicoinmid-February 2001, officials are working to implement this temporary surrender protocol. The U.S. estimate of effective eradication of opium poppy cultivation in 2000 of 7,600 hectares was 4% lower than in1999, and 6% lower than the average effective eradication in the 1994-1999 period. This produced a potential yieldin2000 of only 24 metric tons of opium gum, a 55% decline from 1999, and a new record low. Mexico's Counter-Narcotics Cooperation with the United States

U.S.-Mexico counter-narcotics cooperation increased substantially during the Administration of PresidentZedillo(1994-2000), with the full range of law enforcement, military, and border and drug control agencies being involved. Thepresidentssigned agreements on law enforcement cooperation and implementation of performance measures of effectivenessfor thejoint strategy when President Clinton visited Mexico in mid-February 1999, and the two governments decided inNovember1999 to establish a new interdiction working group under the High Level Contact Group. Officials of Mexico and the United States have also cooperated extensively on United Nations (U.N.) and Organization ofAmerican States (OAS) anti-drug activities in recent years. They worked together with other governments on theagreement of the Inter-American Drug Control Commission (CICAD) in October 1999 to adopt a multilateralevaluationmechanism (MEM) to assess all member countries' counter-narcotics performance, and they participated in the firsttest ofthis system in 2000.
This report provides information on Mexico's counter-narcotics efforts during the six year presidency of Ernesto Zedillo(December 1, 1994 to December 1, 2000) and a short period of the presidency of Vicente Fox (December 1, 2000,to March1, 2001), with special emphasis on calendar year 2000, covered by the State Department's report on internationalnarcoticscontrol.
Share of Traffic. Mexico continued to be the transit point for about 50-65% of the cocaine entering the United Statesfrom South America in 2000, with the uncertain and varying estimates being similar to estimates in recent years. Mexicoalso continued to be a major source country for heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine, and a major center formoneylaundering activities.
Control Efforts. Seizures of cocaine by Mexico in 2000 were down 31% from 1999, and down 12% from the 1994-1999average, which might be viewed as lagging performance. Seizures of opium were down from unusually high levelsin1999, but represented a 32% increase over the 1994-1999 average. Seizures of heroin were up slightly, whileseizures ofmarijuana, methamphetamine, and drug labs were up significantly. Arrests were up slightly in2000, to reach the highestlevels in the last seven years except for 1996, but numerous instances of apparent corruption persist. Severalimportantdrug traffickers were arrested in 2000, including key members of the Arellano Feliz or Tijuana cartel, Ismael "ElMayel"Higuera Guerrero (chief operations officer) and Jesus "Chuy" Labra Aviles (financial manager). While only oneMexicannational was extradited to the United States in 2000 on drug-related charges, a January 2001 ruling by the MexicanSupreme Court, and Mexican Senate approval of the temporary surrender protocol are promising developments. Eradication of opium and marijuana declined somewhat in 2000, but with fewer hectares ofcultivation, the potential yieldof opium declined markedly to a new record low, and the potential yield of marijuana was lower than four of theprevioussix years.
Cooperative Efforts. U.S.-Mexico counter-narcotics cooperation continued at unprecedented levels during the final yearsof the presidencies of Zedillo and Clinton, with the full range of law enforcement, military, border, and drug controlagencies being involved. In the last two years the countries agreed on measures to gauge the effectiveness of thejointanti-drug strategy, they established a new interdiction working group that led to significantly increased maritimeinterdiction cooperation, and they took various cooperative steps to control money laundering activities. They alsocooperated on U.N. and OAS anti-drug activities, including the development and first application of the multilateralevaluation mechanism (MEM) of the Inter-American Drug Control Commission (CICAD) to assess thecounter-narcoticsperformance of all member countries. Following elections in both countries, Presidents Fox and Bush met inMexico inmid-February 2001, and agreed to strengthen law enforcement and counter-narcotics cooperation between thecountries.