( CNN ) -- The United States shares the blame for Mexican drug trafficking and the attendant violence that has killed thousands in the past year alone , Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday . Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Mexico for a series of meetings on the drug crisis and other issues . `` Our insatiable demand for illegal drugs fuels the drug trade , '' she said en route to Mexico City , Mexico , according to pool reports . `` Our inability to prevent weapons from being illegally smuggled across the border to arm these criminals causes the deaths of police officers , soldiers and civilians . So , yes , I feel very strongly we have a co-responsibility . '' Clinton will meet with President Felipe Calderon and other Mexican leaders to discuss bilateral strategies for the drug war . But her aides said she will also make an effort to show that the U.S.-Mexican relationship is not restricted to matters related to drug violence . As Clinton arrived in the Mexican capital Wednesday , a day after the United States unveiled its plan to improve security along the southern border , the United States ' investment in the drug war emerged as a predominant theme . Watch Clinton acknowledge the U.S. role in Mexico 's drug war » . She emphasized that the United States has already appropriated $ 700 million in aid to Mexico , and Congress wants to see how the administration is applying it before sending more . `` We are going to demonstrate that we are spending it in an accountable and effective manner that will assist the Mexicans '' in law enforcement and justice , she said . The United States needs to stop the flow of guns , body armor and night-vision goggles to the cartels , Clinton said . `` When you go into a gunfight or are trying to round up these bad guys and they have military-style equipment that is much better than yours , you start out at a disadvantage . Since we know the vast majority of that comes from our country , we are going to help stop it from getting there in the first place . '' Arturo Sarukhan , Mexico 's ambassador to the United States , called the Obama administration 's willingness to accept co-responsibility `` a very encouraging sign . '' Watch Sarukhan share his thoughts on the U.S. move » . `` I think that the fact that the Obama administration is seized with the importance of this issue is a clear indication that they understand that , to defang the drug syndicates in Mexico , we have to eliminate two of their most powerful sources -- bulk cash from the United States into Mexico and illicit weapons . '' In most instances , local and state police `` are outgunned by the drug syndicates , '' which has necessitated the use of federal forces , he said . The Mexican army arrested a man Mexico calls a top drug cartel chief and four of his bodyguards , the government announced Wednesday . Hector Huerta Rios , also known as `` La Burra '' or `` El Junior , '' was arrested Tuesday in the city of San Pedro Garza Garcia , outside Monterrey in Nuevo Leon state , a little more than 100 miles from Mexico 's border with the United States . The Obama administration announced a crackdown on border violence and on the smuggling of cash and weapons into Mexico on Tuesday , a step that could mark an end to a nasty blame game over where responsibility for the violence lies . Clinton called the fighting `` a terrible law-enforcement problem '' in U.S. cities along the Mexican border , but said it does not yet pose a major threat to overall U.S. security . `` This is more about trying to act proactively , '' she said in an interview with CNN 's Jill Dougherty in Mexico City . `` We need to help them , or we 'll see the results in our own country . `` [ Traffickers ] are distributing these drugs in our country . They 're causing all kinds of criminal activity in our country . It has an effect on us , so we want to prevent it from going any further . '' Clinton will visit a Mexican police base to show U.S. support for the nation 's embattled police force . And she will travel to Monterrey , a thriving industrial town , to meet with students , hold a town-hall meeting with business leaders and visit a clean energy plant . The Defense Department and the director of national intelligence have both warned of the national security threat an unstable Mexico poses to the United States . Congress has seized on the issue , holding eight hearings since coming back into session two months ago . Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano testified at a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on violence along the U.S.-Mexican border Wednesday . Mexico is the United States ' second-largest export market , after Canada , and its third-largest total trade partner . Hundreds of U.S. companies have factories in Mexico , and Mexico is a leading supplier of crude oil to the United States . Clinton noted many Americans have close ties and families in Mexico , adding she honeymooned there . Napolitano and Attorney General Eric Holder are due to visit Mexico soon , to be followed next month by President Obama , before he attends the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago .
NEW : Clinton says fighting does not pose major threat to U.S. security -- yet . Mexico 's U.S. ambassador says not to share an ` ` - sign '' ` ` Our insatiable demand for illegal drugs fuels the drug trade , '' Clinton says in Mexico . U.S. wants to stop flow of guns , body armor , night - vision goggles to cartels , she says .