Pubdate: Tue, 16 Aug 2005
Source: Brownsville Herald, The (TX)
Copyright: 2005 The Brownsville Herald
Contact: http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/contact.php
Website: http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1402
Author: Sergio Chapa

WAR ON DRUGS PUSHING METH LABS SOUTH OF THE BORDER

MEXICO CITY -- The shutdown of thousands of methamphetamines labs in the 
United States along with stricter laws regulating household items that can 
be used to make the narcotic have pushed production south of the border.

The synthetic drug, which produces a strong euphoria and addiction among 
its users, has exploded in the last five years as its use popularity moves 
from California, Texas and the Midwest to the East Coast.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) figures show that American law 
enforcement officials have shut down or identified more than 73,000 labs 
and chemical dump sites in the United States since 2000.

At the same time, more than 20 states have passed laws that regulate the 
sale of over-the-counter medication that contains pseudoephedrine, the main 
chemical used to make methamphetamines or "meth."

Texas joined those states on Aug. 1 requiring pharmacists and retailers to 
keep products containing the chemical secure in addition to keeping logs of 
each purchase.

Despite frequent seizures and stronger legislation, DEA reports show that 
consumption of methamphetamines has not subsided, pushing an ever-growing 
percentage of production into Mexico where it can be made cheaply and 
smuggled easily into the United States.

"Methamphetamines production has moved south,A" said Ray D'Alessio with the 
DEA's Houston Regional Office. "Mexican drug traffickers already have 
established transportation routes and markets for cocaine and marijuana."

DEA reports show that as much as 80 percent of all methamphetamines used in 
the United States is made in Mexico.

Intelligence reports show that Mexican manufacturers buy pseudoephedrine 
tablets in large shipments from China, Panama, India and other nations to 
make inexpensive and highly pure forms of methamphetamines.

D'Alessio said the key areas of meth production in Mexico are the states of 
Baja California, Jalisco, Michoacan, Morelos and Guerrero where "super 
labs" can produce more than 10 pounds of the drug in one 24-hour cycle 
almost undisturbed.

Once packaged, methamphetamines is most commonly placed in hidden 
compartments of passenger vehicles and then smuggled into the United States 
through international bridges or other land-based ports of entry.

DEA figures show that methamphetamine seizures along the U.S./Mexico border 
dramatically increased from 14 pounds in 1992 to 3,820 pounds in 2003.

Although California and Arizona remain the top entry points, DEA reports 
show that a growing appetite for methamphetamines along the East Coast has 
brought increased amounts of the drug through Texas.

In 2003, customs agents seized a record 1,067 pounds of meth at the Lone 
Star State's 24 international bridges.

DEA intelligence reports show that Mexican authorities are poorly trained 
to detect or limit the production of methamphetamines or prevent it from 
entering the United States.

Of the 10 meth labs seized by Mexican authorities in 2002, a DEA report 
shows that almost all of the seizures were made as a result of explosions 
from dangerous chemical reactions or persistent complaints of foul odors.

U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza said American federal agents are 
working with their Mexican counterparts to stem the flow of 
methamphetamines and other illegal drugs before they enter the United States.

"The environment for cooperation here in Mexico is much better than it has 
ever been," Garza told The Brownsville Herald. "The Fox administration is 
very committed as was (President) Cedillo to opening the lines of 
communication."

D'Alessio said part of that communication includes intelligence sharing, 
conducting joint investigations and training Mexican prosecutors and law 
enforcement officials about the production and distribution of meth.

DEA figures show the cooperation between American and Mexican officials has 
produced some results in the war against methamphetamines.

According to the U.S. State Department's 2005 International Narcotics 
Control Strategy Report, Mexican authorities seized 1,300 pounds of 
methamphetamines in 2004 compared to 211 pounds in 1998.

Figures obtained from the DEA's office in Mexico City show that authorities 
from both sides of the border have monitored the movements of more than 567 
million pseudoephedrine tablets in Mexico since January.

Depending on the method of extraction, the tablets could have potentially 
been used to produce 52,000 pounds of methamphetamines with an estimated 
street value of $307.9 million.

DEA figures show that Mexican authorities seized more than 97 million of 
those tablets after learning they were destined to produce methamphetamines.

The seizures are reportedly among the largest attempts to control meth 
production in Mexico by disrupting the flow of its ingredients.
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MAP posted-by: Beth