Pubdate: Sat, 16 Aug 2008 Source: New York Times (NY) Page: 12, Section A Copyright: 2008 The New York Times Company Contact: http://www.nytimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298 Author: Randal C. Archibold Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/drug+cartels Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/Mexico (Mexico) CRACKDOWN ON SMUGGLERS NEEDED, CHERTOFF SAYS LOS ANGELES -- The rising tide of guns flowing into Mexico from the United States, which is fueling some of the worst drug violence in Mexico in years, can be stopped only by cracking down on smugglers the way federal authorities hobbled the Mafia, the secretary of homeland security, Michael Chertoff, said Thursday. Mr. Chertoff gave that assessment in an interview as he attended a conference here of governors from United States and Mexican border states that ended Friday. With thousands killed in Mexico in the past year as drug cartels battle for turf and supremacy, security along the border remained a major focus of the governors, who were under heavy guard by local, state and federal law enforcement officers. The Mexican governors sought to emphasize the United States' place as the chief recipient of drugs and exporter of weapons. United States officials have estimated that 90 percent to 95 percent of the weapons used in Mexico's drug violence come from the United States. "For Mexico the greatest worry we have in these times like we have never had before in our history is the organized crime problem," said Jose Natividad Gonzalez Paras, the governor of Nuevo Leon. "But we have to make a binational effort, an international effort because the movement of drugs, the drug market, the finances along the length and breadth of the continent goes from South America to Mexico to the United States." The governors on Friday pledged more cooperation among state law enforcement agencies to curb gun trafficking. For example, Arizona and the Mexican state of Sonora across its border, which has experienced heavy fighting among drug gangs, recently signed agreements to share intelligence and use databases to track stolen weapons. Mr. Chertoff spoke briefly at the conference, the 26th such gathering, but, deferring to the wishes of the hosts, steered clear of discussing some of his department's signature projects, like building fences along the border and the record level of deportations, mostly Mexican citizens. In the interview, he said the United States and Mexico were working on penetrating the smuggling organizations, an effort he called vital to dismantling them. Getting inside, Mr. Chertoff said, is particularly important because many of the weapons are bought by middlemen at gun shows and shops and then resold or delivered to the cartels, making them difficult to trace. "If you don't have inside information or intelligence to begin to see who is directing this activity, all you're going to do is wind up arresting one person here, one person there," Mr. Chertoff said, likening such arrests to netting street drug dealers instead of kingpins. But, recalling his days prosecuting organized crime, he added: "I also know it doesn't happen in a month. The cases we built over time took years." The governors, pushed by the conference host, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, highlighted the effort to improve the environment and strengthen economic ties. They floated, among other proposals, the idea of an express toll lane at border crossings to ease congestion into the United States and pay for road and other improvements. "Some people still think of the border only in negative terms," Mr. Schwarzenegger said at the opening ceremony at a theater near Universal Studios Hollywood. He added: "Every time we turn on the TV or pick up the newspaper we are hit by stories about illegal immigrants and the problems they create. We see that all the time. But I also want people to know about the positive stories." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake