Pubdate: Mon, 28 Dec 2009 Source: Pensacola News Journal (FL) Copyright: 2009 The Pensacola News Journal Contact: http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=OPINION0301 Website: http://www.pnj.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1675 WINNING THE DRUG WAR? As the violence of the brutal drug war ravages Mexico, it underscores growing questions about the damage being done in the United States under modern-day prohibition. At the root of Mexico's problems is rampant corruption -- beyond rampant. It has contaminated the police, the military, the judiciary and the highest reaches of the Mexican government, including even a former "drug czar" charged with fighting the drug war. The Mexican drug lords have recently taken time out from their internecine battles over "turf" to flaunt their power by killing government officials, police and even members of the military. Last week, in one of the most chilling episodes, gunmen broke into the home of a Mexican Navy special forces member, who was killed during a raid that resulted in the death of a drug lord, and murdered his mother and three relatives. The message was clear: No one is safe from drug gangsters so powerful that they dare to attempt to intimidate even the military with cold-blooded murder. For years, critics of the U.S. war on drugs -- which has utterly failed to stop the flow of marijuana and other illicit substances -- have warned that the huge amounts of money generated by the drug trade will fertilize corruption on this side of the border. It's happening. The New York Times reported last week that while the average pay for border agents is $70,000, they can quickly make many times that in bribes. Arrests of Customs and Border Protection officers is up 40 percent -- almost double the 24 percent growth in the agencies' size as the government ramps up efforts to seal the border against illegal immigrants and drugs. One agent, after only months on the job, took in about $200,000 in bribes to let drug-laden vehicles pass. The Times reported that smugglers are even recruiting people to apply for jobs as border agents to take advantage of the increased hiring. According to the FBI, drug-related corruption is a national security threat, because smugglers can also bring terrorism-related items into the country. Prohibition in this country failed because it tried to deny people a product they wanted. But it also spawned crime organizations still operating today. It's time for an open debate in Washington over who, exactly, is winning the war on drugs. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake