Pubdate: Sun, 12 Apr 2009 Source: Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, AZ) Copyright: 2009 Arizona Daily Star Contact: http://www.azstarnet.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/23 Author: Terry Goddard Note: Terry Goddard is the Arizona attorney general Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/opinion.htm (Opinion) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Marijuana) GO AFTER CARTELS FROM ALL FRONTS Strong, Comprehensive Federal Leadership Needed to End Border Violence Four months ago, I announced the indictment of 60 people and the breakup of a sophisticated drug-smuggling organization that in the past five years brought 2 million pounds of marijuana with a wholesale value approaching $1 billion across the Mexican border into Arizona. Operation Tumbleweed provided a textbook example of what law enforcement can accomplish when local, state and federal resources -- 85 agents from eight agencies in this case -- join forces in a criminal investigation. But it also underscored the magnitude of drug-smuggling operations across the border and the strength of the massive criminal organizations running them. The people we indicted and arrested were part of one branch of one cartel. It would be naive to think that those 60 were not soon replaced or that any fewer drugs are being smuggled today into the United States. In the past month, the border crisis finally made its way to the federal government's front burner. The Obama administration's recent plan to combat organized crime in Mexico and prevent more spillover violence into the United States is encouraging. It will provide needed equipment and other resources for Mexican law enforcement. It will sharply increase the number of federal agents on the Mexican border, increase intelligence capabilities and provide new crime-fighting technology. These are intelligent steps, but they are not nearly enough. A much broader and better integrated federal commitment is urgently needed to dismantle the criminal organizations and restore the rule of law. A History of Violence Our nation's frustration with spillover border violence goes back a long way. In 1916, Mexican revolutionary Francisco "Pancho" Villa led a raid into Columbus, N.M., that left 18 Americans dead. President Wilson responded by sending Gen. John "Black Jack" Pershing and 10,000 U.S. troops into the rugged mountains of northern Mexico to capture Villa. In nearly a year of searching, they never found him. We are facing a far more serious border crisis today. Arizona sits at the center of this storm, but the cartels distribute drugs in more than 230 cities across the United States and operate with as much bloody violence as any terrorist organization. Today's border is not just a line in the desert sand; it is a virtual border that extends far into our country, and crimes associated with it threaten citizens in every state. Further complicating this border crisis is the fact that crimes move in both directions. Drugs and humans are smuggled from south to north, while illegal traffic in weapons and money runs north to south. The cartels do a robust business in all four areas. Major Marijuana Market Drugs are clearly their biggest revenue source, led by marijuana. The cartels deal in other drugs, but marijuana accounts for an estimated 65 percent of their revenue. Because it fuels so much of the violence, many thoughtful people want to revisit the question of legalizing marijuana. While I do not favor legalization, I think all options should be on the table for debate. Legalizing marijuana could reduce illegal trafficking, but I fear it would create a new set of problems. How much THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is acceptable in the bloodstream of a school-bus driver? I say none. I also believe that marijuana's well-established role as a gateway drug could lead to increased use of other illegal drugs. The United States must do more to curb our insatiable demand for drugs. For too long, we have focused on suppression and interdiction with little success. Reducing demand for drugs requires coordinated drug-enforcement, prevention and treatment efforts. That's a very tall order, but we have some recent success to draw on. The Arizona Meth Project has led to a nearly 50 percent reduction in teen methamphetamine use in only two years. Human Trafficking The entry of undocumented immigrants into the United States is controlled by the cartels, which have turned human smuggling into a multibillion-dollar-a-year business. The cartels have pushed aside most independent coyotes and established efficient logistical networks. Human trafficking is increasingly related to other crime, including rape and murder. The nation-leading number of kidnappings in Phoenix - -- more than 750 in the past two years -- is directly connected to human smuggling. The cartels are heavily armed. In many cases, they have more firepower than the Mexican military or police. Because of Mexico's strict gun laws most of the cartels' weapons come from the United States. Most are smuggled across our border, facilitated by a large number of traffickers. The fourth criminal activity is the illicit movement of money. Choking off the flow of funds is the most effective way to disrupt any organized crime. In Arizona, we have intercepted more than $17 million in wire transfers and arrested more than 100 smugglers. But this work could be done much more productively on the federal level. We need coordinated regulation of money transmitters and currency-exchange businesses on both sides of the border. Addressing each of these criminal activities effectively demands a more comprehensive strategy. Our country's response so far has been too segmented. Task forces have been assembled with good results, but we need stronger federal leadership and greater collaboration among agencies. The best way to stop more violence from spilling over the border into the United States is by doing all we can to strengthen Mexico's attack on the cartels. It is clearly in our national security interest to assist Mexico's military and law-enforcement efforts. We must work more closely with our Mexican counterparts on binational investigations, intelligence gathering and analysis. We also need to help Mexico's nascent program to stamp out official corruption and reform its judicial system and police agencies. The border crisis can be resolved, but not without a highly coordinated response led by the federal government. To achieve a tipping point in this fight, the United States needs to move rapidly on several fronts. The drug cartels are strong, but they are not invincible. Working in close partnership with Mexico, the rule of law can be restored and the safety of both Mexican and American citizens secured. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake