The White House on Tuesday released a plan to deal with drug-related violence in Mexico, sending 500 more agents to the U.S.-Mexico border and for the first time addressing the problem of U.S.-made guns being smuggled south by violent drug cartels.
The multi-agency effort puts more federal personnel on the border to conduct inspections of Mexico-bound vehicles for weapons and money from drug sales. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will send 100 employees to the border within the next 45 days to fortify Project Gunrunner, a program that has already resulted in the seizure of thousands of weapons and criminal cases against 1,500 people.
Last year, more than 6,000 people died in drug-related violence in Mexico, and the situation has intensified as Mexican police and soldiers battle drug cartels for control of Mexico's border cities. This year, more than 1,000 people have been killed — primarily police officers, soldiers and traffickers.
Officials are concerned that the violence could spill over to the U.S. side of the border, though border officials in Texas said that has not happened, so far.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said she has not yet decided if she will send the National Guard to the Texas and Arizona borders, as the states' governors have requested. She said she will discuss the matter Thursday with Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is scheduled to meet Wednesday with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, and the drug war is expected to be high on their agenda.
Tuesday's announcement included an outline of how $700 million approved by Congress to aid Mexico will be spent. The money was approved under the Merida Initiative, a Bush era security pact between the U.S., Mexico and countries in Central America.
The money will pay for five helicopters for the Mexican army and air force, and a surveillance aircraft for the Mexican navy.
The money will also provide information technology so Mexican prosecutors and law enforcement officers can communicate securely; provide training for implementation of Mexico's new legal system; and help develop a witness protection program.
On the U.S. side, the administration said that $5 billion was committed last year for drug abuse initiatives.
The Obama administration plans to focus efforts on integrating substance abuse services into national health care systems with early screening, diagnosis and intervention as regular preventative medicine to reach the millions of patients who need treatment, and as a means to prevent millions more from becoming dependent.
From NPR and wire service reports.
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