Senior U.S. Drug Official Praises Cooperation with Mexico as 'Law Enforcement Wall' Tracy Wilkinson - The Los Angeles Times
go to original March 10, 2017

William Brownfield stressed the importance of working with Mexico in countering the flow of killer drugs, a cooperative effort that has been called into question by U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to build a border wall. (Wochit Politics)

A top U.S. drug official made a strong case for continued cooperation with Mexico on fighting drug-trafficking, saying successful law enforcement already has created a virtual wall.

In a subtle dig at the Trump administration, William Brownfield, the State department's senior diplomat involved in drug policy, said that despite a crisis drug epidemic, the United States and Mexico were in a better position than ever to combat it.

"In a sense, we have developed a law enforcement cooperative wall at this point without actually having the physical construction of a wall," Brownfield said.

Brownfield, assistant secretary of State for international narcotics and law enforcement, spoke to reporters as his agency released the 32nd annual narcotics-control strategy report.

Brownfield said the U.S. and Mexico had developed an extended system of intelligence-sharing and joint operations to counter illegal drug trafficking in the last decade since the beginning of the Merida Initiative, an aid program dedicated to law enforcement and the so-called war on drugs.

Any future efforts, he said, should be coordinated with Mexican authorities. That contrasts with what President Trump often describes as a unilateral approach to stopping drugs from flowing into the country.

Still, Brownfield acknowledged that the U.S. is suffering its worst heroin and opioid crisis in 60 years. Almost all the heroin consumed in the United States — 90% to 94% — comes from Mexico, he said.

Brownfield dodged questions about how possible budget cuts at the State Department would hurt his agency's work. He also had praise for the anti-narcotics trafficking efforts of the United Nations — another potential target of the administration's budget cutting.

Read the rest at The Los Angeles Times

Related: America’s Heroin Epidemic Starts in Mexico (Bloomberg)

Related: Mexico Drug War's Current Status (Mexico Voices)

Related: End Heroin's Devastation in 2017 (Town Hall)

Related: Mexico Drug War and Law of Internal Security: History of Military Involvement, a Perverse Perfect Circle (Mexico Voices)

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