Shut off the flow
U.S., Mexico must jointly find a real solution for bringing the drug cartels in check
The United States is in the throes of a drug-abuse crisis that is claiming tens of thousands of lives every year from overdose, ruining countless others through addiction, and fueling property and violent crime. From Albuquerque to New York, from Española to Vermont, no part of the nation has escaped this scourge.
Here in the metro area, the horrific murders of 10-year-old Victoria Martens and police officers Daniel Webster and Gregg “Nigel” Benner are a wake-up call that cannot be ignored. All three killings have ties to drug use — along with the epidemic of carjackings, home break-ins and vehicle thefts we’ve all read about or even experienced ourselves.
And it’s easier than ever to do drugs. Heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana are cheaper, more potent and more plentiful than ever — mostly brought to Americans courtesy of Mexico’s major drug cartels.
As Journal investigative reporter Mike Gallagher detailed in a Journal series, “The Cartels Next Door,” the six major cartels account for about 90 percent of the illegal drugs consumed in the United States, and they generate billions of dollars in profits for these organized crime enterprises.
And while President Donald Trump has correctly identified the cartel problem, he misses on the solution.
A “big beautiful wall” costing billions of dollars might cut the flow of people looking for jobs, but it won’t do much to stop the sophisticated growing, manufacturing and distribution efforts of cartels that rival multinational corporations in size and reach.
Trump also fails to recognize that U.S. and Mexico are tied closely along our southern border. How closely? More than 74 million personal vehicles, 5.5 million tractor trailers and 41 million pedestrians passed through the 48 border crossings and 330 ports of entry in 2015.
Yes, he is right when he says we need a more secure border. The fact that we don’t has scuttled every major immigration reform effort since the overhaul under President Ronald Reagan. While the wall would discourage backpackers who carry contraband across the desert, it would do little to stem the tide that mostly flows across the border crossings in personal vehicles, tractor-trailer rigs, through elaborate tunnels and in the air. Further, that enhanced security has to be implemented keeping in mind the almost $400 billion in trade between our two countries.
While Trump deserves credit for highlighting the cartel problem, many elected Democrats, some of whom barely concede we should have borders at all, have little to say about the cartel topic. It might ruffle political feathers, but the problem won’t go away by ignoring it, and it is a disservice that they do so.
What is needed is high-level statesmanship between the presidents of the U.S. and Mexico with some very frank discussion. To be effective, that effort would need bipartisan support, and Democrats should take to heart that Trump’s positions on this issue helped him get elected. More importantly, they should take note of the damage the flow of drugs is doing to their constituents.
Yes, we need more drug treatment. But that won’t solve this. And we can’t arrest our way out of the problem. You can’t put all the users in jail. And over and over we see stories where drug traffickers are apprehended, sentenced to federal prison to be followed by deportation to Mexico. What does that typically mean for a cartel “soldier” when he returns home? A promotion.
From the Mexican side, officials have arrested 29 of the 34 cartel leaders identified by both U.S. and Mexico law enforcement. They raid hundreds of meth labs, seize a lot of drugs and arrest and extradite a lot of people to the U.S. But others take their place.
Two facts are unassailable: Mexico remains the major exporter of illegal drugs to a drug-hungry country; and the status quo is unacceptable. We need a new approach.
On a global scale, the cartels are too big and powerful for the Mexican government to take down alone. The two countries need to work together to do this. Trump would do well to tamp down the rhetoric and work with Mexico toward a real solution.