U.S. Role In Mexican Drug War

Unprecedented drug-related violence in Mexico has led to an increase in anti-drug operations by both the United States and Mexican officials. A recent Washington Post report even cited unnamed officials from both countries suggesting that the increased violence in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, has led to closer cooperation on both sides of the border.

The newspaper report sparked a rumor that U.S. agents would be embedded with Mexican law enforcement units as part of the ongoing battle against the Mexican drug cartels. That struck a nerve and led to a statement from Mexico’s interior ministry that reiterated that American drug enforcement agents would not have free reign on Mexican soil.

"I want to absolutely clarify that the United States does not have operations in Mexico, [and] doesn't have field agents from U.S. security forces that are operating in Mexico," U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Carlos Pascual said. "What we have are people who work there as advisers to share intelligence information, something that is absolutely normal between the two sides and something we have done for a long time."

Official statements aside, battling the drug cartels and organized crime in Mexico remains a priority for Mexican and U.S. law enforcement -- but it’s a messy business with a high casualty rate. The Los Angeles Times reports that 9,903 people have been killed in drug-war-related violence in Mexico since January 2007, shortly after the Mexican President Felipe Calderon declared war on drug traffickers.

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