Increased Enforcement Disrupts Drug Supply From Mexico, White House Says

Washington Post | October 2, 2007 | Manuel Roig-Franzia

MEXICO CITY, Oct. 1 — Mexico’s crackdown on drug cartels and stepped-up border enforcement have disrupted the flow of illegal drugs and caused cocaine supply shortages in 37 U.S. cities, including Washington, according to a report scheduled for release Tuesday by the White House…Cocaine prices have nearly doubled in some cities and soared from a nationwide average of $95.89 a gram during the first quarter of this year to $118.70 in the second quarter, the report says. Law enforcement officials track drug supply levels in part by monitoring prices…

Larry Birns of the nonprofit Council on Hemispheric Affairs, a critic of U.S. drug policy, dismissed the numbers as “seasonal” blips….

…the Bush administration says it is engaged in reshaping its drug strategy along nearly 2,000 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. The strategic counternarcotics plan, which Walters plans to release Tuesday in San Diego after meeting with state, federal and local law enforcement officials, calls for more efficient distribution of information among U.S. agencies and for U.S. officials to share more information with Mexican law enforcement…the summary also says the United States will increase resources dedicated to stopping drugs at ports of entry along the border by employing “ground-breaking technology and time-tested tactics, such as the use of K-9 units.” The plan also calls for the deployment of more aircraft to “eliminate air travel’s utility to criminals.”

The U.S. plan praises Mexico, saying President Felipe Calderon’s “recent aggressive actions have sent a strong and promising signal.” Mexico destroys most of the opium and marijuana crops there each year…Mexico has been particularly effective at reducing importation of chemicals used to produce methamphetamines…

The impact of reduced cocaine supplies is already being felt, Walters says. Positive results in workplace drug tests have dropped in an “unprecedented” fashion…

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