Money for Mexico drug fight

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On Monday, President Bush announced a $1.4-billion funding request to Congress to help Mexico and Central America fight the powerful drug-trafficking organizations that operate with seeming impunity in the region. The details will be revealed in the coming days, though it’s clear that helicopters, communications equipment and lots of training for Mexican police and judges will be involved.

The request includes $500 million for Mexico. The Mexico City paper Reforma pointed out that the amount is more than half the annual budget of the attorney general’s office but little more than twice as much as the cash seized at my neighbor’s house here in Mexico City — the famous $207-million seizure of alleged drug profits in February at the home of Zhenli Ye Gon, currently facing drug-trafficking charges in the United States.

Posted by Héctor Tobar in Mexico City