Thread: US buys aircraft, technology for Mexican drug war

US buys aircraft, technology for Mexican drug war

By The Associated Press, The Associated Press 1:15 p.m. December 3, 2008

In the first stage of the multi-year Merida Initiative, the U.S. is providing $400 million to Mexico and $65 million to Central America to fight drug gangs. The U.S. State Department says the money will pay for:
“ Helicopters and surveillance aircraft to support interdiction and rapid responses by Mexican law enforcement
“ Non-intrusive inspection equipment, ion scanners and canine units for Mexican customs, the new Mexican federal police and the military to interdict trafficked drugs, arms, cash and persons.
“ Technologies and secure communications systems to improve data collection and storage, thereby ensuring that vital information is accessible to law enforcement agencies.
“ Technical advice and training to strengthen the institutions of justice by: improving vetting for the new Mexican police force, providing case management software to track investigations through the legal process, supporting offices for citizen complaints and professional responsibility, and promoting the establishment of witness protection programs.
“ Equipment, training and community action programs in Central American countries to implement and expand anti-gang measures.

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/ ... ce-120308/

Just imagine what that $465 million could have done to protect our borders and ports.

Mexico has their own damn money for things like that but they just dont want to spend their own money fighting drug cartels. They want America to do it for them.

Close our borders and use that money to protect them. Let Mexico fend for themsleves.

Honestly...reading that list of goodies we are handing over to mexico (with no control how it will be used, since oversight offends mexico ) makes me nauseous! I cannot even begin to think of all the ways that money could have been used in our country.

Seriously, when does the American citizen say "enough!" Your not going to spend MY tax dollars like this anymore! This is OUR money they are giving to mexico!

You can post a comment to an expanded version of this article at the USA TODAY Online site at this link:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008 ... -aid_N.htm

We should give Mexico a nice fence to put along their northern border to keep the drug gangs from smuggling guns from the U.S. into Mexico.
Yea. That's what we'll tell 'em it's for.

With all the corruption in Mexico's law enforcement and military, who wants to bet that the new tech they get will be used to help smuggle even more across the Rio Grande.

Didn't we supply the Mexican government with money and training years ago and those same people we trained are now fighting against us in the war on the border?

Mexican Apache helicopter guns down drug cartel members