Mexico Drug War

The president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, has recently deployed more than 40,000 soldiers and federal police in the areas controlled by or hardest pressed by drug trafficking gangs, who are battling for control of Mexican street sales and control of smuggling routes to U.S. consumers. Michoacan may be one of the hardest states hit: Interior Minister Fernando Gomez Mont said the government was sending 1,500 police, 2,500 soldiers, and 1,500 navy personnel to the western state. Also, the so-called Merida Initiative has the Obama administration requiring the certification on Mexico's human rights record for full disbursement of the $1.4 billion worth of military equipment and training for the drug war promised Mexico under .Gangland violence has killed some 12,000 people since the crackdown began when Calderon took office in December 2006.

Criminalizing money laundering is another key element in the war, but so far, Mexico has fallen short. An International Monetary Fund report published in January found Mexican authorities have only made 25 convictions for money laundering since in 1989 and Mexican law does not allow for the quick freezing of traffickers’ assets. In short, Mexican money laundering laws do not meet international standards and many cases are not properly investigated.