Dan Burton: “let me just say that there is enough blame to go around. Obviously we do have a consumption problem here in the United…”

“let me just say that there is enough blame to go around. Obviously we do have a consumption problem here in the United States, but a major part of the responsibility for the drug problem in America rests in Mexico, and for people to deny that and say that it is all our problem is in my opinion a ludicrous argument. Let me just give you some facts: Seven hours after the President's certification of Mexico was made public Mexico's attorney general issued a statement that its own senior officials had allowed Humberto Garcia Abrego, a reputed money launderer and brother of convicted drug kingpin Juan Garcia Abrego, to walk free from police custody. They waited until the certification took place, and then they released this known drug dealer. Thomas Constantine, the administrator of the U.S. DEA said on February 25, ``Historically, corruption has been a central problem in DEA's relationship with counterparts. In short, there is not,'' now get this, ``In short, there is not one single law enforcement institution in Mexico with whom DEA has an entirely trusting relationship,'' not one in all of Mexico. According to the DEA, 70 percent of the cocaine entering the United States comes across the Mexican-American border, and that is up from 50 percent just about 3 or 4 years ago, a huge increase. Despite an apparent increased level of production in transit, Mexico's cocaine seizures in 1996 are less than half of what they were 5 years ago.”