John Shaw: “I will make this very simple. Mexico is not a reliable ally in the war on drugs. Continued and pervasive corruption of…”

“I will make this very simple. Mexico is not a reliable ally in the war on drugs. Continued and pervasive corruption of Mexican law enforcement, including its top antidrug official, make the choice clear. A nation with between $10 and $30 billion in annual drug trade, whose law enforcement and government officials are estimated to receive almost half a billion dollars a year in bribes and whose antidrug czar was in the employ of one of Mexico's most wanted drug lords, does not deserve our certification. Our Nation's young people are at risk. If we want to take a strong stand against drug use, then we must not certify a country with the kind of problems we are seeing in Mexico. We cannot close our eyes to the antics of Mexico's drug lords and the complicity of Mexican government officials just for the trade benefits. While Mexican President Zedillo's efforts are encouraging, we need to see some real results. The results will not be forthcoming until the President of Mexico can get the support of the rest of the government with him. Plain and simple: Certification can wait until then.”