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RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
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RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
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RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC

198860
2009-03-25 17:51:00
09MEXICO880
Embassy Mexico
CONFIDENTIAL

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RHMFISS/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RHMFISS/CDR USNORTHCOM PETERSON AFB CO
RUEAHLA/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM SNAR KCRM MX
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MEXICO 000880 
 
C O R R E C T E D  C O P Y - CHANGING PARA(S) NUMBERS 7 - 15 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/24/2029 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM SNAR KCRM MX
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR THE FIREARMS-TRAFFICKING 
CONFERENCE, APRIL 1-2  
MEXICO 00000880  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Charles V. Barclay. Reason: 
 1.4 (b), (d). 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: On behalf of the U.S. Mission I would like 
to welcome you to Mexico. The April 1-2 Firearms Trafficking 
and Enforcement Strategy Conference in Cuernavaca is taking 
place at a time when bilateral cooperation on law 
enforcement, has never been stronger. DHS/ICE and DOJ/ATF 
teams at post work closely with their GOM counterparts in 
combating the flow of firearms into Mexico, but with violence 
rising to record levels and large numbers of illegal weapons 
coming from the U.S. feeding it, the GOM continues to press 
for more integrated and coordinated actions on firearms 
trafficking.  The conference will help lay the ground work 
for an improved bilateral strategy against illegal arms 
trafficking. 
 
NARCO-VIOLENCE CONTINUES 
 
2.(SBU)  Drug-related violence continues unabated.  2008 set 
a new record for organized crime-related homicides with 
approximately 6,263 killings, including 525 law enforcement 
and military officials.  The dramatic uptick in violence is 
due to push back by drug traffickers resisting the sustained 
efforts of a very determined Mexican Administration and 
cartel infighting over diminishing operational space; it is 
not the harbinger of failure. 
 
¶3. (C) Fueling Mexico's violence is the illicit flow of 
weapons and ammunition to criminal organizations from the 
U.S. firearms market, as well as munitions from Central 
American military stocks.  While estimates vary regarding the 
percentage of U.S. commercial weapons recovered in Mexico, 
approximately 90 percent of all firearms seized and traced 
are from the United States.  In contrast, at least 90 percent 
of military origin weapons ) such as grenades and light 
anti-tank weapons ) are traced to Central American military 
stocks.  Seizure data also suggests that the weapons sought 
by DTOs have become increasingly higher quality and more 
powerful.  These include the Barrett .50-caliber rifle, the 
Colt AR-15 .223-caliber assault rifle, the AK-47 7.62-caliber 
assault rifle and its variants, and the FN 5.57-caliber 
pistols better known in Mexico as the &cop killer.8 
 
MEETING SECURITY CHALLENGES 
 
4.(U)  Since taking office, President Calderon has launched 
joint military-police counter narcotics operations in more 
than ten states, raised pay for the military, and increased 
the GOM's budget for security and justice.  These initiatives 
have contributed to a large number of arrests, including 
high-level representatives of all the major Mexican cartels. 
On March 23, the Attorney General's Office released a list 
offering 30 million pesos (USD 2.1 million) each for 
information leading to the arrests of 24 drug cartel members 
and 15 million pesos (USD 1 million) for 13 cartel 
lieutenants.  Also in unprecedented fashion, the 
Administration has extradited more than 178 persons to face 
prosecution in the U.S. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Combined military and law enforcement operations 
have resulted in record seizures of drugs, clandestine 
laboratories, weapons, and cash.  Mexican Attorney General 
Medina Mora recently noted that over 33,000 weapons have been 
seized since December 2006; 18,000 of which are assault 
rifles, AK-47, AR-15s. 
 
¶6. (U) The GOM has also begun the more difficult process of 
reforming the institutions of justice, transitioning from a 
written accusatorial to an oral adversarial system of 
justice, vetting and training police, prosecutors and 
jailers,  establishing a new organized crime tribunal and 
aggressively addressing corruption. Such wide-reaching 
actions and enhancements will take time to fully implement, 
but will considerably strengthen GOM security capabilities 
across-the-board. 
 
 
MILITARY TIES IMPROVING 
 
¶7. (SBU) Mexico's military plays a fundamental role in the 
 
MEXICO 00000880  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
fight against organized crime, and in particular 
narco-trafficking.  Both SEDENA and SEMAR, at the direction 
of the President, have devoted significant resources and 
manpower towards drug, firearms and bulk cash interdictions 
and eradication.  Mexico's military is pivotal to both 
Calderon's overall counter-narcotics strategy, and to the 
evolving bilateral security relationship.  The Merida 
Initiative has laid the groundwork for a significantly closer 
military-to-military relationship in coming years and 
Mexico's armed forces have stated their desire to find 
concrete ways to identify ways to further cooperate in 
combating mutual threats while respecting national 
sovereignty. 
 
 
POLITICAL LANDSCAPE 
 
¶8. (SBU) In addition to growing concerns over violence and 
the economy, the president and his party face a hardening 
political environment here in advance of legislative and key 
gubernatorial elections later this year.  In this political 
environment, each of the parties including the governing 
National Action Party (PAN) have assumed a more assertive, 
populist stance.  Comments on the U.S. regarding its 
"responsibility" for Mexico's organized crime problem, and 
calls on the U.S. to solve its own "corruption" problems 
should be viewed in light of the building competition for 
votes, as well as sensitivity about several U.S. reports 
describing Mexico as a potential "failed state."  All three 
of the main political parties in the legislature have their 
eyes on the bellwether 2009 elections, and the Institutional 
Revolutionary Party (PRI), in particular, is expected to make 
gains.  The window of opportunity to effectively cooperate 
with a divided congress on major reform initiatives is 
rapidly closing. 
 
 
THE MERIDA INITATIVE 
 
¶9. (SBU) The Merida Initiative represents an historic 
opportunity for the U.S. and Mexico to demonstrate shared 
resolve in facing up to the challenges posed by organized 
crime across our border.  The U.S. is assisting Mexico this 
year with $400 million in assistance programs earmarked for 
inspection equipment, communications technology, technical 
assistance, training, and helicopters and surveillance 
aircraft.  Rollout of non-intrusive inspection equipment -- 
helpful for the detection and interdiction of trafficked 
drugs, arms, and cash ) - is underway with $40 million for 
Public Security (SSP) and 32.5 million for Customs (SAT). 
 
¶10. (SBU) There have been some complaints from Mexican 
officials (including President Calderon) and in the press 
about delays in program implementation, but there is a smooth 
flow of programs and increasingly close cooperation across 
multiple agencies that is producing an entirely new 
architecture for bilateral security cooperation  There are 
projects which have already begun to bear fruit and most of 
the programs should be underway by the summer, although many 
are long term in nature and will not yield early results. 
 
 
FIREARMS-TRAFFICKING ISSUES 
 
¶11. (SBU) Mexican political leaders are not shy about 
reminding us that U.S. demand for drugs, money laundering, 
and illegal arms flows from our side of the border help fuel 
Mexico's drug war.  With respect to firearms trafficking, the 
GOM has identified a number of areas where they would like 
the U.S. to do more, particularly on our side of the border 
to interdict weapons before they reach Mexico.  Senior GOM 
officials have asked that we be more aggressive in enforcing 
existing laws regarding the sale and exportation of weapons. 
This includes cracking down on &straw purchasers8 who buy 
guns on smugglers, behalf in the United States.  They have 
also pushed for renewing the import ban on semi-automatic 
assault weapons that expired in 2004. 
 
¶12. (SBU) While recognizing the value of E-Trace, some GOM 
officials have expressed frustration that the system only 
traces to the first sale source, but the weapons are often 
 
MEXICO 00000880  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
re-sold multiple times.  Another complaint is with a lengthy 
delay in translating the system into Spanish. 
 
¶13.  The Firearms Trafficking Conference comes on the heels 
of the March 24 announcement of USG plans to beef up federal 
presence along the border.  DHS Secretary Napolitano 
announced that the U.S. would designate 360 more agents to 
the Border Patrol and ICE units along the border, and that 
100 extra agents would be sent to ATF units based along the 
border.  Although the GOM has long complained of Washington's 
"militarization" of the border as a means of stopping illegal 
immigration, the move has drawn praise from senior Mexican 
officials who said the initiative shows a renewed effort from 
Washington to accept responsibility in the nation's drug war. 
 Foreign Relations Secretary Particia Espinosa said the plan 
signified "a new era of cooperation" in fighting the drug 
war, and noted "the determination of both governments to 
stamp out the trafficking of weapons, chemical precursors and 
cash from the United States to Mexico."  Senator Santiago 
Creel from Calderon's National Action Party (PAN) said the 
move is a welcome change from the Bush Administration which 
he said had done "the minimum" in helping to combat organized 
crime. 
 
¶14. (SBU)  The Firearms Trafficking Conference is an 
important opportunity to highlight existing DHS/ICE and 
DOJ/ATF efforts in interdicting the flow of munitions into 
Mexico, as well as identify areas to advance our bilateral 
cooperation on this front.  At the same time, it is important 
to underscore our support for President Calderon's counter 
crime strategy by: 
 
--Acknowledging our shared responsibility to combat the 
illegal narcotics trade, stressing our commitment, and 
ongoing efforts, to stem the illegal flow of firearms into 
Mexico, combat money laundering and reduce demand for 
narcotics in the United States. 
 
--Noting the successes President Calderon has achieved to 
date. 
 
--Supporting his efforts to reform Mexico's security forces 
and criminal justice system. 
 
--Noting the contribution the Merida Initiative will make to 
the considerable resources Mexico is already putting into its 
war on organized crime, and the regional benefits of 
cross-border cooperation against cross-border criminal 
networks. 
 
¶15. (U) Please let me know if there is anything I and my staff 
can do to advance the goals of your visits here.  We look 
forward to your arrival. 
Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity and the North American 
Partnership Blog at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/nap / 
BASSETT