Mexican Drug Effort Placates U.S. Official

U.S. drug czar Barry McCaffrey said Thursday that he is confident Mexico is building an anti-drug program that can be trusted, despite scandals that have exposed corruption among top officials.

At the end of a 24-hour visit to Mexico, McCaffrey told The Associated Press that he had asked U.S. anti-drug officials here about Mexico’s drug-fighting program, and came away satisfied.

“I just sat down and listened to the DEA officers in the embassy, and I’ve listened to all the Mexican officials, and it is clear to me that there are (Mexican) police units that we are working with actively and trust,” he said.

McCaffrey noted that a “painful public debate” had just concluded in Congress after President Clinton recertified Mexico as an ally in the drug war despite Mexico’s arrest of its drug czar on corruption charges.

Gen. Jesus Gutierrez Rebollo was arrested in February on charges of being in the pay of a leading cocaine trafficker.