U.S. Invests $1.5 Mil in Mexican Law Enforcement Partnership Years after Similar Project Failed

Despite the failure of a multi-billion-dollar endeavor to combat transnational crime, drug trafficking and money laundering by partnering with notoriously corrupt law enforcement agencies in Mexico the United States is investing more money in a similar program in the hopes of creating a more solid partnership with the poorly qualified Mexican institutions. Much like the last delusional project—known as the Merida Initiative—the goal is to fight organized crime and violence by improving the effectiveness of frontline police and prosecutors in Mexico through the elimination of “critical gaps” in key areas that impact the success of detentions, seizures and prosecutions. This includes enhancing basic law enforcement procedures such as the handling of evidence, report writing and legal interoperability, according to a grant announcement issued this month by the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

Up to $1.5 million will be spent on the new Mexican partnership, which also aims to teach special unit officers in the Latin American nation run by drug cartels to consistently document evidence in accordance with legal standards and to regularly conduct joint investigations that disrupt transnational criminal networks with their U.S. counterparts. The American taxpayer funds will also help train Mexican prosecutors to consistently prepare charges that align with criminal law standards, organize evidence for effective court proceedings and collaborate with U.S. law enforcement counterparts to support cross-border investigations and prosecutions. The State Department claims the project will advance U.S. national interests and directly support the security of the United States since it will “enhance Mexico’s ability to combat cartel-related crime, reduce impunity, and disrupt transnational criminal networks that threaten U.S. and regional security.” The effort reflects the America First commitment to “strategic partnerships that deliver concrete results for the American people while advancing mutual security interests with Mexico,” according to the grant document.

Since the mid-2000s Uncle Sam has given Mexico billions of dollars in security and counternarcotics assistance as record amounts of drugs, including methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and other illicit narcotics enter the country through the southern border and cartel violence spills into American communities in the region. Most of the money flowed through the futile Merida Initiative, a costly partnership between the U.S. and Mexico to fight organized crime and associated violence by, among other things training police, investigators, prosecutors and implementing justice sector reforms in Mexico’s unreliable system. Congress appropriated $2.5 billion for the Merida Initiative, which also paid for basic law enforcement courses for Mexican police such as crime investigation, criminal intelligence, tactics and firearms, forensics, and training to combat gangs, human trafficking, money laundering and kidnapping. Anti-corruption courses were also handsomely funded under the Merida Initiative, which ran from 2008 to 2021 and barely put a dent on the cartel drug-trafficking crisis. In a report published in the fall of 2021, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) wrote that “escalating violence in Mexico and drug overdose deaths in the United States have led many to question the Mérida Initiative’s overall efficacy.” The CRS, which conducts official research for Congress, also found that “impunity for public corruption continues in Mexico.”

Which brings us to this month’s $1.5 million allocation to improve the effectiveness of Mexican law enforcement, an effort that is unlikely to thrive considering the U.S. has already poured a lot of money into the cause with little success. In fact, a federal audit released to the public in 2021 determined that Merida Initiative funds were provided to individuals and organizations involved in contract fraud, human rights abuses, drug trafficking and other crimes. The State Department never bothered to assess the potential risks of fraud in its Merida programs, according to the probe conducted by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress. This month’s grant document states the obvious; that Mexican law enforcement and prosecutorial units face complex challenges in combating organized crime, particularly cartel activity. Resource constraints and the need for professional development present the U.S. with “ongoing opportunities” to strengthen our southern neighbor’s legal and investigative processes, the State Department writes, omitting that we have tried in vain before and it cost American taxpayers billions of dollars.