Strengthening Drug Control Cooperation with Mexico

[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 10, 1996)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 16039-16042]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-9113]





                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 70 / Wednesday, April 10, 1996 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 16039]]

                 Memorandum of April 8, 1996

                
Strengthening Drug Control Cooperation with 
                Mexico

                Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and 
                Agencies

                This memorandum is to direct actions that will be taken 
                by executive departments and agencies to improve the 
                effectiveness of United States-Mexico drug control 
                cooperation.

                The Seriousness of the Drug Trafficking Threat to the 
                United States and Mexico:

                Drug abuse and drug trafficking pose enormous threats 
                to the American and Mexican people. The health of our 
                youth and the safety of our neighborhoods are at stake. 
                The powers of our democratic institutions and of our 
                law enforcement organizations are challenged by 
                international criminal organizations that operate 
                seamlessly across our borders. Multi-ton quantities of 
                cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and now methamphetamine, 
                find their way to American streets far from our 
                borders, much of it having come across our common 
                border.

                A Joint United States-Mexico Commitment to Confront 
                Drug Trafficking:

                On March 1, I certified to the Congress that the 
                Government of Mexico cooperated fully to comply with 
                the objectives of the 1988 United Nations Convention 
                Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and 
                Psychotropic Substances. President Zedillo and I have 
                agreed to mount a sustained offensive against drug use, 
                production, and trafficking organizations. We will 
                arrest and bring drug traffickers to justice. We will 
                make it more difficult for illegal profits to be 
                laundered, and we will seize drug assets at every 
                opportunity. We will work together to stop the illegal 
                diversion of chemicals for drug manufacturing, and 
                improve our capabilities to stop drugs at our border. 
                To coordinate our efforts, Mexico and the United States 
                formed a High Level Contact Group on Drug Control, 
                which met for the first time March 27 in Mexico City. 
                That group will continue indefinitely. It will meet 
                next at the end of June in the United States, and 
                thereafter in December, in Mexico.

                A United States Plan of Action for Increased 
                Cooperation With Mexico:

                This directive prescribes specific measures that will 
                be taken to accomplish these shared objectives; 
                measures that will increase the effectiveness of the 
                counter-drug cooperation between our two governments.

                1. Quantifying the Drug Trafficking Threat to Our Two 
                Nations

                A prerequisite for more effective bilateral action is a 
                shared and objective assessment of the level of drug 
                production, trafficking activities, and the threat of 
                corruption in both countries.

                In order to establish a common view of the problem, the 
                Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) will 
                coordinate other United States Government agencies in 
                order to work effectively with officials designated by 
                President Zedillo to produce a white paper that 
                comprehensively describes the threat posed by 
                cultivation, production, and trafficking of drugs such 
                as cocaine, heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine, and 
                diversion of pharmaceuticals such as rohypnol, in both 
                the United States and Mexico. Particular attention will 
                be paid to drug trafficking activities across the 
                Southwest border.
                
[[Page 16040]]


                This report will be presented to the U.S.-Mexico High 
                Level Contact Group on Drugs during its next meeting in 
                June.

                2. Developing a Joint Drug Control Strategy

                We need a strategy to provide general guidance and 
                specific direction to the efforts of the departments 
                and agencies of our two countries.

                I have directed the Director of National Drug Control 
                Policy to expeditiously develop a binational drug 
                control strategy in conjunction with the Government of 
                Mexico. The strategy must increase the security and 
                integrity of our shared border, while respecting the 
                sovereign rights of each nation.

                3. Reducing the Demand for Illegal Drugs in Our Two 
                Countries

                Prevention and treatment programs have contributed to a 
                marked reduction in the number of drug users in the 
                United States in the past decade. The number of casual 
                drug users has dropped by almost half and the number of 
                cocaine users by over a third. Mexico, likewise, has 
                enjoyed positive results in its drug prevention 
                programs. Both the United States and Mexico stand to 
                benefit by sharing information on demand reduction 
                programs that work.

                The Office of National Drug Control Policy will 
                organize multi-agency United States Government efforts 
                to exchange expertise with appropriate organizations 
                within the Mexican Government for information on 
                successful reduction programs.

                In the interests of enriching bilateral information 
                exchange, U.S. agencies should take steps to ensure 
                that the Mexican Government receives copies of relevant 
                public reports and published studies relating to drug 
                abuse education, trafficking patterns, money 
                laundering, and so forth. The two governments will also 
                work jointly to develop a protocol for exchange of more 
                sensitive information.

                4. Assessing U.S. Counter-drug Programs Along the 
                Southwest Border

                The increasing two-way trade between our nations must 
                not be permitted to be used as a cover for drug 
                trafficking.

                I have directed the Departments of the Treasury, 
                Justice, Defense, and other relevant agencies to 
                conduct a comprehensive review of all Federal, State, 
                and local efforts to prevent drug trafficking across 
                the Southwest border.

                This review will be coordinated by the Office of 
                National Drug Control Policy. It will also consider 
                bilateral measures that can be taken to decrease the 
                flow of drugs across the Southwest border. The results 
                of this review shall be submitted to the President's 
                Council on Counter-Narcotics within 180 days.

                5. Attacking Methamphetamine Production and Trafficking

                Methamphetamine has become the drug of choice in 
                California and is becoming more common across the rest 
                of the United States. Clandestine labs in both 
                countries produce tons of this dangerous drug. The 
                Department of Justice (DOJ) has just developed a 
                concept to address domestic consumption, production, 
                and trafficking of methamphetamine.

                The Department of Justice will continue to lead the 
                U.S.-Mexico Plenary Group of Senior Law Enforcement 
                Officials to produce a binational and interagency 
                methamphetamine strategy. The DOJ will make regular 
                reports to the High Level Contact Group through ONDCP 
                of the progress and plans that result from the working 
                sessions, and will report methamphetamine 
                accomplishments at the next meeting of the High Level 
                Contact Group.

                6. Controlling Essential and Precursor Chemicals

                Essential and precursor chemicals for the manufacture 
                of all types of illegal drugs must be more carefully 
                controlled.

                The Department of Justice will continue to lead the 
                U.S.-Mexico Plenary Group of Senior Law Enforcement 
                Officials to produce a binational and

[[Page 16041]]
                interagency strategy and action plan for chemical 
                controls not included in the methamphetamine action 
                plan. The DOJ will make regular reports on plans and 
                progress through ONDCP to the High Level Contact Group.

                7. Combating Money Laundering and Other Financial 
                Crimes

                Drug trafficking organizations are profit oriented. 
                Their illicit gains must be converted into legal 
                instruments if the profit is to be realized. Money 
                laundering is an essential component of the drug 
                trafficking cycle.

                Working through the U.S.-Mexico Plenary Group of Senior 
                Law Enforcement Officials, the Departments of State, 
                Justice, and the Treasury will develop recommendations 
                for strengthening legislation to combat drug and other 
                serious crime-related money laundering activities in 
                Mexico through a combination of criminal penalties, 
                large value and suspicious transaction reporting, as 
                well as laws providing for the seizure and forfeiture 
                of the proceeds and instrumentalities of crime and for 
                international cooperation in the tracing, forfeiting, 
                and equitable sharing of such assets. In addition, the 
                Departments that comprise the Plenary Group will 
                produce a plan for training anti-money-laundering law 
                enforcement specialists, and a plan to expand the 
                exchange of information to protect the integrity of 
                financial institutions. They will report progress and 
                plans through ONDCP to the High Level Contact Group.

                A report on progress achieved in this area will be 
                presented to the U.S.-Mexico High Level Contact Group 
                on Drugs during its next meeting in June.

                8. Improving Bilateral Law Enforcement Cooperation

                Bilateral U.S.-Mexican law enforcement cooperation is 
                at an historic high. However, more can be done.

                The U.S.-Mexico Plenary Group of Senior Law Enforcement 
                Officials will continue to be the principal 
                coordinating mechanism for bilateral law enforcement 
                cooperation. The Department of Justice will continue to 
                lead that Group. The DOJ will make regular reports to 
                the High Level Contact Group through ONDCP of the 
                progress and plans that result from the working 
                sessions, and will report law enforcement cooperation 
                accomplishments at the next meeting of the High Level 
                Contact Group. The basic principle to be followed is 
                that coordination will be facilitated at the lowest 
                possible echelons and produce measurable results.

                Recommendations from the Plenary Group will also be 
                presented to the U.S.-Mexico High Level Contact Group 
                on Drugs during its next meeting in June.

                9. Capturing Fugitives from Justice

                The principle that no felon should be able to escape 
                justice by using a border defines the joint U.S.-Mexico 
                approach to fugitive issues.

                The Department of Justice, operating through the U.S.-
                Mexico Plenary Group of Senior Law Enforcement 
                Officials will improve the mechanism for return of 
                fugitives from one country to the other. Those 
                mechanisms will fully respect the absolute sovereignty 
                of each nation's laws.

                The DOJ will make regular reports to the High Level 
                Contact Group through ONDCP of the progress and plans 
                that result from the Plenary Group sessions, and will 
                report law enforcement cooperation accomplishments at 
                the next meeting of the High Level Contact Group.

                10. Sharing Information and Helping Criminal 
                Prosecution

                We must assure that criminals do not escape punishment 
                because of an inability to investigate or produce 
                evidence for trial.

                The U.S.-Mexico Plenary Group of Senior Level Law 
                Enforcement Officials will produce recommendations for 
                both countries to improve access to law enforcement and 
                prosecutorial evidence and information. The Group will 
                report its progress at the June meeting of the High 
                Level Contact Group.
                
[[Page 16042]]


                11. Denying Our Sovereign Territory to Drug Trafficking

                International drug trafficking organizations routinely 
                violate the sovereign air, land, and sea space of 
                nations. We must find ways to shield our sovereign 
                territories from these criminal violations.

                The ONDCP will coordinate an interagency effort to 
                develop unilateral and bilateral measures to prevent 
                drug traffickers from violating our sovereignty. Such 
                measures must fully respect the undisputed sovereign 
                authority of each government within its national 
                territory. Participating departments will include 
                Justice, State, the Treasury, and Defense. Particular 
                attention will be paid to large shipments of illegal 
                drugs to Mexico and the United States.

                An interim report will be presented to the U.S.-Mexico 
                High Level Contact Group on Drugs during its next 
                meeting in June.

                12. Employing High Technology

                Mexico eradicated more drug crops than any other 
                country in the world in 1995. The United States, 
                likewise, has pursued a nationwide eradication effort. 
                Technical exchanges, in such areas as use of high 
                technology and environmental protection, will benefit 
                the eradication programs of both countries.

                The ONDCP will coordinate an interdepartmental study on 
                these issues. The study will be conducted in 
                conjunction with the Government of Mexico. The 
                Departments of Defense and State, and other relevant 
                U.S. agencies will participate in this study.

                Specific recommendations will be submitted to the U.S.-
                Mexico High Level Contact Group on Drugs within 180 
                days.

                13. Summarizing Success

                The Director of the Office of National Drug Control 
                Policy is directed to submit a review of the results of 
                cooperative U.S.-Mexico efforts against drug production 
                and trafficking to the President's Council on Counter-
                Narcotics, prior to December 31, 1996.

                This memorandum shall be published in the Federal 
                Register.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    Washington, April 8, 1996.

[FR Doc. 96-9113
Filed 4-9-96; 11:46 am]
Billing code 3180-02-P