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Mexico, U.S. must unite to fight trafficking - Calderon

© RIA Novosti . Yury NikolaevMexican President Felipe Calderon
Mexican President Felipe Calderon  - Sputnik International
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Mexican President Felipe Calderon has called for the U.S. and Mexican governments to unite in the struggle to combat arms and drug trafficking, two major threats facing the Latin American state and its northern neighbor.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has called for the U.S. and Mexican governments to unite in the struggle to combat arms and drug trafficking, two major threats facing the Latin American state and its northern neighbor.

The statement came on Tuesday during a meeting between Calderon, local authorities and the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Carlos Pascual. The meeting took place in the Mexican-U.S. border city of Ciudad Juarez, a major drug trafficking hub.

Ciudad Juarez is one of the world's most violent cities and has an average of 130 killings per 10,000 residents every year. Drug-related violence has been on the increase in recent years. On Saturday, three U.S. consulate officials, including two U.S. citizens, were shot dead in the city. A total of 500 people have been killed in Ciudad Juarez since the start of 2010, and over 100 during the past week.

"The wave of violence and killings, which has overwhelmed the city, has been caused by the fact that this is a major drugs supply route to the U.S., which in turn is supplying huge quantities of arms to drugs cartels in Mexico," Calderon said during the meeting.

"We should bear joint responsibility and coordinate the activities of our countries' law enforcement agencies and special services," he added.

Annual supplies of Latin American drugs to the U.S. are estimated to be worth around $40 billion. Some 50,000 servicemen have been involved in anti-drugs operations at the border between the two countries. There are also 6,000 troops and 2,000 federal police officers stationed in Ciudad Juarez.

Mexico and the U.S. already work together to fight drug trafficking through the Merida Initiative project. The initiative has been widely criticized for yielding no significant results, despite huge investments. Russia has also repeated its offers to help Mexico fight drug crime.

Many other areas of Mexico have also suffered from the rise in drug-related violence.

Last week, 13 people died in turf wars of local criminal groups in the city of Acapulco, a major Mexican tourist resort some 300 kilometers (190 miles) southwest of the capital. The city has recently hosted bloody infighting between rival drug cartels.

Calderon declared the fight against drug crimes his topmost priority after taking power in 2006. The high profitability of the drugs trade has, however, hampered government efforts.

According to the Mexican Secretary of Public Security, Genaro Garcia Luna, 1 kg (2.20 pounds) of cocaine costs $2,198 in Colombia, the world's main producer. The price increases to $12,500 in Mexico and $97,400 in the U.S.

MEXICO CITY, March 17 (RIA Novosti)

 

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