U.S. to change strategy for war on drugs in Mexico

Aid will shift target to corrupt law enforcement and politicians rather than pricy hardware like helicopters

Published May 26, 2010 8:01PM (EDT)

The Obama Administration wants to shift U.S. aid in Mexico away from high-priced helicopters and airplanes and toward reforming Mexico's corrupt law enforcement, courts and politicians.

Most of the $310 million that the Obama Administration seeks for Mexico in its 2011 budget request is aimed at judicial reforms and good governance programs in Mexico rather than on hardware for law enforcement.

Deputy U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobsen outlines the shift in testimony prepared for a Congressional subcommittee hearing on Thursday.

The proposals seem to mark a fundamental change in the way the United States has waged its war on drugs for four decades.


By E. Eduardo Castillo

By Martha Mendoza

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Drugs Latin America Mexico