Corruption hampers Mexicos battle against drugs


Earlier this week, US President Barack Obama met in Mexico with President Felipe Calderon and the Canadian prime minister, Stephen Harper. The president praised what he described as Mexicos courageous effort to combat drug trafficking and drug violence and spoke about how improved coordination between the Mexican military and local police officers would help in the fight. One of the biggest problems the federal government in Mexico is confronting in its war on drugs is police corruption. This week, in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey, officials ordered the municipal police not to sit in parked patrol cars observing traffic because they suspect those police are actually spying for the drug cartels. Andres Martinez, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation, joins Martin Savidge to discuss the Americas summit, the drug war and the US commitment to Mexico. worldfocus.org