III 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 72 

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding drug trafficking in Mexico. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 10, 2009 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. KERRY, Mr. DODD, and Mr. LUGAR) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding drug trafficking 

in Mexico. 

Whereas Mexico is 3 times the size of the State of Texas and 

has a population of approximately 110,000,000 people; 

Whereas Mexico has the 12th largest economy in the world, 

with an annual gross domestic product of just under 

$1,000,000,000,000; 

Whereas Mexico is the 8th largest exporter of crude oil in the 

world and provides approximately 1⁄3 of the oil imported 

by the United States; 

Whereas Mexico is the 2nd largest buyer of exports from the 

United States; 

Whereas Mexico has the largest Spanish-speaking population 

of any country in the world; 


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Whereas there is a tragically consistent demand for heroin, 

marijuana, methamphetamines, and cocaine from drug 

users in the United States; 

Whereas the Government of Mexico is locked in an extremely 

violent struggle against drug trafficking organizations 

that produce and transport narcotics; 

Whereas the drug trafficking organizations in Mexico are well 

organized, heavily armed, and wealthy criminal enterprises, with estimated criminal earnings of more than 

$25,000,000,000 every year; 

Whereas it is estimated that Mexican drug trafficking organizations produce 8 metric tons of heroin and 10,000 metric tons of marijuana each year; 

Whereas, in confrontations with the Government of Mexico 

and with each other, the drug trafficking organizations 

have adopted tactics intended to intimidate the public at 

large, corrupt law enforcement officials, and create a perception of increased violence among the people of Mexico; 

Whereas, in 2008, approximately 6,200 people in Mexico died 

as the result of violence related to drug trafficking, more 

than twice as many as in 2007; 

Whereas drug-related killings continued in Mexico during 

2009, and on February 9, 2009, a total of 35 people were 

killed in drug-related violence in Mexico; 

Whereas drug trafficking organizations in Mexico have brazenly targeted and executed many high-ranking public officials in Mexico; 

Whereas more than 800 police officers and soldiers in Mexico 

have been killed in the line of duty since late 2006; 


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Whereas efforts by the Government of Mexico and the United 

States Government to combat drug trafficking organizations and power struggles between the drug trafficking 

organizations themselves have resulted in growing violence along the 2000-mile border between the United 

States and Mexico; 

Whereas drug-related violence affects cities and towns on 

both sides of the border, as drug trafficking organizations 

from Mexico form partnerships with criminal organizations based in the United States; 

Whereas law enforcement authorities in the United States 

have reported an increase in the number of killings, 

kidnappings, and home invasions linked to Mexican drug 

trafficking organizations in a number of cities in the 

United States, some of which are thousands of miles 

from the Mexican border; 

Whereas a 2008 report by the Department of Justice indicated that Mexican drug trafficking organizations now 

operate in 195 cities in the United States; 

Whereas the 2008 National Drug Threat Assessment by the 

Department of Justice identified drug organizations from 

Mexico as the greatest criminal threat to the United 

States; 

Whereas the Government of Mexico is strengthening the institutions of a democratic state that adheres to the rule 

of law, supports a free press, and is committed to human 

rights; 

Whereas the inauguration of President Felipe Caldero ́n in 

December 2006 represented another step forward in the 

process of strengthening institutions in Mexico; 


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Whereas President Caldero ́n has made defeating drug trafficking organizations a top priority of his administration, 

increasing the security budget of Mexico from 

$2,000,000,000 in 2006 to $4,000,000,000 in 2008 and 

deploying nearly 36,000 federal troops to carry out antidrug operations; 

Whereas the Government of Mexico has undertaken reforms 

that, together with significant changes to the code of 

criminal procedure and the penal code, could transform 

the justice system in Mexico to be more open and transparent, protect human rights, and devote resources to investigating and prosecuting crimes; 

Whereas President Caldero ́n has taken significant steps to 

crack down on corruption within the police forces and 

other government institutions of Mexico; 

Whereas officers of the Government of Mexico have succeeded 

in seizing record quantities of narcotics from drug trafficking organizations; 

Whereas law enforcement officials in Mexico are cooperating 

with law enforcement agencies in the United States at 

unprecedented levels, with Mexico extraditing 83 major 

drug traffickers to stand trial in the United States in 

2007, and another 93 major drug traffickers in 2008; 

Whereas the police and army units of Mexico are often 

outgunned by members of the drug trafficking organizations, who employ heavy machine guns, high-powered assault weapons such as the AK–47, 0.50 caliber sniper rifles, military hand grenades, rocket-propelled grenade 

launchers, and sophisticated technology like night vision 

goggles and communication interception devices; 


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Whereas a large majority of the weapons and ammunition 

used by the drug trafficking organizations come from 

sources in the United States, particularly gun dealers and 

gun shows in Texas, Arizona, and California; 

Whereas approximately 90 percent of all firearms recovered 

at crime scenes in Mexico are illicitly trafficked across 

the border from the United States to Mexico; 

Whereas the people of Mexico and the military and civilian 

officials of the Government of Mexico have demonstrated 

tremendous courage in confronting the drug trafficking 

organizations; 

Whereas the United States Government, along with law enforcement agencies in the United States and Mexico, has 

escalated its efforts to disrupt the trafficking of narcotics, money, people, and arms across the border and to 

combat drug trafficking organizations; 

Whereas the United States Government can and should do 

more to reduce the demand for illegal drugs in the 

United States and stop the illegal exportation of money 

and weapons; 

Whereas the efforts by the United States Government to 

combat trafficking are outlined in the National Drug 

Control Strategy (2008), the Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy (2007), and the U.S. Strategy for 

Combating Criminal Gangs from Central America and 

Mexico (2007); 

Whereas, on October 22, 2007, the United States Government and the Government of Mexico announced a 

multiyear security agreement called the ‘‘Merida Initiative’’, which is intended to combat drug trafficking and 


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other criminal activity along the border of the United 

States and Mexico and in Central America; and 

Whereas Congress has appropriated $465,000,000 for the 

Merida Initiative, allocating to the Government of Mexico 

a total of $400,000,000 in equipment, technical assistance, and training in fiscal year 2008, which is now in 

the process of being delivered: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 

2 (1) Mexico is a key strategic partner of the 

3 United States; 

4 (2) a secure, prosperous, and democratic Mex5 ico is indispensable to the goal of the United States 

6 to have prosperity and peace throughout the Amer7 icas and the world; 

8 (3) the people and the Government of Mexico 

9 have launched a sustained attack on drug trafficking 

10 organizations based in Mexico; 

11 (4) the increasing violence and criminality of 

12 drug trafficking organizations threaten the well13 being of the people of the United States and Mexico 

14 and pose security challenges to cities and towns in 

15 the United States; 

16 (5) drug-related violence is a ‘‘cross-border’’ 

17 problem that requires close cooperation between the 

18 Government of Mexico and the United States Gov19 ernment; 


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1 (6) the United States Government and the Gov2 ernment of Mexico have a shared interest and re3 sponsibility in defeating drug trafficking organiza4 tions, and a comprehensive strategy, jointly con5 ceived and executed, is required for significant 

6 progress to be made; 

7 (7) the Senate applauds and fully supports ef8 forts by President Felipe Caldero ́n, the people of 

9 Mexico, and the Government of Mexico to confront 

10 the drug trafficking organizations, apprehend their 

11 members, and bring them to justice; 

12 (8) the Department of State should— 

13 (A) ensure prompt delivery of the equip14 ment, technical assistance, and training for 

15 which Congress appropriated funds in fiscal 

16 year 2008 as part of the Merida Initiative; 

17 (B) continue to support the Government of 

18 Mexico in its efforts to strengthen institutions 

19 and the rule of law, root out corruption, and 

20 protect human rights; and 

21 (C) ensure full accountability for all assist22 ance and equipment provided by the United 

23 States Government to the Government of Mex24 ico; and 


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1 (9) the United States Government should em2 ploy its broad diplomatic and law enforcement re3 sources, in partnership with the Government of Mex4 ico and governments throughout the Americas, to 

5 defeat drug-related criminal enterprises. 

Æ 


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