U.S., Mexico working on counter-drug plan

“The Bush administration will propose providing Mexico with about $1.5 billion to help Mexico combat rampant drug trafficking over several years, with Mexico expected to contribute another $7 billion to the plan, a top Pentagon official said Tuesday.

The U.S. aid will include helicopters and other equipment plus training for Mexican security forces, but no U.S. troops will be deployed to Mexico said Stephen Johnson, deputy assistant secretary for the Western Hemisphere at the Department of Defense.

This is the first time U.S. officials have shed some light on one of the Bush administration’s signature initiatives for Latin America, a program somewhat similar to the multibillion-dollar effort known as Plan Colombia in that South American nation. The Miami Herald first reported the proposal on July 28.”*

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