home > by publication type > must reads > GAO: U.S. Assistance Has Helped Mexican Counternarcotics Efforts, but the Flow of Illicit Drugs into the United States Remains High
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| Author: | Government Accountability Office |
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October 25, 2007
Summary:
The U.S. interagency counternarcotics community reports that each year hundreds of tons of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine flow into the United States from Mexico, while seizures in Mexico and along the U.S.-Mexico border have been relatively small in recent years.
Excerpt:
The following illustrates some trends since 2000:
• The estimated amount of cocaine arriving in Mexico for transshipment to the United States averaged about 290 metric tons per year. Reported seizures averaged about 36 metric tons a year.
• The estimated amount of export quality heroin and marijuana produced in Mexico averaged almost 19 metric tons and 9,400 metric tons per year, respectively. Reported heroin seizures averaged less than 1 metric ton and reported marijuana seizures averaged about 2,900 metric tons a year.
• Although an estimate of the amount of methamphetamine manufactured in Mexico is not prepared, reported seizures along the U.S. border rose from about 500 kilograms in 2000 to highs of about 2,800 kilograms in 2005 and about 2,700 kilograms in 2006. According to U.S. officials, this more than fivefold increase indicated a dramatic rise in supply.
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