Mexico Disbands Elite Anti-drug Unit Working With U.S. DEA: Report

Mexico has reportedly shut down an elite anti-drug unit that collaborates with U.S. DEA or Drug Enforcement Administration to fight organized crime in the country, according to two sources.

The group was known to be one of the Sensitive Investigative Units operating in about 15 countries, which U.S. officials called as invaluable in dismantling powerful criminal organization, as well as capturing drug lords around the globe, according to a Reuters report.

The units are trained by the DEA. However, it remains under the control of Mexico's national government.

The closure of the unit poses a threat to U.S. efforts to fight organized crime groups in Mexico, which is one of the centers of the multi-billion-dollar global narcotics trade.

In addition, it would make it harder to catch and prosecute Mexican drug cartel leaders.

A DEA agent with knowledge of the matter said that Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's government notified the DEA last April that the unit had been shut down. The agent declined to be named as they were not allowed to speak about the matter.

A second source also familiar with the situation confirmed that the unit was shut down.

Mexico's Anti-Drug Unit Closure

A DEA agent noted that the Mexican government "strangled it," adding that it closed the bridges that they spent decades putting together, according to a New York Post report.

A second unit continues to operate. It is based inside the Mexican attorney general's office and is independent of Lopez Obrador's government.

The unit was created in 1997 and had a critical role in the DEA's ability to share leads about drug shipments and other tips with the Mexican government.

Members of the unit had been subjected to a comprehensive vetting process such as taking polygraph tests. The members were trained by the DEA on the latest surveillance and policing techniques.

Mike Vigil, the DEA's former chief of international operations, noted that the closure of the unit will mean more drugs going to the U.S. and more violence in Mexico.

Lopez Obrador had also made it more difficult for agencies like DEA to operate in Mexico.

The Mexican government removed diplomatic immunity from foreign agents in December 2020 while also requiring Mexican officials to write reports on their interactions with security officers from abroad.

Broken Cooperation Between DEA and Mexico

Matthew Donahue, the DEA's deputy chief of operations, noted that DEA is willing to share intelligence with its counterparts in Mexico. However, Mexican counterparts of the agency "are too afraid to even engage" with them due to fear of repercussions from their own government if they are caught working with DEA, according to an NPR report.

Donahue added that it is important DEA gets the cooperation of Mexico for the safety of American citizens as well as to cut out violence in Mexico. He then described the current situation as a national security crisis, saying that criminal organizations are not afraid of any kind of law enforcement or military inside Mexico right now.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Mexico president accuses DEA of fabricating case - from Associated Press