LatinNews Monitor: Mexico - 29 October 2015

Since 2008, under the terms of the Mérida Initiative, the US Congress has channelled around US$2.3bn into Mexico to fund efforts to crack down on the drug running business – money that goes towards buying helicopter gunships, funding tighter border controls, and training members of the security services. This year US$148m is being sent – down by a symbolic US$5m on the amount that would otherwise be due, as a sign of Washington’s concern over the poor observation of human rights in the country.