When I was elected Chair of the Conference of Western Attorneys General two months ago, my No. 1 goal was to strengthen relations with our counterparts in Mexico. We took a large step in that direction in a two-day meeting last week with that country's top law enforcement officials.

The meeting in Cuernavaca, Mexico yielded new commitments to share information and work together to combat crimes of major concern to both nations, especially methamphetamine production, drug smuggling, human smuggling and illegal weapons sales.

Mexico Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora delivered an encouraging update on his country's efforts to reduce meth manufacturing and export. More restrictive international trade agreements are limiting the import of pseudoephedrine (the key ingredient in making meth), and prescriptions are now required in Mexico for all cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Those changes, together with tougher law enforcement, have substantially cut into Mexico's meth production. Less of the drug is now being exported to the United States, he said, and what is coming across has lower quality and a higher price.

To step up the fight against human smuggling, greater cooperation was pledged on money laundering cases, particularly ones involving wire payments sent to pay coyote organizations. Sharing more financial data on both sides of the border will help identify and intercept the money needed to sustain human smuggling.

We also agreed to work more closely to reduce the smuggling of weapons – including automatic rifles, hand grenades, bazookas and armor-piercing bullets – into Mexico from the U.S. Though Mexico has strict gun controls, its drug dealers and smuggling organizations are frequently armed with more firepower than the police or the Mexican Army. Some 2,000 Mexican officials, most working in law enforcement, were killed last year.

At our closing ceremony, Attorney General Medina Mora said we are fighting criminals who know no borders, and to be effective we must work together. I fully agree. We are going forward with a shared determination that promises to bring significant results.

Terry Goddard