Washington - Tom Tancredo, a Republican congressman and presidential candidate, said Wednesday that the United States cannot trust the Mexican government in combating narcotics and called the neighbouring country a "drug cartel.""Mexico is a drug cartel," Tancredo said. "The degree of corruption inside the government and the military is so great that it's hard to see where the government ends and where the cartels begin."
Tancredo spoke during the testimony of Assistant Secretary of State Tom Shannon, who was briefing Congress on a proposed 1.4- billion-dollar, three-year aid package to the Mexican government to step up efforts to halt the flow of marijuana and cocaine into the United States.
Congress has been lukewarm about the proposal and criticized the State Department for not adequately briefing lawmakers prior to reaching the deal with Mexico. The ranking member of the centre-right Republican Party on the House Foreign Affairs Committee quickly chastised Tancredo for his remarks.
"Saying that Mexico is a drug cartel is an insult to the Mexican people, the Mexican government and the cooperation between both countries," Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said.
The Mexican government also took exception to Tancredo's comments.
"These are characterizations based on unfortunate cliches and stereotypes, which are far from reflecting reality of Mexico, and are as wrong as saying that all Americans consume drugs," said Ricardo Alday, a spokesman for Mexico's embassy in Washington.
Tancredo, who represents a congressional district in Colorado, is considered a long-shot to with the Republican nomination.
