Hurry, The Boss Is Coming

A little diplomatic face time seems to be one way of getting action in the battle against druglords. Mexican President Vicente Fox, in a speech last week to Congress, firmly underscored his country’s cooperation with American efforts in the drug war. That very day his officials were arresting cartel lieutenant Arturo (Chicken) Guzman, one of a brother team of alleged cocaine smugglers, who faces charges in the U.S. And just four days before Secretary of State Colin Powell’s scheduled visit to Colombia, that country’s cops were ushering Fabio Ochoa onto a plane bound for extradition to Florida, where he is accused of helping to smuggle 30 tons of cocaine a month.

–Reported by Peter Katel and Elaine Shannon