2006年VOA标准英语-Drug Money Worsens Corruption in Mexico

By Greg Flakus
Mexico City
26 July 2006
 
Corruption² has been a problem in Latin America since colonial times. Citizens have been largely tolerant of petty corruption, such as small bribes⁴ to bureaucrats⁵ and police over minor⁶ disputes or offenses⁷, but the stakes have been raised greatly in recent decades by the billions of dollars generated in the illicit⁸ drug business. The impact has been especially strong in Mexico.

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Official corruption has been an almost constant source of frustration⁹ for Mexicans. The country is still dealing¹⁰ with the scandal that followed the privatization of banks in the 1990s. More recent scandals have involved corrupt¹ officials in local and state governments.

Most Mexicans experience the problem on the street level with corrupt policemen who often demand a mordida or bribe³ in exchange for dismissing a ticket. But this is petty stuff when compared to the millions of dollars that drug traffickers distribute to corrupt police officials every year.

Mexican criminal justice expert Jorge Chabat says drug money has made its way into every corner of the law enforcement apparatus¹¹.

"Police corruption is a very old problem. It was there before drug trafficking, we have to say that," he said.  "It is a legacy¹² from the colonial period, and in Mexico we have not been able to solve that problem. This problem has been aggravated¹³ by the presence of drug trafficking, because they have a lot of money and they can corrupt anybody. Even the army has been corrupted¹⁴. Not to the same degree as the police, but even the army has been corrupt."

Chabat says Mexico needs to build institutions to support more effective law enforcement and reduce corruption.

"You need to make a police reform, a very deep police reform. You need to make a reform of the legal system and you need to make a reform of the prison system," he added.

But Chabat concedes, this is not a task that can be accomplished¹⁵ quickly. He says it will take more than a decade under the most optimistic scenario¹⁶.

Professor Celia Toro of the Colegio de Mexico's Center for International Studies says better police will come with a better legal system and a more supportive public.

"Police need the support of society and the support of the tribunals, otherwise, I do not see why someone should be a police," she said.

She says Mexico's corrupt police and criminal class have always had a symbiotic¹⁷ relationship, but that the rise of powerful drug-smuggling organizations has helped create a new class of lawless people.

"Ex-military, ex-police and ex-cartel people - there are hundreds of them," she noted¹⁸.

She says these people operate in a violent and dark world of their own.

"They probably don't even realize what they are doing," she added.  "It has become a way of life and this is what is very dramatic. This is not only a delinquency crisis, this is a whole class of people, a whole group of people, that have learned to live outside the law."

According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration, Mexico is the main source of marijuana smuggled¹⁹ into the United States and is the major route for most cocaine²⁰ coming north from Colombia and other South American nations. The illicit trade produces tens of billions of dollars that support small armies of drug cartel gunmen as well as corruption.

Attempts to address the problem have had limited success so far, but Jorge Chabat says a concerted government effort could dramatically reduce the impact.

"Probably, you will never solve the problem 100 percent, you will always have some levels of corruption, but what we have now is that corruption is the rule. The goal is that corruption is the exception," he explained.

The results of Mexico's recent presidential election offer little hope of any concerted reform effort in the months ahead. The losing candidate is protesting the very close result. No matter who eventually emerges as the winner, Mexico's government, like its populace, will be divided.  This could hinder efforts to deal with the problem of drug-traffickers and the corruption they foster.

1 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

2 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

3 bribe   

n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通

参考例句：

• He tried to bribe the policeman not to arrest him.他企图贿赂警察不逮捕他。
• He resolutely refused their bribe.他坚决不接受他们的贿赂。

4 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

5 bureaucrats   

n.官僚( bureaucrat的名词复数 )；官僚主义；官僚主义者；官僚语言

参考例句：

• That is the fate of the bureaucrats, not the inspiration of statesmen. 那是官僚主义者的命运，而不是政治家的灵感。 来自辞典例句
• Big business and dozens of anonymous bureaucrats have as much power as Japan's top elected leaders. 大企业和许多不知名的官僚同日本选举出来的最高层领导者们的权力一样大。 来自辞典例句

6 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

7 offenses   

n.进攻( offense的名词复数 )；（球队的）前锋；进攻方法；攻势

参考例句：

• It's wrong of you to take the child to task for such trifling offenses. 因这类小毛病责备那孩子是你的不对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Thus, Congress cannot remove an executive official except for impeachable offenses. 因此，除非有可弹劾的行为，否则国会不能罢免行政官员。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

8 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

9 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

10 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

11 apparatus   

n.装置，器械；器具，设备

参考例句：

• The school's audio apparatus includes films and records.学校的视听设备包括放映机和录音机。
• They had a very refined apparatus.他们有一套非常精良的设备。

12 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

13 aggravated   

使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火

参考例句：

• If he aggravated me any more I shall hit him. 假如他再激怒我，我就要揍他。
• Far from relieving my cough, the medicine aggravated it. 这药非但不镇咳，反而使我咳嗽得更厉害。

14 corrupted   

（使）败坏( corrupt的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）腐化； 引起（计算机文件等的）错误； 破坏

参考例句：

• The body corrupted quite quickly. 尸体很快腐烂了。
• The text was corrupted by careless copyists. 原文因抄写员粗心而有讹误。

15 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

16 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

17 symbiotic   

adj.共栖的，共生的

参考例句：

• Racing has always had a symbiotic relationship with betting.赛马总是与赌博相挂钩。
• Engineering completely new symbiotic relationship is obviously not an imminent possibility.筹划完全新的共生关系显然是可能性不大。

18 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

19 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

20 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。