Ameican Notes THE BORDER

A U.S. embassy official in Mexico City was startled to see his auto, which had been stolen there, cruising down a street in the capital. He was even more surprised when he caught up with the driver, who turned out to be a federal judge. The explanation is disturbing: according to a report in the San Diego Tribune, when Mexican authorities recover stolen vehicles, they sometimes put them to their own use. This is especially true, says the U.S. State Department, of automobiles stolen in the U.S. and driven across the border. One Mexican federal policeman reportedly paid thieves $1,000 for a 1989 Chevy Blazer. Its normal resale price is $10,000.

Some 20,000 stolen vehicles reach Mexico from the U.S. each year; fewer than 3,500 are returned. When U.S. diplomats raise the subject, the Mexicans reply that they keep only cars used by drug dealers and point out that the U.S. also confiscates vehicles used in smuggling. That is not quite good enough for San Diego Congressman Duncan Hunter, who wants an outside inspection of every auto in Mexico's federal police motor pool.