U.S. security contractors head to Mexico

MEXICO CITY, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- With waning U.S. presence in Afghanistan and Iraq, security contractors are finding work in Mexico despite its ban on foreigners carrying guns, records show.

Security spending by private companies in Mexico, as well as the Mexican and U.S. governments, has increased since Mexican President Felipe Calderon's ramped up war on the country's drug kingpins in December 2006, The Washington Post reported Thursday. The U.S. State Department has promised nearly $2 billion in aid toward the cause since 2008.

With the Iraq war over, U.S. security contractors are shifting their focus south of the U.S. border, where demand for personal protection services has increased by at least 20 percent each year, the newspaper said.

However, Mexican law forbids foreigners from carrying firearms in the country.

"Everyone thinks if they worked in Iraq and Afghanistan they can work in Mexico, but it's a different ballgame," said Rick Sweeney, chief executive officer of California-based SECFOR, a company that provides security services to business executives. "I'm not looking for the guys who come to me and say they're an expert shot or a black-belt. I'm looking for guys who can plan and stay out of trouble, rather than blast their way out of trouble once it starts."

Instead, many U.S. contractors team with Mexican partners who provide the firepower they need, or they train Mexican troops in counterinsurgency and electronic surveillance.