TIJUANA – The U. S. government donated to Mexico ten specialized mobile units that use gamma ray technology to detect drugs and other contraband as part of the Mérida Initiative, a joint program to battle organized crime.

The units, which have non-intrusive inspection equipment, cost a total of $13 million, according to the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana.

They will be used at checkpoints manned by the Mexican military across Mexico. Each unit has the capacity to scan 60 to 150 vehicles and tractor-trailers in an hour, military authorities said.

They said that the use of these units will reduce wait times at the checkpoints, a common complaint from ordinary citizens and local and international business people.

The units will enhance the military's ability to detect illegal drugs and chemicals used to make synthetic drugs, as well as weapons and explosives.

The ten vehicles were displayed for the news media on Friday morning in the headquarters of the 28th Infantry Battalion, located in the southern neighborhood of Aguaje de la Tuna.

Each inspection unit is made up of two parts. One looks like a generator on wheels and houses the scanning equipment, which can be used while the driver remains inside. The other part is an all-terrain Ford diesel F-350, with 4 X 4 traction. A computer inside the cab displays the results of the scan.

A unit can be used at the checkpoint to quickly scan each vehicle that passes, or the pickup can travel alongside vehicles waiting to enter the checkpoint, scanning their contents.

A unit can be deployed quickly to another strategic site in case smugglers try to evade a certain checkpoint, military authorities said.

They noted that military personnel have been trained to use this technology for this purpose.

The spokesman for Mexico's Second Military Zone, Infantry Maj. Bernardo Rafael Sánchez, said that only two of these units will remain in Baja California and the rest will be sent to other Mexican states.

"This equipment will contribute to our work confronting transnational organized crime as part of our commitment to the Mérida Initiative," said Enrique Rojo, who leads international cooperation efforts for Mexico's Secretary of Foreign Affairs, at Friday's presentation.

The Mérida Initiative is a program of cooperation between the United States and Mexico in a joint fight against the illegal drug trade.

To date, the U.S. Congress has approved $1.5 billion in aid to Mexico, funds that have been spent to train police, acquire equipment and technology, and to develop infrastructure and programs to prevent crime.

Omar.millan@sandiegored.com