U.S. invests to keep arms smugglers out of Mexico

SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - New money to monitor U.S. traffic entering Mexico and detect gun smugglers will be spent on scanners for inspecting trucks as well as communication equipment, the U.S. government said on Wednesday.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters in San Diego that $400 million would be spent on infrastructure and equipment to improve security at New Mexico, Texas, Arizona and California border crossings.

Last week, the Obama administration announced plans to crack down on the smuggling of guns and money pouring south from the United States into Mexico that are helping fuel violence by Mexican drug cartels.

Mexico checks only a fraction of the traffic entering from the United States but has promised to crack down.

Part of the funding, which had been previously announced, will go toward more dog teams at border crossings.

"These are canines trained to sniff out weapons and cash ... a very helpful adjunct to manpower and other resources we are putting into southwest border efforts," Napolitano said.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Mexico last week and said U.S. drug users were responsible for much of the violence ripping through Mexico as cocaine smuggling gangs battle over turf.

The United States and Mexico have agreed to work together to quell a surge in drug gang killings that left more than 6,300 last year and that has raised fears of a serious spillover into the United States.

(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz)