The U.S. government on Tuesday delivered to Mexico five helicopters as part of its assistance to the country in its combat against organized crimes such as drug trafficking.

The Mexican Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the delivered Bell-412 helicopters would be used by the Mexican Air Force for transportation and reconnaissance tasks. 

The United States has provided Mexico with $77 Million worth of equipment plus training during the past year. Other drug-fighting equipment included lab apparatus, portable scanners and five X-ray wagons. 

The U.S. assistance was provided through a special program codenamed as “Merida Initiative,” which the U.S. Congress approved in June last year to provide neighboring Mexico with $1.4 Billion dollars worth of drug-fighting equipment and training between 2008 and 2010. 

Since the demise of Colombia’s Cali and Medellin cartels in the1990′s, Mexican drug cartels have come to dominate the illicit drug wholesale market in the United States. 

As a major drug producing and transit country, Mexico is the main foreign supplier of marijuana and a major supplier of methamphetamine to the United States.