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CHANNEL 5 NEWS has traveled across the border into Mexico. We want to show you how the Mexican military is dealing a major blow to the cartel.

Mexico's government is in the middle of Operation Noreste, an aggressive campaign to crack down on drug cartels. We wanted to see what happens to the tons of pot that are busted.

Heavy security looks on as the process starts with a field test. The drugs are then stripped of their packaging and tossed into what becomes a mountain of marijuana, 32 tons in all. The drugs were likely headed to the Valley.

We ask the head of the military in Tamaulipas where it all comes from.

"We seize it mainly along the border. We find it in the rural ranchland and along the banks of the river," says Gen. Miguel Gustavo Cruz, who commands the Reynosa army base.

The military is hitting the cartel right where it hurts. These drugs will never turn a profit. They'll be reduced to ashes in only hours. That's the mission of both the Mexican and U.S. governments.

"I'm very happy to be here participating with the PGR in this burning of drugs, which is just a typical sign of the tremendous successes the federal government is having in fighting this threat," says Michael Barkin, consul general in Matamoros.

Barkin is seeing the busts add up.

"The efforts happening in the U.S. and Mexico are happening on both sides of the border. This is a common problem that confronts us both," says Barkin.

Barkin says the problem doesn't just have one solution. It's minimizing the demand on this side of the border while cutting off the supply south of the Valley.

The drugs that were destroyed Thursday were evidence in cases already closed by Mexico's attorney general. That's also standard practice by law enforcement on this side of the border.