Pubdate: Wed, 26 Dec 2001
Source: Palm Beach Post (FL)
Copyright: 2001 The Palm Beach Post
Contact:  http://www.gopbi.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/333

TERROR NET SNARES DRUGS

As the nation's response to the Sept. 11 attacks expands, security 
officials are discovering beneficial byproducts in unexpected places. A 
surprising surge in drug seizures along U.S. borders is becoming a welcome 
unintended consequence of the war against terrorism.

The Customs Service reports a 326 percent increase over last year in 
seizures from commercial traffic -- trucks, ships and planes -- along the 
Canadian border, and an overall increase of 66 percent at all U.S. points 
of entry. Noncommercial seizures are up about 30 percent. The rise has 
caught customs officials off guard. They expected seizures to fall, given 
the wide publicity about heightened security. Smugglers apparently are 
unwilling or unable to change routes they have used for decades. The 
troubling question rising from the encouraging news concerns why the 
government couldn't have closed these border holes long ago.

U.S. agencies say the national resolve after the terrorist attacks 
eliminated the political turf wars and disputes over money that hindered 
enforcement. In recent years, Congress often made a greater priority of 
stopping the flow of illegal immigrants -- Mexican workers, in particular 
- -- and resources shifted from drug seizure efforts. An essential part of 
the long-term fix for border control is creation of a practical, legal 
means for Mexican workers to enter the United States then return home. A 
functioning guest-worker program would enable law enforcement to devote 
more manpower to keeping drugs out instead of chasing people who come to 
fill job openings at the low end of the U.S. economy.

Anti-terrorism measures have stretched the Coast Guard thin, however, and 
Floridians have reason to worry about that. Coast Guard drug seizures have 
declined since the attacks because of increased security responsibilities 
- -- port patrols and escorting Navy ships and cruise liners. The Coast Guard 
needs adequate help from Congress to keep up with its expanding mission.

Just as the terrorist hijackings forced improvement in airport security 
that should have been implemented long ago, they also expose long-standing 
security weaknesses on the borders. The United States won't solve all its 
drug problems just by increasing seizures at ports of entry, but as with 
terrorism, every battle won in the war helps.

Tightening the borders always has been a matter of finding the will and 
setting the right priority. The country has both today, and drug smugglers 
suffer for it.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens