Pubdate: Sun, 01 May 2005 Source: Monitor, The (McAllen, TX) Copyright: 2005 The Monitor Contact: http://www.themonitor.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1250 Author: Celerino Castillo PAST 35 YEARS SHOW DRUG WAR WILL NEVER BE WON To the editor: Re: "The drug war is working fine" (April 24), by Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Will R. Glaspy. This is the response from an agent trying to keep his job, instead of doing his job by telling the truth. The drug war will never be won, because drug enforcement has not worked for the past 35 years or so. What's the answer? Let's try education, prevention, treatment and fighting corruption within U. S. federal agencies. We have tried the John Wayne approach, and it just doesn't work. We have spent trillions of dollars in drug enforcement in source countries like Colombia and Peru, and we have not made a dent. Not only do we have more drugs today then ever, but they are stronger and man-made, like Ecstasy. We are also the biggest importer of heroin from Afghanistan, a country under the control of the U.S. government. And for those who might not have figured it out, American is more addicted to drug money than to drugs. And there is no exception to the rule. According to federal law enforcement agencies, there are several hundred special agents under investigation for corruption. DEA agents have sold sensitive data. They perjure themselves before grand juries and in trials and falsify their work product. Some will, however, escape prosecution, because the government will not prosecute itself. The cartels in Mexico have one of the best intelligence networks within our federal agencies. They not only know when an indictment is getting ready to be released, but who the informants are. Their sources of intelligence gathering are no other then U.S. federal agents and their informants. CELERINO "CELE" CASTILLO 3RD Former DEA agent McAllen - --- MAP posted-by: SHeath(DPFFLorida)