Pubdate: Thu, 27 Jun 2002
Source: El Paso Times (TX)
Copyright: 2002 El Paso Times
Contact:  http://www.elpasotimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/829
Author: Diana Washington Valdez
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/walters.htm (Walters, John)

U.S. TARGETS TOP CRIMINALS, DRUG CZAR SAYS

The Bush administration has declared war on and is going after the "Fortune 
500 players of the drug trade in the United States," U.S. drug czar John P. 
Walters said Wednesday in El Paso.

"We're going to identify and target them, and put them out of business," he 
said, adding that going after the "super criminals" was effective in 
disrupting the Cali and Medellin drug cartels in Colombia. "Today, they 
(cartel leaders) are dead or in jail."

It is the top layer of a drug organization's leadership "that poses the 
greatest danger to governments," he said.

It was Walters' first visit to the El Paso border region as drug czar. He 
was sworn in Dec. 7 after President Bush named him to the post. He served 
previously in the Office of National Drug Control Policy under former U.S. 
drug czar William Bennett.

During Wednesday's visit, Walters toured the Bridge of the Americas, flew 
over the region by helicopter and received a briefing on counter- drug 
intelligence efforts at the El Paso Intelligence Center at Biggs Army 
Airfield. EPIC is staffed by 15 federal agencies that receive, analyze and 
distribute drug intelligence.

Walters said the White House has set as its goals reducing "the use of 
illegal drugs in the United States by 10 percent over two years, and 25 
percent over five years."

At the bridge, he saw the X-ray machines and density meters used to find 
hidden compartments in commercial trucks. Officials also displayed a gas 
tank, a drive shaft and a few chests of drawers, all with compartments that 
were used to hide drugs.

Walters was scheduled to fly later Wednesday to Mexico City, where he will 
meet with Mexican health and law enforcement officials.

"Our cargo-inspection techniques were the primary focus of our presentation 
for (Walters) at the bridge," said P.T. Wright, field operations director 
of the U.S. Customs Service, West Texas-New Mexico district. "He will see 
some of the same things we showed President Bush and Homeland Security 
Director Tom Ridge during their visits to El Paso."

"The drug czar's visit reinforces the role that El Paso plays on the border 
in regards to addressing anti-terrorism efforts since September 11th, and 
in the continued threat of drug trafficking," Wright said.

U.S. Customs Service officials said the agency has posted record seizures 
of heroin, marijuana and cocaine this year. "In El Paso, our U.S. Customs 
officers have seized 25.2 percent of all the marijuana seized by U.S. 
Customs in the country," Wright said.

Walters talked briefly about the new role of law enforcement agencies in 
focusing on terrorism.

"If you compare the threat posed by terror, which we've had a brutal 
education in, a small number of people, a small amount of money, small 
amounts of various kinds of substances can be used to cause devastating 
destruction," he said.

"Compared to that, drugs, while a difficult target, are thousands of tons 
of product, tens of thousands of individuals, thousands of tons of money 
and millions of retail customer sales," he said. "Compared to terror, it's 
a gigantic target."

The Office of National Drug Control Policy has created ads linking drugs 
and terrorism that Walters said are designed to discourage casual drug use. 
One such ad features a young woman who states: "On Wednesday, I played 
tennis, went shoe shopping, and helped smuggle a load of AK-47s into Colombia.

A narrator says, "Drug money helps support terror. Buy drugs and you could 
be supporting it, too."

"We are going to vigorously attack the non-addicted, casual user," who is 
the main vehicle responsible for getting others to try drugs, Walters said.

People must be educated, in schools, offices, families, churches and 
hospitals, so that they can identify the signs of drug use and confront 
individuals they think are involved, he said.

Walters also said U.S. law enforcement officials estimate that law officers 
intercept 36 percent of cocaine headed to the United States from South 
America. He explained that the other 64 percent is getting through, because 
"we haven't covered all the (drug trade) routes" yet.

He would not comment on specific Mexican drug organizations, such as the 
Juarez drug cartel. He also would not say whether U.S. policy- makers are 
considering giving DEA agents the authority to investigate drug-related 
homicides and kidnappings. With the FBI being directed to scale back on 
drug investigations to spend more time and resources on terrorism, some 
lawmakers and others wonder how the void will be filled.

By statute, DEA agents are limited to investigating drug-trafficking and 
money-laundering violations, while the FBI may investigate violent crimes 
associated with drug smuggling.
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