WAR ON DRUGS GETS UNEXPECTED BOOST

SAN DIEGO -- America's war on terrorism appears to be helping the war on
drugs, at least initially, as wary smugglers from Mexico avoid the risk of
shipping their drugs across the border.

Under tight security with many more vehicle searches, the amount of drugs
seized fell 80 percent along the 1,962-mile U.S.-Mexico border in the two
weeks after the terrorist attacks, compared with the same period a year ago.

"The drug dealers, they're not stupid. They realize it would be risky to
ship their stuff right now," said Kevin Bell, a spokesman for the U.S.
Customs Service in Washington.