AS SEIZURES MOUNT, EXPERTS SAY ILLEGAL DRUGS ALTERING A WAY OF LIFE

For an estimated 30 million Americans, illegal drugs are worth the money
and the risk. But experts say the mind-altering substances also have the
ability to alter the behavior and way of life of entire populations.

For decades, the late-1960s image of Woodstock and hippies dancing under
the influence of hallucinogenic drugs has been almost synonymous with the
American fascination for illegal drugs.

But according to officials from the Mexico Attorney General's Office (PGR)
and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, it wasn't until the early
1980s that drug trafficking became a hugely profitable illicit industry.

The promise of "easy money" captivated people on both sides of the border,
bringing to power the drug cartels, criminal groups that with violence and
money have changed the landscape of entire regions.

The Gulf Cartel, one such group that maintains headquarters in Matamoros,
has been able to dominate drug traffic into the United States, making the
Rio Grande Valley one of the main points of entry in the country, according
to information provided by the PGR and senior U.S. Border Patrol officials.

"The Valley is one of the main trade routes for marijuana and cocaine"
along the U.S.-Mexico border, Border Patrol Chief Gustavo de la Vina said
during a recent visit to Brownsville.

For years, U.S. authorities have been pressuring their Mexican counterparts
to help derail the burgeoning illegal drug distribution network. According
to DEA reports, Mexican authorities have responded appropriately.

In 1996, PGR agents arrested Gulf Cartel boss Juan Garcia Abrego and turned
him over to U.S. authorities. He was convicted on smuggling charges and is
serving a life sentence in a federal prison.

However, instead of tearing the organization apart, the Garcia Abrego's
downfall gave rise to a whole new phenomenon: Cells that continued using
the routes paved by their predecessors for delivering drugs to American
consumers, a Mexican official said

"Members of extinct cartels allied their powers with other criminal groups
to unify their territories, stabilize prices, and strengthen business
relations," said Santiago Vasconcelos, chief of the Special Drug Task Force
(FEADS), a subagency of the PGR.

This, added to growing drug production in Mexico, has allowed U.S.
authorities to carry out a record number of confiscations, he said.

De la Vina, said that during fiscal 2000 the Border Patrol confiscated
almost 80,000 pounds of cocaine and 1.2 million pounds of marijuana in
South Texas.

In the McAllen Sector, which includes the Valley from Brownsville to Starr
County's western border, seized quantities have quadrupled since 1997.

Officials predict even greater confiscations in the near future.

"Just in this fiscal year (2001), the McAllen Sector has confiscated 6,356
pounds of cocaine, 241,760 pounds of marijuana, and 12.44 pounds of
heroin," Jesse Jimenez, Border Patrol spokesman for the McAllen area, said.

"In comparison, in 2000 we confiscated about 8,552 pounds of cocaine,
427,012 pounds of marijuana, and 2.25 pounds of heroin" in this same
sector, Jimenez said. "We're not even halfway through the year and some of
these figures have already surpassed last year's."

The trend is alarming, officials say.

"Unfortunately, the drug issues in this area are a huge problem in
comparison to other cities along the border," De la Vina said as he
accompanied U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft on his recent visit to
Brownsville.

De la Vina said more drugs are getting into the United States than previous
years.

This, says Jimenez, has created more pressure on one of the Border Patrol's
main tasks: drug confiscation.

"Our mission is not limited to stopping illegal immigration", Jimenez said.
"We are also here to stop the drug traffic."

Government figures show the Border Patrol has 8,000 agents across the
country, 1,500 of them in the McAllen sector.

But some local officials take issue with characterizing the Valley as a
high drug traffic area.

"The Border Patrol is incorrect when referring to this area as a drug
traffic route," Cameron County Judge Gilberto Hinojosa said. "The problem
exists not only in this area, but in all of the United States."

A worrisome situation

But according to the most recent fiscal report from the U.S. Customs
Service, the Border Patrol is not the only organization that has carried
out record confiscations in the area.

In fiscal 2000, Customs seized 6,658 pounds of cocaine, 227,994 pounds of
marijuana, 200 pounds of methamphetamines and 21 pounds of heroin along the
stretch of the Rio Grande from Brownsville to Del Rio.

Customs said the figures represent about a 25 percent increase in seizures
over the same period in 1999 when 12,127 pounds of cocaine, 175,212 pounds
of marijuana, 241 pounds of methamphetamines and 32 pounds of heroine were
seized.

"Fiscal year 2000 was a historical one due to the large quantities of
narcotics found in comparison to 1999," Rick Pauza, Customs spokesman for
South Texas, said.

"Most of the drugs found were being smuggled inside trailers," Pauza said,
with most of the seizures in Laredo, followed closely by Hidalgo and
Brownsville.

U.S. Customs is divided into 20 sectors across the United States, four
along the U.S.-Mexico border: Southwestern California, Arizona, West
Texas/New Mexico, and South Texas.

Roberto Gracia, Customs special agent for Brownsville, said drug seizures
in Cameron County increased by 60 percent in fiscal 2000 over 1999.

These figures make local authorities uneasy.

"Agencies have seized more and more drugs and sometimes even arrested
individuals with drugs in their own homes. This is exactly the kind of
thing that we have to eliminate," Brownsville Mayor Blanca S. Vela said.
"... Drugs affect entire families, not just individuals."

Supply and demand

Despite the increasing seizures, a new report from the United Nations
indicates that the United States' fascination with drugs could be falling off.

The National Report on Illicit Drugs 2000 says that between 1985 and 1999
the use of illicit drugs generally decreased about 40 percent.

Also, according to the report, drug trafficking on a global level generates
$500 billion annually, which makes up for about 10 percent of international
commerce.

Experts say that if there were less demand, there would be less drug
dealing and that would definitely be good news for the Valley.

But during the last three years, marijuana harvesting in Mexico has
remained constant.

According to information provided by the DEA, some 6,700 to 8,600 metric
tons of marijuana were harvested annually from 1998 to 2000.

In 2000, production increased by 494 acres from the 11,466 identified in
1999, according to figures provided by the Mexican government.

According to research on marijuana crops of the past three years, Mexican
marijuana has become more robust. This plant reaches more than six feet in
height and the flower, the most potent part of the plant, is larger than
previously.

Mexican agronomists confirm that this kind of plant has higher levels of
THC, and due to a resin covered stem, is even more resistant to herbicides.

THC is the active chemical and the main intoxicant in marijuana.

But until the day comes when drugs are no longer an attraction to the
American people, "drug trafficking organizations will continue to operate
along the U.S.-Mexican border ... and will continue being a constant threat
to all the communities across the nation," DEA Director Donnie R. Marshall
said during a recent hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives on
judicial issues. "Federal, state and local agencies will continue to seize
drugs ... and disband such organizations."