PANAMA TRANSFER EQUALS DRUG INCREASE

A U.S. law enforcement agency reported in May that illegal drug trafficking
and money laundering in Panama have grown dramatically since the pullout of
U.S. forces in 1999. "Panama remains a major transit country for cocaine
and increasingly heroin" the 11-page intelligence report stated. Tomas
Cabalm, an investigative reporter based in Panama, agreed with the report's
findings and stated: "The surge in drug activity is a direct consequence of
(the U.S.) Howard Air Force closing."

The U.S. government report pointed out that Panama's proximity to Columbia
makes it vulnerable to drug traffic. It was also noted that "Chinese and
Russian organized-crime factions are active in narcotics, arms and illegal
alien smuggling, utilizing Panama as a base of operations." The abandonment
of our nation's interests in Panama have not only cost our nation its
control of the Panama Canal, it has made the entire Western hemisphere open
to narcoterrorist activity that will surely impact our nation.

Marjorie Mills, Stockton