RECORD SEIZURES

On Thursday, top U.S. drug interdiction officials said U.S.
authorities seized a record 316 metric tons of cocaine last year. In
making the announcement, the officials credited Mexico's increasing
cooperation with helping force drug traffickers to raise their prices
and try new smuggling methods.

John Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy,
said the record seizures have led to a 21 percent jump in the price
of cocaine and a drop in the purity of the drug. The price of
methamphetamine has jumped even more, he said, thanks to a crackdown
on U.S. labs and Mexican authorities doing more to stop importation
of precursor material.

U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, commandant of the Coast Guard and
chairman of the Interdiction Committee, a multi-agency committee
focused on stopping the flow of drugs into the U.S., said the rise in
drug prices shows U.S. anti-drug efforts are working.

The average price of a pure gram of cocaine was $96.58 in early 2007
and rose to $117.22 by the end of the year, according to ONDCP,
citing data from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Allen also said traffickers have been forced to find new ways to try
to sneak drugs in, including the use of submarine-like watercraft
capable of carrying up to 10 tons of cocaine. The vessels, almost
entirely submerged in water, have been spotted from South America to
the Northern California coast.

Federal officials said a key difference is an unprecedented level of
cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico in combating drug
trafficking. Walters praised Mexican President Felipe Calderon's
efforts to crack down on drug cartels.

"There has never been an investment like this before," Walters said,
referring to a proposed U.S. aid package and the Mexican deployment
of soldiers around the country. "We can't do this effectively without
international partnerships."

Increasing levels of violence among drug cartels, particularly in
northern Mexican border cities where police are routinely being
targeted by the cartels, are proof that the government's latest
efforts are working, said Michael Braun, the DEA's chief of
operations. He said a similar spike in violence was seen in Colombia
when the government there launched its offensive against powerful
drug cartels.

"This is a classic turf war," Braun said. "An added dimension of the
story is the commitment by President Calderon ... to take on these
very powerful drug cartels."

A bill that would provide about $1.4 billion over three years to help
Mexico in its ongoing fight against drug cartels and violent gangs is
currently stalled in the Senate. Approval of that funding should be a
priority.