TEEN-AGE 'MULES' TRAGIC

There Are Multiple Solutions For Smuggling Problem

It's a disturbing trend: Juveniles smuggling large shipments of illegal
drugs through ports of entry in El Paso. And it shows little sign of
decreasing.

Not only is the use of teen-age "mules" an insidious form of smuggling,
it's extremely dangerous for the teens. How tragic it is for people so
young to help enable the foul work of ruthless cartels.

Recently, a 17-year-old Mexican national was arrested while trying to
transport 114 pounds of cocaine -- breaking the record for the largest such
cocaine load intercepted at the city's international bridges. Street value
was an estimated $5 million.

Customs Service officials began tracking youth-smuggling more closely in
1997, when 83 juveniles were arrested in the area. In 2001, the figure
increased to 162. It's impossible to ascertain exactly how many juveniles
might be involved in drug smuggling, but authorities know that the number
is much higher than the number of arrests.

Using young people for this dirty work is heinous, and it's a shame that so
many teens are willing to do it. Most of the teens arrested in 2001 were
U.S. residents (93) while 68 were Mexican nationals. One was from Costa Rica.

The only way to discourage such involvement is through education, parental
involvement and toughening the laws against juvenile drug- smuggling. The
drug lowlifes who recruit teens use the ploy that juveniles who are
arrested while smuggling will face little more than a wrist slapping
(probation, community service or boot camp usually). Sadly, that's true.
But most young people give little thought to the "punishment" that the drug
cartels often mete out to those who get busted by authorities. Some are
executed.

State lawmakers in the 2003 legislative session should consider toughening
the fines and "jail" time for teens caught smuggling.