DEA BOSS SEES STEADY DRUG FLOW

The nation won't see a drop in the quantity of drugs being smuggled into
the United States anytime soon as a result of the death and arrests of key
Mexican cartel figures, the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration
said Tuesday.

Instead, the recent actions will do more to teach respect for the law and
warn whoever takes over cartel leadership that their activities will leave
them dead or behind bars, DEA Director Asa Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson said the arrests make "an enormous difference."

"For decades there wasn't a belief that the law ruled (in Mexico)," said
Hutchinson, who was in San Antonio to address the Express-News Editorial
Board and a statewide gathering of police chiefs.

"It instills a respect for the institution of government," Hutchinson said.

The U.S.-Mexico border's largest cartel, which was based in Tijuana,
Mexico, and run by brothers Ramon and Benjamin Arellano Felix, suffered a
one-two punch earlier this year when Ramon was killed and Benjamin was
arrested.

And last week, federal agents swept through Tijuana and arrested more than
two dozen police officers who were charged with corruption.

With time, as organizations are dismantled, the flow of drugs will slow,
Hutchinson said.

Adan Medrano, allegedly the second-in-command of the Gulf Cartel was
arrested in March in the border city of Matamoros.

The Gulf Cartel has seen a years-long leadership battle after the
conviction of former cartel boss Juan Garcia Abrego, who is serving
multiple life sentences in a U.S. federal prison.

Hutchinson praised the efforts of Mexican authorities taking on the cartels
and said his agency will continue to cooperate with its Mexican counterparts.

U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, who accompanied Hutchinson, said
Mexico is working with the United States and making a "good faith" effort
to take on drug traffickers.

"We're getting good cooperation from elected officials, particularly
(President) Vicente Fox, which is a dramatic change," said Smith, chairman
of the House Judiciary subcommittee on crime, terrorism and homeland security.

"What he confronts is what we confront - a level of corruption that
undermines his efforts and our efforts," Smith said.

About 235,376 pounds of cocaine nationwide was seized or turned over to the
DEA in fiscal year 2001. That same year, the DEA saw more than 2.6 million
pounds of marijuana.