Tight Border Security Leads To Major Drug Seizures

Since September, federal agents have seen a major increase of cocaine
seizures in the Laredo area because of "heightened state of alert" inspections.

Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Laredo Drug Enforcement
Administration office, Zenford E. Mitchell, said because of the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks, law enforcers have been taking more precautions and are
conducting extremely thorough inspections at the Laredo international
bridges and the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoints.

The agent explained that Laredo is a major transportation port for narcotic
smugglers.

"This increase in security has made marijuana more difficult to smuggle out
of Mexico, " Mitchell said. "Cocaine (however) is more compact, easier to
hide and harder to detect."

The agent also added that the changes in security are causing Mexican
marijuana traffickers to lose money and are now being used by Colombian
cocaine traffickers to bring cocaine across the border.

DEA figures show cocaine seizures in Laredo more than doubled since Sept.
11, while marijuana seizures showed a significant decrease.

Last year, federal agents seized 479.6 pounds of cocaine and 18,113 pounds
of marijuana during July and August.

From September to December, federal agents seized 1,029.6 pounds of
cocaine and 16,087 pounds of marijuana.

To prove how difficult cocaine is to detect, Mitchell referred to a cocaine
seizure last November at the Colombia Solidarity Bridge.

Customs discovered 1,981 pounds of cocaine with a street value of $79.2
million in a tanker truck.

Mitchell pointed out that the load of cocaine was not detected until a
secondary inspection was conducted.

"It's so hard to detect, the dogs (narcotic canine) missed it," he said.

According to Mitchell, Mexican drug traffickers who operate "corridors"
have major "transportation sales" (drug dealers and transporters) operating
in the Laredo area.

"Corridors are zones run by organizations that sell drugs", Mitchell said.
A corridor, for example, would describe an area from Nuevo Laredo to Laredo
to Falcon Lake.

He said Laredo is a main "corridor for drug trafficking," which consists of
three divisions.

The first division consists of "drug transporters," drug dealers who cross
through Laredo and drop off their shipment of drugs in a northern city.

The second division consists of those who cross a load of drugs into
Laredo, and store it in a warehouse so it can be picked up and shipped to
another state.

The third division crosses the load of drugs into Laredo, putting it in a
"stash house" (residence), divides the load and has a number of other
"transportation sales" distribute it around the country.

Mitchell said only a small amount, if any, is dropped off in Laredo for
consumption.

The agent spoke about "Operation Marquis" an international drug smuggling
sting operation, which originated in Laredo.

"Operation Marquis" consisted of an organization that was transporting
narcotics from Mexico throughout the U.S.

"Drugs from this operation were seized in places such as New York, Chicago,
Atlanta, Dallas and Florida," Mitchell said.