EL PASO GETS CHECK FROM U.S.: $1.7 MILLION IS REIMBURSEMENT FOR ANTI-DRUG
EFFORTS

EL PASO - The federal government held up its end in the fight against drugs
Wednesday, paying for work done by prosecutors in the El Paso district
attorney's office.

During a ceremony Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton delivered a check
for more than $1.7 million to El Paso County as reimbursement for
prosecution of low-level federal drug cases under the Southwest Border
Local Assistance Initiative.

Similar checks of varying amounts will be presented to district attorneys
for similar work in the four other Texas border counties - Hudspeth,
Cameron, Hidalgo and Starr.

"This check is to recognize the importance of the joint effort between the
federal government, the state and local law enforcement," said Mr. Sutton,
who is responsible for the Western District of Texas, covering the area
along the Rio Grande from Del Rio to El Paso.

"There is a crushing amount of work here in El Paso and along the border,
and much of the time we are up against smart and organized criminals. This
partnership is really the way to go, and we still have a lot of work to do."

The check follows a boycott declaration June 8, 2000, by Texas border
district attorneys who declined to prosecute low-level federal referrals
because they were not compensated for millions of dollars in costs.

At that time, the number of criminal cases ranged from 130 in Cameron
County in the Lower Rio Grande Valley to about 550 in El Paso and Hudspeth
counties.

Federal referrals usually concern low-grade drug smuggling cases - mostly
involving less than 100 pounds - made by federal agents at border
checkpoints and ports of entry, routinely passed on to state jurisdictions.
For example, during 1999 in El Paso County, the average case involved a
low-grade smuggler - known as a mule - caught driving across the
international bridge with 45 to 65 pounds of marijuana. About 60 percent of
the defendants are from Mexico, and 10 percent have a criminal record.

At that time, annual cost for those cases to Texas border prosecutors
ranged from about $1 million to $5 million, according to El Paso County
District Attorney Jaime Esparza, who asked for the money in meetings with
political leaders including Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Rep.
Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso.

"This ceremony today is of significant importance because we cannot
continue in this effort without the federal government," Mr. Esparza said.

The check delivered Wednesday was for costs incurred from Oct. 1, 2000, to
July 31, 2000. So far, El Paso County has received more than $2 million in
reimbursement for prosecuting federal drug cases.

In July 2000, Congress allocated $12 million to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona,
and California. Each state received $3 million as part of that package.
Later that year, an additional $10 million was given to Texas and $3
million to Arizona for the 12 months that ended Sept. 30, 2001.

Remaining funds available for county and municipal governments in the
Western District of Texas are estimated at more than $2 million. More than
$2.9 million in reimbursement has been distributed in the district.

Under Southwest Border Local Assistance Initiative guidelines, border
counties are reimbursed only for court and detention costs, administrative
staff, courtroom technology, building holding spaces, and indigent-defense.

"We recognize that the federal government needs to step up to the plate and
this, of course, is recognition of this," Mr. Reyes said after the check
presentation.

Sonny Lopez is an El Paso free-lance writer.