TEMPORARY DECREASE IN DRUG FLOW HAS ENDED

Heightened Security At Borders Since Attacks No Longer Discourages
Trafficking Attempts.

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Although America's borders remain at the highest
security level possible since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, illegal drugs
are still seeping through in close-to-normal quantities, federal officials say.

In the days immediately following the attacks, drug seizures dropped off
dramatically along the U.S.-Mexico border, said Roger Maier, a U.S. Customs
spokesman in El Paso, Texas. Smugglers were likely scared off by the
intensive searches. But seizures are now back up to pre-attack levels.

"The drug business is a money business, and there is a demand for it,"
Maier said.

Within an hour and a half after the attacks on the morning of Sept. 11,
inspections at the Mexico and Canada borders sprang from the normal
level-four status to the intensive level-one position. Level one, which
institutes thorough vehicle searches, will remain in effect until further
notice, Maier said.

In South Texas from Sept. 11 through Sept. 23, about 14 pounds of cocaine
were seized compared with 132 pounds for the same period in 2000. Agents
seized 1,200 pounds of marijuana during that time this year, compared with
2,400 pounds last year.

From Sept. 24 through Oct. 4, marijuana seizures doubled and cocaine
seizures increased 13-fold.

Similar peaks and valleys occurred in Arizona and California. In the week
before the attacks, there were 45 major drug seizures at the five border
ports that make up the California region. The week of the attacks -- Sept.
9 through Sept. 15 -- there were 33 seizures. The number dropped to 30
seizures the following week, but then began creeping back up.

From Sept. 30 through Oct. 6, there were 53 major drug seizures.

Drugs come in to the United States in four ways -- across the border (at
bridges), under the border (through tunnels), over the border (in aircraft)
or around the border (at unauthorized entry points), said Vince Bond, a
spokesman with U.S. Customs in California.

Tunnels are typically very costly to construct, the border patrol is always
on the lookout for illegal crossings and airplanes and airports are
carefully monitored. That leaves international bridges as the most likely
crossing points.

"Our inspectors are raising the trunks, raising the hoods, poking the back
seats, checking documents and questioning people more carefully," Bond
said. "Smugglers do not like to have that level of exposure."

Initially, the increased inspections led to bridge crossing times of up to
31/2 hours. But agents have been working overtime to keep traffic flowing,
Maier said.

This is only the second time that level-one status has been launched. The
first occurred on Dec. 14, 1999. Ahmed Ressam, an Algerian, was arrested
and charged with bringing explosives into the United States through the
Canadian border near Seattle. He was accused of intending to bomb Los
Angeles International Airport.

Level-one status lasted more than a month after his arrest.

The levels are defined as:

Level four (code green) -- normal operations without specific threat
advisories.

Level three (code blue) -- normal operations with heightened awareness.

Level two (code yellow) -- increased level of operations.

Level one (code red) -- sustained intensive anti-terrorism operations.