SMITH TO TARGET DRUG TRAFFICKING

A key congressional official on crime issues said Friday he would
make fighting the increasing levels of drug trafficking in South
Texas his top priority for this year.

In his first public appearance as chairman of the House Subcommittee
on Crime, U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, said drug trafficking
is at an all-time high. He plans to meet with law enforcement
officials in the next several months to come up with his anti-crime
agenda.

"Quite frankly, it's worse than anyone can imagine," Smith said. "As
far as drug trafficking is concerned, South Texas has become the
Miami of the 1980s."

Smith said he was alarmed after meeting for several hours on Friday
with members of the South Texas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area
Task Force.

According to task force officials, about 62 percent of all U.S. drug
seizures occurred in South Texas last year. The task force has also
spotted a spike in drug use by children ages 12 and under, said task
force director Vernon Parker.

"We keep hearing how crime levels have dropped all over the country,"
Parker said. "But at the same time, the only thing that has increased
significantly is drug crimes and drug trafficking."

The task force is made up of representatives from South Texas law
enforcement agencies of all levels, including the San Antonio Police
Department, U.S. Border Patrol and the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration.

Officials at the meeting attributed South Texas' boost in
drug-related crimes to an increasing volume of narcotics coming from
south of the border.

Sgt. Jim Barbe, the SAPD representative with the task force, said
local authorities have seen an increase in smuggling activity during
the past couple of years.

"You are getting all these trucks (containing drugs) coming through
here and heading up north," Barbe said. "Something always falls from
those trucks."

Officials at the meeting cited the need for more law enforcement
resources along the border and tougher penalties for drug offenders.
Smith said increased truck traffic between Mexico and the United
States because of the North American Free Trade Agreement has
contributed to the higher availability of drugs.

While Smith did not spell out specific strategies he plans to adopt,
he said more rehabilitation resources for individual drug users
should accompany stiffer penalties.

Smith, however, said he didn't know exactly what balance should be
struck on funding enforcement and rehabilitation.

The congressman, who was appointed to head the subcommittee in
January, said he hopes to finish his fact-finding meetings and start
holding hearings in March.