MEXICAN METHAMPHETAMINE IN HOUSTON SPOTLIGHTS TREND

WASHINGTON -- In a sign that Houston's illegal drug problem might be
getting worse, police have recently uncovered a new narcotics threat,
the leader of a Houston-based anti-drug force said Wednesday.

"Mexican methamphetamine has infiltrated our community," said Stan
Furce, who heads a combined federal, state and local anti-drug task
force in Houston. "It wasn't there last year."

Furce, a retired federal Drug Enforcement Administration agent, did
not say how much of the homemade, addictive drug is being smuggled
into the city. But he said his agents will increase their efforts to
stem its importation as well as that of other illegal narcotics into
Houston.

The city's methamphetamine problem is part of a nationwide scourge,
said Barry McCaffrey, who heads the federal Office of National Drug
Control Policy.

McCaffrey, widely referred to as the nation's drug czar, said federal,
state and local law enforcement must combat methamphetamine
trafficking to prevent a repeat of the crack cocaine epidemic that
infiltrated inner cities in the early 1990s.

"This is not a minority problem," he said, noting that many whites,
especially women, use methamphetamine. "Drug abuse in America affects
all populations."

McCaffrey also released a report Wednesday that shows Houston remains
a major transportation hub for drug trafficking, nine years after the
U.S. government began a massive crackdown on narcotics in the city.

Ground transportation is the favored method for smuggling drugs into
Houston, according to the report from McCaffrey's office. But the
Texas Gulf Coast, with its many ports and large volume of container
cargo, also is attractive to distributors, the office stated.

The high volume of air traffic to Houston's two airports also makes it
an inviting mode of transportation for smugglers, the report found.

During the 12 months that ended Sept. 30, law enforcement officials in
Houston seized 266,000 pounds of marijuana, 37,492 pounds of cocaine,
385 pounds of methamphetamine and 122 pounds of heroin, Furce said.

The Houston drug problem first attracted federal attention in 1990,
when the then-fledgling federal drug-control office listed the city as
a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. In the ensuing years, the list
has grown from five to 31 areas and includes North, South and West
Texas.

Under a federal program, U.S. law enforcement officials have joined
state and local police in each of the high-intensity areas to fight
the illegal-drug trade. Furce leads the effort in Houston.

Undercover officers in Houston also try to catch drug dealers who
funnel the money through legitimate businesses, Furce said.

Additionally, undercover agents attempt to infiltrate gangs that are
dealing drugs in Houston, he said.