PUNISHING DRUG LORDS

Lars-Erik Nelson's Nov. 12 op-ed column, "Skirting Due Process in the War
on Drugs," is yet another effort in a small but vocal campaign of
misinformation against legislation that would provide a powerful new tool
in the war on drugs.

The drug kingpin legislation targets major drug kingpins by blocking their
assets in the United States and by preventing their access to U.S. markets.

This legislation codifies and expands an existing presidential executive
order that has had remarkable success in financially isolating and
weakening Colombian drug cartels.

In 1995, President Clinton signed Executive Order 12978, exercising the
International Emergency Economic Powers Act against four major drug
kingpins affiliated with Colombia's Cali cartel. The order blocks any
financial, commercial and business dealings with any entity associated with
the four named drug traffickers, recognizing that drug traffickers who pump
cocaine and heroin into our communities pose a threat to our national
security.

This legislation expands the president's executive order to include all
foreign narcotics traffickers deemed threats to our national security and
strengthens congressional oversight of the program.

As under the executive order, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign
Assets Control would develop a list of specially designated foreign
narcotics traffickers in consultation with the Department of Justice, the
Department of State and other executive branch agencies.

Any foreign entity that appears on the list would be prohibited from
conducting any economic activity with the United States. American firms or
individuals who violate this prohibition would be subject to significant
financial penalties and, potentially, prison terms.

Contrary to what Nelson would have us believe, this bill does not target
U.S. entities and does not "skirt due process." If a U.S. company is
knowingly or unknowingly conducting business with drug traffickers or their
associates, it is warned by the Treasury Department before any further
steps are taken.

This is a tough but fair measure.

It punishes some of the worst criminals alive today, while at the same time
protecting the rights of innocent U.S. citizens.

Paul Coverdell and Porter Goss

The writers are, respectively, a Republican senator from Georgia and a
Republican representative from Florida.