RECORD BUDGET SOUGHT TO CARRY OUT DRUG WAR -- $17 BILLION REQUESTED FOR
AGENTS, EQUIPMENT

PHILADELPHIA -- The White House Friday outlined its plan "to shut the door"
on drugs from the Mexican border, calling for an increase in Border Patrol
agents and the use of advanced technology.

"We think this is the blueprint for what we're going to try to accomplish.
And we have told the Congress -- and I would suggest to you that what you
need to do is hold us accountable by seeing if what we do in the next three
years supports the strategy," said Barry McCaffrey, director of the Office
of National Drug Control Policy.

President Clinton's budget proposal requests $17 billion to fight drugs,
the largest ever presented to Congress. It is a $1 billion increase over
last year.

Taking aim at the border, the proposal calls for $163 million for the
Border Patrol to hire 1,000 new officers, $54 million for advanced
technology such as sophisticated X-ray systems and remote video
surveillance and $75.4 million to stem drug manufacturing and smuggling in
the Andean region and to train Mexican anti-drug forces.

The strategy calls for cutting the drug flow in half within the decade.

The administration wants a 15 percent increase, the largest percentage of
increase to be aimed at programs for youth.

The program calls for $195 million for an anti-drug media campaign to
saturate television, the Internet and radio. McCaffrey said the budget
proposal also "starts to effectively link the drug treatment community and
the criminal justice community."

McCaffrey said the proposal also would fund a program of mandatory testing
of arrestees and a mandatory treatment program for those testing positive
for drug use in prison.

The retired Army general noted Mexico has stepped up its efforts to fight
drug smuggling and is paying a price. "Mexico is under major internal
attack, violence and corruption driven by international criminal
organizations."

Mexico, which has bristled at U.S. criticism, must face annual
certification from the State Department that it is cooperating with
American anti-drug efforts. Last year, Congress harshly criticized Mexico
after its chief drug czar was found to be helping its biggest drug smuggler.

"Although they've arrested some of their mid-level cartel leadership and
driven others into hiding, it's still a very serious situation," McCaffrey
said. But, he added, it is "a dangerous environment in both countries."

Copyright 1998 Houston Chronicle