CLINTON ORDERS STRATEGY TO HALT DRUGS AT BORDER

Technology Hailed In Smuggling Battle

MIAMI, Dec. 11—As President Clinton came here today to hail recent
successes in intercepting drug smugglers on the high seas, his aides said
they are developing a new plan intended to virtually wipe out drug
smuggling on land along the U.S.Mexican border over the next five years.

Retired Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey, the administration's national drug control
policy director, said he has been instructed by Clinton to craft a proposal
in time for the president's State of the Union address next month.

Although he was short on specifics, McCaffrey said more fencing, a
beefedup border patrol and better technology will play a critical role. As
an example, he said authorities already are using Xray machines designed
to penetrate Soviet nuclear missile shipping containers to look for cocaine
in trucks and rail cars that cross the border. "They absolutely work," he
said.

McCaffrey said he is confident the United States can "substantially stop"
trafficking along the Mexican border, where much of the foreign drug supply
enters the United States. "We think that's achievable," he said of the
ambitious goal. "We can make it so difficult to smuggle these incredibly
lethal cargoes across the border that they'll go to sea. And we want them
out at sea, not wrecking the U.S.Mexican civil population with corruption
and violence. And by the way, we're going to follow them to sea too."

Clinton appeared ready to hit the high seas himself today, cruising from
the Port of Miami to ISC Causeway Island aboard a Coast Guard cutter this
morning as flags fluttered in the wind, patriotic music played in the
background and scores of uniformed officers stood at attention.

The president lauded the Coast Guard for a "banner year," noting that in
the last year arrests of traffickers increased by 1,000 percent and
seizures of cocaine tripled. "Thanks in no small measure to heroic efforts
on the high seas, in the air and along our borders, the strategy is
starting to show promising results," he said.

Part of that strategy will be a $195 million media campaign to be kicked
off next month to discourage drug abuse by young people, using a variety of
outlets from primetime television to the Internet to sports marketing. The
program will start in 12 pilot cities, including Washington and Baltimore.

The Clinton White House is eager to showcase its anti-drug efforts because
that is an area where Republicans have repeatedly assailed his record.
During last year's campaign, GOP challenger Robert J. Dole made rising
teenage drug use a central attack point against the president, while more
recently congressional leaders such as House Speaker Newt Gingrich (RGa.)
have insisted Clinton do more about drugs as part of the drive for federal
approval of a $368.5 billion settlement between the tobacco industry and
state officials. Clinton has consulted with Gingrich about the upcoming
border plan, McCaffrey said.

After his Coast Guard inspection, Clinton helped Democrats collect campaign
money. He headlined a $250,000 luncheon for Lt. Gov. Buddy MacKay, who is
running for governor next year, likely against Republican Jeb Bush, son of
the president Clinton ousted in 1992. After an afternoon of golf in humid
weather, Clinton attended two Democratic National Committee dinners that
took in a combined $1 million.

As he prepared to head back to Washington late tonight, the three-day trip
to New York and Miami had brought in at least $2.6 million for various
Democratic organizations.