Source: Houston Chronicle, page 16A, editorial page
(http://www.chron.com/cgibin/auth/story/content/chronicle/
editorial/97/08/25/merc.00.html)
Contact: viewpoints@chron.com

PARTNERS IN CRIME

U.S. soldiers turned drug mercenaries should be probed

Recent unconfirmed reports that former U.S. soldiers are being
hired by Mexican cocaine cartels to circumvent U.S. anti
narcotics units are disturbing.

If the reports are found to be true, these former U.S.
soldiers some of whom may be former Special Forces troops
offering their skills to Mexican cocaine barons for cash, are
guilty of the moral equivalent of treason.

For now, the allegations are just that allegations. When it
comes to illegal drugs entering this country, jumping to theories
regarding how they're smuggled in is not always productive. A
recent example of such were stories about the CIA's direct
involvement in putting crack cocaine on the streets of America's
inner cities. The stories eventually proved to be highly suspect.

However, the fact that Rep. Silvestre Reyes, DEl Paso, has
raised questions about former U.S. soldiers selling out to
Mexican cocaine cartels raises the level of concern. This is
Reyes' area of expertise. He is a member of the House National
Security Committee and a former highranking official in the U.S.
Border Patrol.

If, as he says, mercenaries with U.S. military experience are
being hired by key cocaine cartels with the lure of salaries of
up to $500,000, the next step is to prove or disprove the
information.

Drug smugglers already harbor an arrogance that no border is
impenetrable, no country immune from their poison.

If there are indeed former U.S. soldiers selling out to Mexican
drug dealers, it is critical that they be quickly identified and
prosecuted. It's a given that ruthless drug cartels will do most
anything to get their drugs into this country. But there is
something particularly despicable about former U.S. soldiers,
trained with our tax dollars to protect our nation, acting as
mercenaries in breaking down its borders.