ANNUAL RED RIBBON WEEK IS A TIMELY REMINDER

Amid Elections And Economic Crises, Drugs Still A National Problem

On Thursday morning, a federal Drug Enforcement Administration
helicopter settled onto the playing fields of Ivey Ranch Elementary
School in Oceanside to kick off one of many annual Red Ribbon Week's
drug-awareness events in North County.

We applaud efforts to increase awareness among children of the harm
that can arise from illegal drugs, because daily there are reminders
in San Diego County of illegal drug trafficking.

On the streets of North County in recent months, various law
enforcement agencies and task forces have arrested dozens of
suspects, including members of street gangs, on various
drug-trafficking charges.

On a larger scale, a recent holiday operation at the ports of entry
reflected efforts to bring illegal drugs into the U.S.

Over the Columbus Day weekend, federal U.S. Customs and Border
Protection officers at the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports of entry
conducted 27 drug busts that seized 1,674 pounds of narcotics within 72 hours.

The modus operandi of traffickers, according to authorities, varied
from marijuana hidden in truck tires to drugs strapped to a
15-year-old boy attempting to walk into the U.S. Officers also seized
pounds of methamphetamine and cocaine during that weekend.

Red Ribbon Week was begun when friends, family members and U.S.
agents began wearing red silk ribbons in tribute to Special Agent
Enrique "Kiki" Camarena of the Drug Enforcement Agency, who was
killed by drug traffickers in Mexico in 1985.

During an election season overshadowed by economic crisis and
plummeting home values, it's important to be reminded about another
national problem that won't go away overnight.