PAST 35 YEARS SHOW DRUG WAR WILL NEVER BE WON

To the editor:

Re: "The drug war is working fine" (April 24), by Drug Enforcement
Administration Special Agent Will R. Glaspy.

This is the response from an agent trying to keep his job, instead of
doing his job by telling the truth.

The drug war will never be won, because drug enforcement has not
worked for the past 35 years or so. What's the answer? Let's try
education, prevention, treatment and fighting corruption within U. S.
federal agencies.

We have tried the John Wayne approach, and it just doesn't work. We
have spent trillions of dollars in drug enforcement in source
countries like Colombia and Peru, and we have not made a dent.

Not only do we have more drugs today then ever, but they are stronger
and man-made, like Ecstasy. We are also the biggest importer of heroin
from Afghanistan, a country under the control of the U.S. government.
And for those who might not have figured it out, American is more
addicted to drug money than to drugs. And there is no exception to the
rule.

According to federal law enforcement agencies, there are several
hundred special agents under investigation for corruption. DEA agents
have sold sensitive data.

They perjure themselves before grand juries and in trials and falsify
their work product. Some will, however, escape prosecution, because
the government will not prosecute itself.

The cartels in Mexico have one of the best intelligence networks
within our federal agencies. They not only know when an indictment is
getting ready to be released, but who the informants are. Their
sources of intelligence gathering are no other then U.S. federal
agents and their informants.

CELERINO "CELE" CASTILLO 3RD

Former DEA agent

McAllen