DRUG SEIZURES SKYROCKET TO RECORD LEVELS

Police and Customs officers seized a record number of drugs last year, with
intelligence operations leading to a massive increase in the numbers of
narcotics found on cruise ships.

The value of drugs found by the agencies last year rose by 127.2 percent
from $19.1 million to $43.5 million. And the weight of narcotics seized,
jumped by 624 percent from 56.5 kg to 409.4 kg.

Smugglers are continuing to look for new ways to bring in drugs,
increasingly using courier services, said Superintendent Larry Smith, the
head of the narcotics division yesterday.

But one courier route from the Caribbean through Miami, Memphis and Newark,
New Jersey, seems to have dried up after Customs, Bermuda Police and the US
Drug Enforcement Administration discovered it.

Bermudians continue to be the biggest importers (41 percent) of $36.9
million drugs caught at ports of entry, followed by Jamaicans (33 percent),
and Americans (13 percent). The remaining $6.6 million was discovered in
raids on-Island.

Despite the fact Customs officers are no longer on the gangplanks of cruise
ships 24 hours a day, drug interceptions on ships have shot up dramatically
due to the increased use of intelligence.

The amount of drugs found on ships and passengers rose by 3754 percent from
$471,125 in 20001to $18 million last year.

Supt. Smith said Americans accounted for the majority (60 percent) of those
arrested on cruise ships, mainly caught with small amounts of cannabis,
followed by Bermudians (16 percent).

He told a news conference yesterday: "Police and Customs this year have
seen a record number of seizures in comparison to my time.

"The large increase in cruise ship arrests over the previous year, could be
due to a number of factors, in terms of a greater degree of intelligence,
and the co-operation between the agencies has been excellent.

"We've had some very good arrests involving intelligence. Overall, I'd like
to commend Customs and the Police for their gallant efforts put into
interdiction of drugs. We can't sit on our laurels, we must continue on.

"There will be meetings between the two organisations to improve on last
year, and those meetings are imminent."

When asked if he thought the amounts seized represented the tip of the
iceberg, he said: "Ten or 15 or 20 percent (interdicted), I would suggest
that's a good figure.

"There was a perception that we seized ten percent. If we seized ten
percent of the drugs imported to this country, Bermuda has an extremely
serious problem that has to be addressed by all concerned."

He said the Island had to constantly keep keep abreast with new trends
through liaison with agencies Caribbean and DEA.

He said the latest trend has been to use couriers, one in particular, from
the Caribbean through Miami, Memphis, and Newark. But since authorities
found out about it, the drugs now seem to be bypassing Newark and going to
Canada, he said.

But Supt. Smith admitted: "One door shuts and three more open."

The total number of arrests actually fell slightly last year from 496 to
494, and the total number of individual seizures dropped from 853 to 781.

But the overall value of the drugs increased dramatically because of
increased use of intelligence resulting in bigger busts.