DRUG SEIZURES ROCKETING

Last spring, state troopers arrested three men near Wytheville with 31/2
kilograms of nearly pure heroin. The heroin was discovered after the men,
all Mexicans, were stopped for speeding in a rented Dodge Durango on
Interstate 81.

After a drug-sniffing dog homed in on a backpack, troopers discovered shoes
that "felt too heavy," recalled Capt. H.C. Davis, commander of the
special-operations division of the Virginia State Police.

Davis said heroin typically is smuggled from out of the country by other
modes of transportation, especially airplanes. But after last September's
security crackdown, the number of arrests on Virginia's highways have
soared - along with the value of the drugs.

"There are not only more seizures, we're getting larger shipments, too,"
Davis said.

The Mexican heroin alone was valued at $3.1 million.

Overall, the state police's special-operations division reported that $11.9
million worth of drugs was seized between last September and late August, a
358 percent increase in value from the year before.

The division, which handles most of the state police's drug arrests, has a
relatively small force - 25 troopers and agents - based in Richmond,
Hampton Roads and Salem.

With more security measures expected at airports, and continued
surveillance of train and bus stations, Davis said he expects to see a
steady run of drugs, money and guns over Virginia's highways.

"As long as you have the interest in terrorism," he said, "I don't see that
waning anytime soon."