TERROR NET SNARES DRUGS

As the nation's response to the Sept. 11 attacks expands, security
officials are discovering beneficial byproducts in unexpected places. A
surprising surge in drug seizures along U.S. borders is becoming a welcome
unintended consequence of the war against terrorism.

The Customs Service reports a 326 percent increase over last year in
seizures from commercial traffic -- trucks, ships and planes -- along the
Canadian border, and an overall increase of 66 percent at all U.S. points
of entry. Noncommercial seizures are up about 30 percent. The rise has
caught customs officials off guard. They expected seizures to fall, given
the wide publicity about heightened security. Smugglers apparently are
unwilling or unable to change routes they have used for decades. The
troubling question rising from the encouraging news concerns why the
government couldn't have closed these border holes long ago.

U.S. agencies say the national resolve after the terrorist attacks
eliminated the political turf wars and disputes over money that hindered
enforcement. In recent years, Congress often made a greater priority of
stopping the flow of illegal immigrants -- Mexican workers, in particular
- -- and resources shifted from drug seizure efforts. An essential part of
the long-term fix for border control is creation of a practical, legal
means for Mexican workers to enter the United States then return home. A
functioning guest-worker program would enable law enforcement to devote
more manpower to keeping drugs out instead of chasing people who come to
fill job openings at the low end of the U.S. economy.

Anti-terrorism measures have stretched the Coast Guard thin, however, and
Floridians have reason to worry about that. Coast Guard drug seizures have
declined since the attacks because of increased security responsibilities
- -- port patrols and escorting Navy ships and cruise liners. The Coast Guard
needs adequate help from Congress to keep up with its expanding mission.

Just as the terrorist hijackings forced improvement in airport security
that should have been implemented long ago, they also expose long-standing
security weaknesses on the borders. The United States won't solve all its
drug problems just by increasing seizures at ports of entry, but as with
terrorism, every battle won in the war helps.

Tightening the borders always has been a matter of finding the will and
setting the right priority. The country has both today, and drug smugglers
suffer for it.