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| Border Alert Keeps Drug Shipments at a Crawl |
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Posted by FoM on September 22, 2001 at 07:05:49 PT By Ricardo Sandoval, Dallas Morning News Source: Seattle Times 
Mexican traffickers have all but frozen daily shipments of illegal drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border amid a massive buildup of U.S. Customs Service inspectors and National Guard troops. Daily drug seizures along the Mexican border have dropped to almost zero since last week's terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, say Mexican and U.S. law-enforcement officials. That's a direct result of U.S. authorities searching almost every passenger and commercial vehicle crossing the border, U.S. Customs Service officials said. National Guard units are supporting the hundreds of extra Customs agents patrolling the Mexican and Canadian borders and major airports "Traffickers watch us very closely, so they know we are now on a very tough security footing," said Customs Service spokesman Dean Boyd. "If I were a smuggler, I would not want to be trying to send anything illegal across the border right now." The growing stockpiles of illegal drugs waiting to be shipped across the border into the United States could soon start affecting the street price of cocaine, heroin and marijuana, Mexican authorities said. "How long they can hold shipments is a good question," Boyd said. "These guys have bills to pay, too, so they must be getting anxious." While it's too soon to quantify the slowdown, Mexican authorities along the border and in Mexico City said they've noticed a reduction in drug-related activity, primarily in the busy Tijuana-San Diego border region. That area supplies a majority of the cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamines sold on the streets of the western United States. Almost two-thirds of the cocaine sold in the United States is smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border. On a normal day — before the terrorist alert — U.S. officials capture up to 20 vehicle shipments of drugs in San Diego and El Paso, which together record as many as 75,000 vehicle crossings each day. One or two loads a day have been seized in the last week, Customs Service officials said. Activity at other busy drug-trafficking spots in Mexico has slowed, Mexican officials added. At the Tijuana International Airport, for example, there have been only two seizures since Sept. 11 — for small amounts of heroin. Before the terrorist strike, Mexican police said there was a significant confiscation almost every other day. "It seems as though the drug dealers don't want to risk seizures of their products with all this extra police activity," said a Mexican federal prosecutor in Tijuana. The last time the border was this tight was shortly before Jan. 1, 2000, when U.S. officials went on a Level One alert after the arrest of a suspected terrorist who attempted to cross from Canada to Washington state with explosive materials. But that lockdown was short-lived, and officials did not have time to register its effect on drug activity. The current crawl at major border crossings — up to four-hour waits for vehicle crossings into Texas at various times of the day — reminds officials of the Customs Service crackdown in 1984, after the murder of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique Camarena by Mexican drug traffickers. Complete Title: Heightened Border Alert Keeps Drug Shipments from Mexico at a Crawl Source: Seattle Times (WA) Related Articles: Tight Border Security Slows Trafficking Border Drug Crackdown a Waste? Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #13 posted by FoM on September 22, 2001 at 21:03:15 PT |
| I just wanted to say we watched Behind the Veil. I have never seen a program like this before. It was worse then any horror movie I ever saw. I don't know what to compare it to but a horror movie. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #12 posted by FoM on September 22, 2001 at 19:26:52 PT |
| Thanks for saying how you feel. I don't think that steel production will drop because implements of destructions are made out of steel but will it be safe to be on the road a lot? I don't know but I'm just concerned. There are quite a few truck stops going east from here that are owned by Arabic people. More and more truckers are also of Arabic descent. I asked my husband if there was a lot of "trucker talk" you know what I mean, when he was on the road and he said no one has said anything. All the drivers are keeping quiet and since I went with my husband for two years on the road that is very unusual. As far as shortages go I have no idea. Couldn't even begin to figure that one out. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #11 posted by Toker00 on September 22, 2001 at 19:06:37 PT |
| I don't think we have begun to feel the results of the attack, yet. I expect more. When we begin retaliation, they will imploy terror. Here. I'm afraid we ALL know that, but are afraid to say it. Watch our how close you (all) get to Bush, and please read between the lines of his speeches. What I find so formidable, is this is WORLDWIDE. How are we gonna be able to infiltrate and investigate in the 60+ countries that are rumored to have terrorist cells? Think Castro will allow us to come snooping around? He ain't dead yet, by no means. My future will be better as I live it. If I become poorer, at least I will be wiser. If I become rich, I will share. And I see Cannabis, THROUGHOUT my future. About the border thing...so? Is anybody having problems finding herb? To me, it just means more domestic productions, and higher prices. That's cool. It'll always be there... Peace. Realize, then Legalize. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #10 posted by FoM on September 22, 2001 at 17:28:17 PT |
| Ever since the Taliban took control of most of Afghanistan in 1996, the group has imposed its harsh version of Islamic law on the country. In "Beneath the Veil," journalist Saira Shah traveled to Afghanistan to see the effects of the Taliban's rule on her father's homeland. She discovered public executions, allegations of human rights violations like massacres and torture, and a place where women are forced to beg because they are prevented from working. But she also found that the first voices of protest come from the most repressed, including an opposition group that uses hidden cameras to film the executions. http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/presents/ TIME Exclusive: Cropduster Manual Discovered in Suspected Terrorist Hideout http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,175951,00.html [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #9 posted by Silent_Observer on September 22, 2001 at 16:34:07 PT |
| Yup...virtual neighbors; I could literally throw a stone into Kensington...:) [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #8 posted by FoM on September 22, 2001 at 15:47:26 PT |
| Hi Silent_Observer and PoiXXXDays, I stayed with my one sister and her family of 8 children that lived in Kensington when my husband ( he's not my husband now but was back then ) was in Basic Training because he was drafted. I remember shopping in Silver Springs and going to a nice country club to swim because it was so hot there but I sure don't remember any names. Too many years ago. I actually lived in Baltimore when I was very young for a few years and then my family moved to Reading, Pa. because my Father was transferred. It really is a small world. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #7 posted by PoiXXXDays on September 22, 2001 at 15:22:58 PT |
| Hi Fom!,
I live on the other side of
the beltway from the Pentagon
in College Park. I drove
by the Pentagon though. It was not pretty.
Kensington and Baltimore are only a few
minutes from where I live.
I do have to move though. Really I think
for cultural reasons as well as personal.
Europe is looking really good these days. And hello Silent! We are virtual neighbors. How is the herb situation? Mine sucks. You don't have to answer that. Probably be better if you did not. I can only talk about it because my supply sucks. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #6 posted by Silent_Observer on September 22, 2001 at 15:08:44 PT |
| Kensington?? Right next door to me...:) [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #5 posted by FoM on September 22, 2001 at 13:01:47 PT |
| Thanks PoiXXXDays! You live in the DC area. Do you live anywhere near the Pentagon? I spent some of my summers when I was young in Kensington, Maryland. I also spent some time in Baltimore. Haven't been to those areas in many years though. So you might need to move. I wonder how jobs will be created to help people under these circumstances? [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by PoiXXXDays on September 22, 2001 at 12:38:00 PT |
| Hi Fom! Well from what little I remember from school a recession is 2 quarters of negative economic growth. I do not know what the definition of a Depression is. I think we definitely have a recession. From own perspective in this rats nest called the DC Metro area the economy is very bad. I am currently out of work and there are not many openings to apply to. ( I am in computer support like everybody else around here it seems). At this rate I will be posting from the homeless shelter. Does anybody know if I can get work in BC tending one of those pot houses? Or maybe Netherlands? [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by FoM on September 22, 2001 at 11:39:10 PT |
| Hi Everyone,
I don't know about all of you but I am in a very quiet mood. I wonder where we are headed and I wonder how this war will effect us. How low does the Stock Market have to go until they call it a Crash? When does it become a Depression instead of calling it a Recession or major slump? How will it make life harder or easier? The news is always slow on the weekends but much more so now so I sure would like to read how you all feel about your own future? Just a few questions if you want to answer them and if not that's sure fine. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by i420 on September 22, 2001 at 11:17:13 PT |
| Buy American !!!! That imported stuff will kill you.
They have tried for decades to stop the flow into our country geee why didn't they think of this sooner. Maybe we should thank those terrorist for "saving our children from the flow of illegal drugs coming into america" Satire is so sad but true. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on September 22, 2001 at 08:59:58 PT |
| About half of the cannabis purchased in the USA is produced in the USA. All the War on Terrorism has done is to raise import tarriffs. Marc Emery reports the Canada->US smugglers have doubled their rates from $500CDN/lb. to $1,000CDN/lb. [ Post Comment ] |
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