Associated Press
SAN DIEGO — America’s war on terrorism appears to be helping the war on drugs, at least initially, as wary smugglers from Mexico avoid the risk of shipping their drugs across the border.
Under tight security with many more vehicle searches, the amount of drugs seized fell 80 percent along the 1,962-mile U.S.-Mexico border in the two weeks after the terrorist attacks, compared with the same period a year ago.
"The drug dealers, they’re not stupid. They realize it would be risky to ship their stuff right now," said Kevin Bell, a spokesman for the U.S. Customs Service in Washington, D.C.
No one is suggesting drugs have become scarce in the United States. But authorities have long known that smugglers post spotters near border points to gauge security. Authorities expect the flow to surge again when the traffickers spot an opportunity, said Dean Boyd, a Customs official who analyzed seizure records along the border.
"The traffickers in Mexico don’t want to sit on their product too long," Boyd said. "They’ve got to get it to market and pay their people."
Marijuana smugglers may not be able to wait much longer. The end of September marks their harvest season in Mexico, and the dealers will be eager to move old supplies out of storage to make room for the fresh crop, said Jim Molesa, a Drug Enforcement Administration official in Phoenix.
"It’s getting moldy," Molesa said of the old crop. "They’re desperately going to want to get rid of it."
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