http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/met ... 35544.html

Feb. 3, 2006, 10:55PM

Drug war's arms race escalating with bomb find
Raids in Laredo turn up explosive devices and the material for the making of more
By JOHN W. GONZALEZ
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

SAN ANTONIO - Two homemade bombs and supplies to make 33 more were found in Laredo in a series of narcotics and firearms raids by a federal task force, officials disclosed Friday.

Portraying the Jan. 27 find as an "alarming" development in the already brutal border drug war, officials said they have not established any terrorist link to the "improvised explosive devices" nor any intended targets among narcotraffickers.

"We are still investigating how these items were to be used, but you can rest assured they were not for peaceful purposes," said Julie Myers, assistant secretary of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"This is one of the first instances that we're aware of where we're seeing IEDs," she added.

The discovery of IEDs at an undisclosed location in Laredo came one day after a search of a Laredo home uncovered "a virtual firearms assembly plant," Myers said.

"Agents on the task force found six kits to assemble fully automatic weapons as well as roughly 20 assembled weapons, including AK-47s, AR-15 assault rifles, hunting rifles and pistols," Myers said.

"Also found in that very same house were silencers, police scanners, bulletproof vests, sniper scopes, special cameras, ammunition, narcotics and cash," said Myers.

A Jan. 4 appointee of President Bush, Myers was making one of her first official trips to the border region.

One unidentified person was being held on federal firearms charges, she said.

The seizures credited to the Border Enforcement Security Task Force are in addition to several others in recent months — all part of an effort involving ICE, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI and other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Since its inception in July, the initiative has registered 28 arrests and confiscation of dozens of weapons, weapons parts, ammunition, large quantities of illegal drugs and cash.

The latest seizures actually came Thursday, when more "explosives and other materials" were found in Laredo, Myers said without elaboration, citing an ongoing investigation.

"Obviously it's very concerning to see the trends from assault weapons to IEDs or other materials," said Myers.

Donnie Carter, special-agent-in-charge of ATF's Houston field office, said the IEDs appear to have no international terrorism purpose and similar items have yet to figure in border violence.

"At this point there is no connection with anything in Iraq. They're just bad guys that have explosive devices," Carter said.

"We haven't seen any explosive devices used in Nuevo Laredo (Mexico). We've seen them used in the U.S. for other purposes. So, right now, it's a preventive measure that we're finding these things before they are used," Carter said.

Photos of recently seized items showed what appeared to be small pipes as well as grenades, guns and supplies. Carter said the IEDs' design and potential to harm hadn't been fully assessed.

"They have the capacity to kill people," he said.

Laredo Police Chief Agustin Dovalina III said the IED seizures bring both comfort and worry.

"I'm very concerned over any kind of device that would cause major damage or injury," Dovalina said.

"We're doing the best we can to hopefully keep the violence from spilling over to our side," he said.

john.gonzalez@chron.com