Thread: U.S.Coast Guard chief discusses drug trade interdiction

U.S. Coast Guard chief discusses drug trade interdiction
By Chris Roberts / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 06/12/2008 11:47:41 AM MDT


As drug cartels are confronted by Mexico's top leadership -- setting an example for state and local government -- an opportunity arises to break the backs of those criminal organizations, said a U.S. official in charge of the nation's drug interdiction efforts.
Mexico President Felipe Calderon has taken a difficult stand against the cartels, said U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen, who also is current chairman of the Interdiction Committee, a group of U.S. federal agencies working to stop the flow of drugs into this country.

And he said it is possible, with support of the nation's residents, that Mexico will follow the example of Colombia, which officials say has exhibited a decrease in drug-related violence and corruption in recent years.

"What happens is, once the government takes a stand, as the president of Mexico has, and then that is vertically integrated down through the government, that starts to build a sense of trust and confidence down to the municipality level, which is where this really plays out, where the quality of life is really impacted," Allen said in an exclusive interview last week with the El Paso Times.

Mexican and U.S. efforts to disrupt cartel activities also are contributing to the current violence in Juarez and along the nation's Southwest border, he said.

"The same areas where a lot of unlawful activity may (have been) occurring in the past are now being pressured from a variety of points and that causes internal conflicts
between the cartels, between the cartels and Mexican government, and between the cartels and the United States government," Allen said. "So I think, everything you're seeing, the increased violence, some of the horrific acts we've seen there (in Juarez), are indicative overall of just increased pressure on the Southwest border as a conduit for not only drugs, but illegal aliens."
In the 1970s, when Allen was beginning his career, the drug war demanded fundamental changes in the Coast Guard.

"We started doing (missions to) counter fishing vessels and converted small cargo vessels carrying multi-ton quantities of marijuana from Colombia," Allen said. "In fact, some of the original multi-agency operations to try and stop the flow of marijuana out of Colombia were actually started while I was a watch officer here at (the El Paso Intelligence Center, or EPIC) in the 1970s."

Allen was among the first people to serve at EPIC, which coordinates federal anti-drug efforts.

"I came off a Coast Guard cutter in the mid-'70s, and they told me that there was a chance to be assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administration in El Paso, Texas, and that was rather intriguing for me as a Coast Guard officer," Allen said. "It also was pretty inviting because I graduated from high school in Tucson, Ariz., so during the time I was closer to home than anytime in my entire Coast Guard career -- a six hour drive away."

His wife taught at Andress High School and his second child was born at Beaumont Army Medical Center, Allen said.

"We got some Texas roots as a result of my assignment here," he said.

Now, Allen is in charge of the entire Coast Guard and he warns that with the mission of homeland security added to those of protecting territorial waters and drug interdiction, it will have to grow.

"You're going to manage risk," Allen said. "To to the extent that our missions, or the requirements, for the Coast Guard, grow in a post 9-11, post (Hurricane) Katrina world, if we don't grow the Coast Guard at the same time, what you're doing is you're going to accept increasing risk."

Chris Roberts may be reached at chrisr@elpasotimes.com; 546-6136.


http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_9564362

"What happens is, once the government takes a stand, as the president of Mexico has, and then that is vertically integrated down through the government, that starts to build a sense of trust and confidence down to the municipality level, which is where this really plays out, where the quality of life is really impacted," Allen said in an exclusive interview last week with the El Paso Times.

This is true of immigration law enforcement.