MORE U.S. AGENTS AT THE BORDER

Canwest News service
June 19, 2009

The U.S. is strengthening efforts to intercept and to break up drug rings smuggling narcotics across the Canada-U.S. border under an agreement announced Thursday that will see a sharp increase in the number of immigration and customs agents conducting raids and making arrests.

Under the deal, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will have the power to authorize an unlimited number of agents to investigate cross-border drug crimes.

"Stay tuned. You are going to see a lot more activity out of the DEA and ICE," said John Morton, the assistant secretary of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"This is a national effort. And from ICE's perspective, we are going to be paying attention to the northern border, and also to our air and maritime ports as well."

The agreement reached Thursday is designed to end decades of turf wars between the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Immigration and Customs agents over who has the power to investigate drug trafficking at the country's borders and ports of entry.

The new deal gives Homeland Security the sole discretion to designate as many immigration and customs agents as it needs to take on drug smuggling. ICE agents also will now be able to conduct foreign drug investigations in co-operation with the DEA.

Morton refused to say how many more agents would be conducting drug operations along the Canada-U.S. border, or the boundary with Mexico.

Co-operation between the DEA, ICE and the FBI allowed U.S. authorities to "connect the dots" on more than 160 separate cases, Leonhart said.