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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 24, 1983)
The Battalion February 24, 1983/Page 1B starts Hi itiainij ak tender- 11-2:3 Florida reroute United Press International BROWNSVILLE — Mari- uana seizures in Brownsville |ve increased fourfold over levious years, partially as a (Itsequence of the much- Iblicized Florida drug crack- Iwn which is forcing sinug- fers to reroute their contra- Ind through South Texas. 1 Local Drug Enforcement Bministration officials say, Iwever, local citizens need iOt despair. DEA officials said Bulf Coast task force similar (|ihe one in Florida is being pfcanized and should he |)p(idting by the end of the Inth. It will include the Val- y in its surveillance. J The dramatic increase in S<|al marijuana traffic mir- |'(l's trends f rom areas such as tHouslon, where U.S. Customs joficials recently reported wit seizures had tripled — a Bcnomenon they also attri- Jjlted to the activities of the .Florida task force. I M arijuana is seasonal, with tht peak traffic generally pa Hi ring in the last quarter ;o| each year, said James Pul- ki , Brownsville DEA special Tsnt in charge. ■Between October and De cember of 1981, the Brown sville DEA office dealt with 1|04 pounds of marijuana ■uii was seized In federal and local authorities. In the same period of 1982, 605 pounds was confiscated — a fourfold increase. drug smugglers to Texas ports McAllen DEA officials also said there had been large in creases there in recent months. Cocaine traffic also in creased dramatically. Be tween July and December of 1982, local seizures in which the Brownsville DEA was in volved amounted to 7 pounds of cocaine, as compared to only a few ounces during the same period of 1981. “Part of the reason for the overall increase in traffic is the Florida task force,” Pullen said. “The economic prob lems in Mexico are also re sponsible f or some of this traf fic. Alter all, marijuana smug gling is a money-making oper ation.” The Florida task force was organized by President Reagan as part of his cam paign against illegal drugs. Comprised of officers from different federal agencies, the task force began its work in March of last year, waging what can only be termed an all-out war on drug smug glers. “ I he Navy flies surveill ance airplanes around the clock, searching for unautho rized aircraft,” said Brent Eaton, Miami DEA special agent assigned to the Elorida task force. “The Air Force monitors the skies using its sophisti cated Norad radar system. The Army provides us with any additional equipment we may need including helicop ters. The Coast Guard, of course, patrols the seas con tinuously for suspicious- looking vessels.” Civilian agencies working with the task ,force include the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Cus toms, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Fed eral Bureau of Investigation and even the U.S. Treasury, Eaton said. Besides stemming the flow by catching smugglers with the goods, the task force is ex ploring other methods of cur tailing contraband. Operation Greenback, an investigative force headed up by the Inter nal Revenue Service and U.S. Customs, has been probing into money-laundering schemes, for example. “Their investigations some times help us trace the money back to the drugs and make our work easier,” Eaton said. If the task force is unable to catch some of these smugglers with drugs, the IRS can some times put them out of circula tion by compiling cases against them based on their finances. The task force has proved so effective that the federal government is planning to assemble 12 other such forces to be deployed throughout the country. Border economy improving United Press International EL PASO — Industrialists from throughout the United States are expressing great in terest in following the example of other firms who have estab lished “twin” of fices in Mexico and along the American side of the border. The devaluations of Mexico’s peso have provided the impetus for companies flooding the Chamber of Commerce with in quiries about establishing assembly plants across the bor der in Juarez, Mexico. An El Paso chamber spokes man said this week American border cities profit from the Mexican plants because the firms usually establish an admi nistrative office on the U.S. side, increasing transportation and other services. Among the enticements for the “maquiladaras,” or assembly plants, is the fact the average Mexican factory w age, including fringe benefits, is less than 94 cents an hour. Cities all along the border are enticing industrialists to estab lish the plants, arguing that it Mexican twin plant will keep an American industrialist competi tive with Japanese and Asian Firms. In El Paso and other Amer ican border cit ies the companies are called “twin plants” because they usually are connected with a companion firm in the United States. Under the twin-plant idea, the American manufacturer ex ports components to the Mex ican plant for assembly, then brings the completed compo nents back across the border for sale in the United States. U.S. tariff guidelines allow American industrialists to bring the processed or assembled pro ducts back dutyfree, except for the value added by processing in Mexico. Mexico initiated the program in 1965 as a means of providing jobs and improving the border economy. More than 45,000 workers are employed in 124 of the “twin plants” in Juarez, Mexico, across the border from El Paso. The second largest number of em ployees is in Tijuana, Mexico, across the border from San Diego. There are 143 plants in Tijuana, mostly small Firms em ploying a total of about 15,000 people, according to the latest chamber reports. The program is not without its detractors. Labor unions argue the twin plants are unfair competition, creating a loss of jobs in the United States. William Mitchell, marketing director for a group of the twin plants in Juarez, said rather than create a loss of jobs, the twin plants “are keeping many Amer ican companies in business.” “Twin plants protect jobs in the United States,” he said. “If an American Firm can’t compete successfully with a Hong Kong operation, it would be forced out of business and many more jobs would be lost in the States.” There are 59 twin plants em ploying 21,734 people in Nogales, Sonora, across the bor der from Nogales, Ariz. Mata- moros, across from Brownsville, Texas, has 45 plants and 15,238 employees. Theate Theatei Theate m ‘ m " fie* fie* fit fir *ie* fit fit fit *it fit fit *it fit fit fit fit fit fit fit fit fit fit fit fit fit fit fit fit fit fit fifiSie 0|U MSC Travel Committee % Sponsors ^ SUMMER TRIPS to Europe June 5-26, $1699 — Camping trip — Visiting seven countries — Meals and accommodations — Ground transportation — Round-trip airfare from Houston — Tour guide — Camping equipment excluding sleeping bag China May 15-30, $1990 — All meals, lodging, and ground transportation — Visiting Bejjing, Shanghai, Xian, Waxi, Suzhow, Nanjing — Round trip airfare from West Coast — Tour guide and transfers M.B.A. INFORMATION NIGHT FOR ALL MAJORS Have your questions answered about the M.B.A. program THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24 7 P.M. ROOM 342 ZACHRY ENGR. BLDG. ENGINEERING CAREERS IN HAWAII MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: B.S. degree in engi- neering or equivalent experience AND U.S. CITIZENSHIP These are challenging civilian positions with the PEARL HARBOR NAVAL SHIPYARD in Honolulu, Hawaii. We provide hands-on expe rience and training to become certified ship test engineers, facilities engineers and welding engineers. Positions for MECHANICAL and NUCLEAR engineers require willingness to work weekends and a commitment to excellence in performance. Accelerated training and promotion programs are available for qualified candidates. Majority of these positions are entry level, with starting salaries ranging from $17,383 to $26,959, depending on qualifications, aug mented by a 20% cost of living allowance (subject to change), plus overtime pay. Enjoy these additional benefits: — liberal paid annual leave and sick leave — excellent group health and life insurance programs — generous retirement program — paid relocation and moving expenses (if eligible) — paid periodic return travel to place of hire (if eligible) — paid holidays and of course, Hawaii’s clean air and abundant year-round outdoor recreational activities. Our representatives will be in Bryan on MARCH 14 to conduct off- campus interviews. We prefer a B.S. degree in Mechanical, Nuclear, Chemical, Electrical and Industrial Engineering. For more informa tion contact Sandy Smith, Code 170.3 Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, Box 400, Pearl Harbor, HI 96860, (808) 471-8491 by March 4. AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER BATTALION CLASSIFIED Call 845-2611 4L Tr For more info please call 845-1515 or stop by MSC 216. Now Better Than Ever. You Will Be Pleased With These Carefully Prepared and Taste Tempting Foods. Each Daily Special Only $2.39 Plus Tax. “Open Daily” Dining: 11 A.M. lo 1:30 P.M. — 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M MONDAY EVENING TUESDAY EVENING WEDNESDAY SPECIAL SPECIAL EVENING SPECIAL Salisoury Steak with Mexican Fiesta Dinner Chicken Fried Steak w cream Gravy Mushroom Gravy Two Cheese and Onion Enchiladas Whipped Potatoes and Choice of one other Whipped Potatoes w chili Vegetable Your Choice of Mexican Rice Roll or Corn Bread and Butter One Vegetable Patio Style Pinto Beans Coffee or Tea j: Roll or. Corn Bread and Butter Tostadas Coffee or Tea Coffee or Tea One Corn Bread and Butter 45 G3| THURSDAY EVENING SPECIAL Italian Candle Light Spaghetti Dinner SERVED WITH SPICED MEAT BALLS AND SAUCE Parmesan Cheese - Tossed Green Salad Choice of Salad Dressing — Hot Garlic Bread Tea or Coffee FOR YOUR PROTECTION OUR PERSONNEL HAVE HEALTH CARDS. FRIDAY EVENING SPECIAL BREADED FISH FILET w TARTAR SAUCE Cole Slaw Hush Puppies Choice of one vegetable Roll or Corn Bread & Butter Tea or Coffee SATURDAY NOON and EVENING SPECIAL Yankee Pot Roast Texas Style (Tossed Salad) , Mashed 1 Potato w 1 gravy \ Roll or Corn Bread & Butter' Tea or Coffee SUNDAY SPECIAL NOON and EVENING ROAST TURKEY DINNER Served with Cranberry Sauce Cornbread Dressing Roll or Corn Bread - Butter - Coffee or Tea Giblet Gravy And your choice of any One vegetable booKs* records •video CULPEPPER PLAZA OOOOOOOOOOOOO ooooooooooooo OOOOOOOOOOOOO o’ o o o oooooooooo oooooooooo oooooooooooo oooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooo TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO