e Battalion
TATE & LOCAL
3
onday, March 6,1989
aste incinerators
Nill help TI dispose
)f toxic by-products
Newspaper: Agents bent rules
in undercover drug operations
SHERMAN (AP) — For Mariquita
itterson, an environmental engi-
:er for Texas Instruments, Inc.,
e future is hot. About 2,200 de-
ees Fahrenheit hot, twice as hot as
e planet Venus.
Temperatures that high are re
ared in modern hazardous waste
cinerators such as one Texas In-
ruments plans to build in Sher-
an, 60 miles north of Dallas.
Patterson is among those working
the design of the proposed fa-
ity for the Dallas-based electronics
m.
TI said it wants to build the waste
sposal and storage plant at its
rawling facility three miles south
Sherman so it can have so-called
radle-to-grave” control over the
xic and hazardous wastes used by
e firm.
Wastes such as solvents, acids,
ating solutions and other toxic
aterials now are shipped by TI to
nmnercial disposal facilities. When
(opens in 1991, the company’s pro-
bsed $15 million plant is designed
[ process nearly 15 million pounds
I waste a year from nine of TTs
Texas manufacturing plants,Patter
son said.
The firm unveiled plans for the
15-acre facility, officially known as
the Integrated Waste Treatment Fa
cility, on Feb. 8 and, for the most
part, community response in Sher
man has been favorable.
The site would add up to 30 jobs
in Sherman, where TI is already the
largest employer, and Sherman
mayor Dean Gilbert described the
expansion as the equivalent of a new
industry coming to town.
Some environmentalists have ex
pressed concerns about the propo
sal, particularly about what will be
coming out of the incinerator’s 80-
foot smokestack. They also want to
know what will happen to the plant’s
waste water.
“A couple of things would be of
concern to us,” said Connie Adams,
conservation chairman of the Audu
bon Society’s chapter in McKinney.
“One is the air blowing into town
and the other is the waste water
treatment. Obviously, dumping
waste water into the streams for pub-
See Waste/Page 6
HOUSTON (AP) — Federal
agents conducting risky undercover
operations have bent rules and lost
control of tons of cocaine and mari
juana in an escalating, multibillion-
dollar drug war, the Houston
Chronicle reported Sunday.
The government’s recent focus on
seizure of drug trade assets has en
riched the anti-drug war chest, but
also has encouraged overzealousness
and sometimes casual regard for
rules governing seizures and forfeit
ures, the newspaper said in a copy
right story.
And despite enforcement efforts,
most smuggling attempts succeed
and the war on drugs is, even
according to the most optimistic
views, only holding its ground.
A two-month Chronicle investiga
tion has revealed that tons of cocaine
and marijuana smuggled into the
country by operatives of the U.S.
Customs Service and the federal
Drug Enforcement Administration
have ended up on the street because
of botched undercover operatives.
Federal officials also have violated
departmental policies and possibly
federal law by taking shortcuts in the
seizure of millions of dollars of per
sonal property suspected of being
used in drug-related transactions,
the newspaper said.
David Westrate, the DEA assistant
administrator of operations, denied
that his agency conducts its business
improperly and said the criminal
justice system provides the ultimate
in oversight to detect governmental
abuse — review by a federal judge
and jury.
“I can guarantee that if we were
doing things improperly, we would
be hearing from the federal judges
about it, and we’re not,” Westrate
said. “We have an extremely high
conviction rate and extremely high
sentences. So I think the record
shows that we’re being quite success
ful.”
But the Chronicle’s investigation
found that seizures of drug assets —
much touted as a means of gutting
high-level drug traffickers — some
times may have violated federal pol
icy and law.
At a media event in Houston last
July, for example, U.S. Sen. Phil
Gramm presented the Texas De
partment of Public Safety with a $ 1.2
million plane seized by U.S. Customs
in a drug operation. But the court
action required to forfeit the plane
wasn’t filed until three weeks later. A
federal judge awarded the plane to
the state in December.
Between 5,000 and 7,000 pounds
of marijuana got away from agents
and operatives last year in a plot to
gain the confidence of reputed Co
lombian drug lord Bernardo-Lon-
dono Quintero. The pot was part of
a 26,000-pound shipment DEA op
eratives brought into the country for
Quintero’s associate, Saul Hernan
dez Rivera.
The DEA flew the marijuana to
Phoenix, Ariz., in July 1984, but
Hernandez became suspicious and
refused to send his U.S. contacts to
pick it up. The DEA sought other
buyers for the marijuana and even
tually agreed to sell the dope for
$3.2 million to two groups in Michi
gan. The DEA delivered the pot in
August 1984, split it up among the
buyers and then moved in to seize it,
but lost track of at least 5,000
pounds, agents testified.
The investigation failed to nab ei
ther of the original targets. Top fed
eral officials acknowledge that dope
occasionally has reached the market
place as agents and informants as
sumed the role of drug importers in
undercover investigations.
In fact, the DEA agent’s manual
sets out rules and guidelines for ex
traordinary circumstances in which
drugs may be furnished by the DEA
or in which known drug shipments
may get through without being
seized.
Such action requires consultation
with a U.S. attorney and a determin
ation that it is necessary to avoid
compromising an operation, to pro
tect agents or informants, to pros
ecute top-level drug traffickers or to
interrupt drug traffic.
ess suppon
a letter toll
if months
itional Wild
>y saying a
s too impoi
ic refuge t
> many peo
N ational W
last rentait!
ere people
ture. to
where huffi
iture and’a
•as created
it for the a
lere
lining com:
of our nata
years or so
'e dam
as we alrea
Lin/orttfftf
he few
tect. Natio
5 must he
if they are
lich theyw
Conferences restrict
parking near stadium
Parking Area 62 west of Kyle
Field will close to all but confer
ence participants through Thurs
day.
Because of construction else
where on campus, it has been
necessary to use part or all of Lot
62 for conference parking during
certain meetings this semester,
said Tom Williams, director of
parking, transit and traf fic.
Williams said PA 62 will be
closed to students because of the
large number of individuals at
tending the Texas Water Utilities
Association Conference and the
Texas Engineering Extension
Service’s Basic City Managers
Course.
PA 62 will reopen Friday with
all but 60 spaces available to stu
dent permit holders.
Students who usually park in
PA 62 should park west of the
railroad tracks in any lot that is
valid for their sticker or in the lot
adjacent to the University Police
Department on the site of the old
Southside Apartments, Williams
said.
Food drive nets 20,000 pounds,
$12,000 for Brazos Valley poor
By Sherri Roberts
STAFF WRITER
More than 20,000 pounds of food were collected for
the Brazos County Food Bank Saturday during a food
drive to benefit the needy of the Brazos Valley.
In addition, a campus food drive coorciinated by
health sciences honor fraternity Eta Sigma Gamma col
lected 1,200 pounds of food Thursday and Friday to be
donated to the Brazos County Food Bank.
Cash donations of $12,000 collected during the Sat
urday food drive, which was sponsored by the Brazos
County Food Bank and KBTX-TV, will allow the food
bank to purchase an additional 5,000 pounds of food,
said Barbara Reilley, a member of the food bank’s
board of directors.
Donations will be stored at the Brazos County Food
Bank warehouse and distributed by various charitable
organizations and churches in the area.
Reilley said that although the event did not meet its
theme goal, “100,000 pounds of food from 100,000
people,” she was pleased with the quantity of food gath
ered.
“All the Aggies came out in force,” Reilley said.
The cold weather conditions on Saturday probably
deterred many from driving to the food drive, which
took place at various locations in the Brazos Valley, she
added.
Since this was the first year for the event, organizers
were pleased that food and cash donations reached
one-fourth of their goal.
Coordinators of the event are planning to organize a
similar food drive next year.
Texas Avenue
maintenance
starts today
Drivers on Texas Avenue this
week should be aware that alter
nate routes and/or extreme cau
tion may be necessary in two
areas where Bryan city mainte
nance crews will be working.
Waste Water Collection em
ployees will be adjusting man
holes in the 3800 block of South
Texas Avenue (betweeen North
Avenue and Broadmoor) and
also in the 200 block of North
Texas (between William Joel
Bryan Parkway and 24th Street).
In both cases, one southbound
lane will be closed during the day
and possibly at night.
The maintenance work is
scheduled to begin today and
• should be complete by Friday.
urn
eve all oU
rid pol
place viif
pes can i
hundred
Wildlife^
res of ivil
5om
Galveston Spring Break "89
March 9
5K Fun Run (409) 763-4607
KRBE’s Giant Boom Box
Galveston Film Festival (409) 763-2403
March 10
Galveston College Tennis Tournament
Galveston Film Festival
March 11
Surf Spring Break ’89 (409) 740-4422
Mascot and Sand Sculpture Contest (409) 763-
6564
Galveston College Tennis Tournament
March 12
Live Entertainment
Galveston Film Festival
Live Bands - Big Fun
March 18
Jammin Sportswear/Coors Light Volleyball
Tournament (713) 541-3323
KRBE’s Giant Boom Box on the beach
Pepsi Challenge Tug-O-Wai on the Beach
March 19
Jammin Sportswear/Coors Light Volleyball
Tournament
Live Bands
Killer Bees
Texas A&M University at Galveston
presents:
Surf Spring Break’89
DATE: Saturday, March 11, 1989, 8 AM.
SITE: 25th and Seawall Blvd., Galveston, Texas.
ENTRY FEE: $10.00 before March 3rd, $15.00
after March 3rd. $5.00 to also compete in
bodyboards. Entry includes custom T-shirt and
othpr oood'es. No refunds
I I k_ I . / .UO l IVi Lo O . U N_» r I VI I I tociy , I WI«U.I 1st 4
10th at Sunrise Surfshop, 4702 Seawall Blvd., or
7:00 AM Saturday, March 11th at the site.
INFORMATION: Call (409)740-4422 for more
information until March 10th. March 10th, call
(409)762-SURF.
35 mm, 24 exp.
Galveston Spring Break ’89 is hosted by
KRBE and Pepsi.
All 20% off!
K0DAC0L0R GOLD 1q 0 Fj|m
New and improved, for better flesh tones.
K0DAC0L0R GOLD 200 Film
Indoor/outdoor versatility with rich color
and sharp detail. 35 mm, 24 exp.
This fast-action film brings you unsur- „ 5mm2 4exp
passed color accuracy in a 400-speed film
and fine-grain enlargements.
Try K0DAC0L0R GOLD Film today!
Mon.-Fri. 8:30-5:30
CAMPUS UUCJP
m Northgate * 846-5418