American Notes DRUGS

Last September President Bush vowed to enlist the armed forces in preventing illegal drugs from being smuggled into the U.S. Recently, he approved plans to station a naval task force off the Caribbean coast of Colombia to monitor sea and air traffic. The task force might consist of an aircraft carrier, up to eight support vessels, and E-2C Hawkeye aircraft equipped with sophisticated radar that can track hundreds of planes at a time. Rather than shoot down suspected smugglers, the force would observe planes flying in or out of Colombia and notify Colombian authorities or the U.S. Coast Guard and Customs Service of the smugglers' whereabouts. If Colombia agrees to cooperate, the task force could begin operations within months.