Stepped-Up Drug War to Focus On S.D. Border : Bush plan: Questions remain as to how resources will be allocated among border regions of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

For San Diego and the rest of the U.S.-Mexican border area, President’s Bush’s $10.6-billion anti-drug plan foresees the hiring of hundreds of new Customs officers and Border Patrol agents, the expansion of the U.S. immigration checkpoint near San Clemente, and the improvement of drug-detection capabilities at and between ports of entry.

It remains unknown, however, how the new resources will be allocated among the border regions of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas that make up a so-called “high-intensity drug trafficking” area that stretches for almost 2,000 miles. The border is one of five such designated zones nationwide, along with Los Angeles, New York, Miami and Houston.

The San Diego area, like other border regions, is a major conduit both for undocumented immigrants and for illicit drugs entering the United States from Mexico.

Adding to the uncertainty of the much-ballyhooed anti-drug initiative is the fact that the Administration’s proposals are subject to revision by Congress, which controls the government’s purse strings. Whatever package emerges from Capitol Hill, results will be far from immediate: Only $25 million of the multibillion-dollar package is definitely scheduled to be used during the current fiscal year; most of the funds will be available in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

According to the President’s plan, border lawmakers and officials, the program includes:

- The hiring of 175 new officers for the U.S. Customs Service to improve inspections at ports of entry, such as the giant facility at San Ysidro, which is billed as the world’s busiest international crossing. In addition, the Administration plans to seek $5 million for 23 additional teams of drug-sniffing Customs dogs. The Administration is also attempting to modernize Customs equipment to help improve identification of false documents and suspected criminals.

- The hiring of 174 new agents and 26 new support staff for the U.S. Border Patrol, the uniformed enforcement arm of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. Border Patrol staffing has been declining since a hiring freeze was imposed in late 1988. The agents play a key role in deterring drug trafficking, particularly in the sometimes-vast areas between legal ports of entry.

- The improvement and expansion of border-area fencing, ground sensors and other equipment, plus the completed expansion of the Border Patrol checkpoint along Interstate 5 near San Clemente. U.S. authorities have long sought a broadening and modernization of that facility, which is considered a key enforcement tool on the main route from the border to Los Angeles.

The President’s plan also envisions additional military assistance for border law enforcement, although few details were provided. The Administration would also like to increase by 1,000 slots the amount of detention space available for so-called “criminal aliens”--foreigners convicted of drug-related and other crimes.

All told, officials said, Bush’s blueprint anticipates that perhaps 700 new federal officers will be assigned to the border region beginning late this year, including agents from Customs, the Border Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration, among others. The border region would presumably receive some of the 75 new federal judgeships called for under the Bush plan.

Under that plan, the border area and the four other target zones will get increased funding two ways: first, through a yet-undetermined split of the $25 million that is to be distributed this year; that should be augmented with up to $21 million more from drug-related cash and other assets seized by federal authorities and plowed back into the anti-drug effort.

Secondly, the vast majority of drug-fighting funds will be allocated through increases in the regular federal budget for law enforcement agencies, treatment programs and the like.

In the second category, the Los Angeles area is expected to receive $169 million in fiscal year 1991, 11% more than the current $151 million.

Officials of the nation’s “high-intensity” areas have questioned whether a special $25-million fund to be shared this year would be sufficient to make much impact.

Hours after Bush outlined his plan, a group of police officers at one of Los Angeles’ drug “supermarkets” wondered whether any of it would filter down to them. “Most of all, we need new radios,” said Sgt. Dave Cullen, part of a Los Angeles police narcotics crew making one of its periodic sweeps through MacArthur Park.

Although few details were given of the benefits that target areas can expect, officials said 300 additional agents and support personnel will likely be added to Los Angeles offices of federal agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration and Customs Service.

Times staff writers Paul Lieberman and Jocelyn Stewart contributed to this article.