Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Study Cites Record of DEA Nominee

The former U.S. attorney President Bush picked to head the Drug Enforcement Administration lagged behind other federal prosecutors in bringing narcotics charges, court records show. The study, conducted by a Syracuse University research group, found that Robert C. Bonner, as chief federal prosecutor in Los Angeles for more than five years, pursued fewer drug-related cases in relation to the nationwide average during a time when the city was a leading location of federal drug arrests. Bonner, 48, was named a U.S. district judge in Los Angeles in 1989. He refused to comment on his record as a prosecutor. Drug agents have praised his pursuit of criminal charges after DEA operative Enrique Camarena was kidnaped and slain in Mexico. Bonner’s nomination to be DEA chief is awaiting Senate confirmation.