Official Said to Call Drug Fight a Failure

A top Clinton drug-control strategist said the United States has been unable to stop the smuggling of drugs across the Southwest border, a newspaper reported. “Our current interdiction efforts almost completely fail to achieve our purpose of reducing the flow of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines across the [Southwest] border,” said Francis X. Kinney, director of strategic planning for the Office of National Drug Control Policy, in a memorandum acquired by the Arizona Republic. Kinney said the U.S. must emphasize improved intelligence and high-tech screening equipment, the Republic reported.