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<H1><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2></FONT><FONT size=2><EM>Drug war comes
to South Africa</EM></FONT></H1>
<H1><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2><EM><A name=drugs>SA conduit for drugs
-- MI5</A> eM&G, <FONT color=maroon face="" ,>PAUL KIRK, Johannesburg
| Friday 2.30pm</FONT><BR>
<HR align=left noShade SIZE=1>
BRITISH intelligence service MI5 has singled out South Africa as one of the
"most important" conduits for South American drugs into Western Europe
in a confidential report submitted to the British Foreign Office and handed to
the South African police.<BR>The report, submitted late last year, suggests that
poor border controls and the rapid increase of illegal immigrants -- especially
Nigerians -- has catapulted South Africa to the top of the drug-peddling
world.<BR>Senior South African police sources said this week the British report
is based on intelligence sources as well as extensive interviews with convicted
drug smugglers arrested in Britain en route from South Africa. <BR>The proposed
new laws will give police and the Department of Home Affairs powers similar to
the United States Immigration and Naturalisation Service. Authorities will be
able to raid premises looking for illegal aliens, and the deportation of aliens
involved in crime will be streamlined in order to crack down on foreign career
criminals.<BR>Top sources in the police said this week that for some time
Western intelligence agencies have been warning the South African police that
poor border controls are encouraging major drug cartels, including the feared
Colombian Cali cartel, to move their bases to South Africa.<BR>The sources said
that the proposed new Bill regulating illegal aliens is apparently inspired by
the huge number of complaints the government has been receiving from
intelligence agencies about unchecked drug and arms
smuggling.<BR></EM></FONT></H1></DIV></BODY></HTML>