Washington -- Affirming his commitment to "protecting the citizens of our nation," Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Administrator Thomas Constantine hailed a March 24 gathering of law-enforcement officials from dozens of countries for their efforts "to win this struggle" against drug trafficking.

Addressing the 16th Annual International Drug Enforcement Conference (IDEC) in San Jose, Costa Rica, Constantine warned his audience not to underestimate the substantial danger posed to their societies by drug cartels.

"All of the nations [represented] here today ... are threatened by groups of powerful, wealthy and amoral criminals who will become rich or try to become rich by poisoning our children," he said. "Every nation here today is being attacked by predators and their criminal mafias."

Vigilance must be maintained in order to significantly reduce that threat, he added. "If drug abuse and drug trafficking continue at their present rate," Constantine observed, "even more of our children, our most precious asset, will become enslaved by drugs. If drug abuse and drug trafficking continue at the present rate, we know that violence and crime will increase."

The DEA "has a primary role" in fighting the war on drugs within the United States, Constantine said, but he emphasized that it can -- and should -- help wage that fight beyond U.S. borders, when appropriate. "We also recognize that we have a commitment to cooperate with other agencies throughout the world, and to assist where we can assist, and to learn from others," he concluded.

Following is a transcript of his March 24 remarks:

(begin transcript)

Remarks by DEA Administrator Thomas Constantine 16th Annual International Drug Enforcement Conference (IDEC) OPENING CEREMONY SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA MARCH 24, 1998

President Figueres, Minister Chinchilla, Colonel Allan Solano, the President of IDEC XVI, Ambassador Dodd, and the citizens of Costa Rica, thank you for your gracious hospitality. And perhaps most importantly, the professional law enforcement officials arrayed before me this morning.

This is the fifth IDEC that I have been privileged to attend as Administrator of DEA. My first IDEC meeting was in Quito, Ecuador, in 1994, and I had only been Administrator of DEA for 30 short days. Before being appointed as head of DEA, I had served, as many of you know, with the State Police in New York for 34 years. All of my adult life, from age 21 on, had been spent providing police service to the citizens of the State of New York. Only once in my entire life had I ever been outside of the country. Even on that occasion, a brief visit by police chiefs to Israel was cut short after four hours, as one of our troopers was shot and killed working on a DEA task force in New York City.

I think many of you can imagine the concerns and anxiety that you would have if you came to such a prestigious event as IDEC with such little knowledge of the world outside of the United States, and were asked to play a major role in co-hosting the conference. Immediately, the professional employees of DEA were able to help me to assimilate into this new role. However, many of you and your predecessors made me feel very comfortable, and it became apparent to me, after about a day or two, that policemen and law enforcement officials share many common experiences.

We share a belief that protecting the citizens of our nation is one of the utmost roles that we can play. We have shared a sense of danger for a long part of our lives, risking our lives so that others can be free. Tragically, we have shared a sense of loss. The loss of friends, family, loved ones, co-workers who have made the ultimate sacrifice to try to protect the innocent.

All of the nations here today, all of these glorious countries, are threatened by groups of powerful, wealthy and amoral criminals who will become rich or try to become rich by poisoning our children. Every nation here today is being attacked by predators and their criminal mafias. This is a critical period of time for free society, as we struggle to counter these vicious criminal syndicates.

History will record, those of us who have lived in the last decade of the 20th century, if we have been successful in overcoming the forces of evil that are responsible for the distribution of these drugs. To me there is really no choice but to win this struggle. If we do not win or change the present climate, if the problem continues today or becomes progressively worse, we are predestining our children and our grandchildren to a world of despair and violence. If drug abuse and drug trafficking continue at their present rate, even more of our children, our most precious asset, will become enslaved by drugs. If drug abuse and drug trafficking continue at the present rate, we know that violence and crime will increase. If drug abuse and drug trafficking continue at the present rate, wealthy and powerful drug lords will attempt to corrupt and to influence our government institutions. If we do not improve the present situation, many of our officers, agents, troopers, prosecutors and judges will be assassinated merely because they are honest in trying to do what we ask of them.

I, however, am an optimist. I believe that we will be able to prevail over all of these criminals and their organizations. The reason I am an optimist is because I have a chance to meet with you and to see you as dedicated law enforcement officials who, dramatically, are interested in changing the present climate, for the decent and honest citizens of all of our countries who fervently are hoping for a better world.

This will take sacrifices, as was mentioned by Colonel Solano and by Ambassador Dodd. But I'll tell you that the sacrifices are worthwhile. If we succeed, and we will succeed, children will be able to go off to school and to realize their potential in life without fear of the drug trafficker. Parents will be able to see their children mature into productive adults who do not suffer the ravages of drug abuse. Communities that now have to expend a great deal of money for law enforcement, for interdiction, for prison, and for rehabilitation, rather will be able to turn those valued resources to schools, to hospitals and to the arts, rather than prisons and morgues.

In this room today, we have, I know because I have met many of you and I know of your reputation, some of the finest minds in law enforcement, drug prevention and justice systems. Individuals who have dedicated, and in many times risked, their lives against all odds to protect the vulnerable from the evil criminal. Decent men and women who have pledged their lives to protecting their nation from all enemies. We have it in our power to ensure that the citizens of our nations live free from crime and drug abuse.

DEA has a primary role within the United States of America. We have a significant issue with drug abuse and violence. As a nation, we continue to try to address it. We are making phenomenal strides in reducing violence within the United States. For four straight years, we have reduced violent crime in the nation as a whole, and in our "capital" city of New York, which is the largest of our cities and the center of much of our economy and much of our arts and entertainment industry. Violent crime has been reduced by 60 percent, and is reaching levels that we thought were impossible.

However, we also recognize that we have a commitment to cooperate with other agencies throughout the world, and to assist where we can assist, and to learn from others. We have agents assigned to over 50 countries throughout the world. We have, and will continue to invest, hundreds of millions of dollars to enhance and improve law enforcement systems, and our intelligence and technology.

Recently we created a new division, based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to better service the Caribbean. The individual who was responsible for developing that new division is here today, Felix Jimenez. He took a very difficult task and did an outstanding job, and has since been promoted to one of the senior positions at DEA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. He will be replaced by an equally qualified, dedicated individual who is also here, Mike Fahiel, who has served in a number of assignments throughout the world.

Our Drug Enforcement Training Academy in Quantico, Virginia, is proceeding well ahead of schedule. If may be one of the few things that we have done in government that we have finished ahead of schedule. This beautiful state-of-the-art facility will be available not only for the training of DEA agents, but state and local law enforcement officials in the United States and also for our international training programs. We are participating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Treasury agencies in a number of international training academies. In Budapest, Hungary, presently there are plans for an academy facility to serve Central and South America, and shortly we will be opening a similar type of training facility in Bangkok, Thailand.

Thanks to the support of our president and all of the members of Congress in the United States, DEA is growing at the fastest rate in the history of our organization. We've added almost 1,000 additional agents in the last four years. Shortly, we will be announcing the opening of yet another division. This one will be headquartered in El Paso, Texas, to better serve the southwest border of the United States and to provide cooperative assistance to Mexico and to Central America. The individual chosen to run that new region is Bobby Castillo, who has served in Mexico and in a number of assignments in the United States.

Also, if you would not mind, then I offer this: DEA would be interested and willing in hosting IDEC XVII in Washington, D.C. I hope that you will see it in your hearts to support our candidacy. The last time that we were able to do this was in 1989. I can assure you, if we are fortunate enough to be selected and to be honored as Costa Rica was this year, we will ensure that all of you have a full program for yourselves and your relatives.

There was an event that occurred to me twice this morning, that after 38 years in police work renews my passion and my commitment. One was this morning, in turning on the television, with seeing the national anthem of Costa Rica, and seeing four beautiful young children pledging their allegiance to their nation. And then seeing on the stage, as I was close, all of these wonderful kids who were involved in this choir. That is our future. We make decisions here today that will affect their lives. The members of this beautiful group this morning will be adults in another five to eight years. If we leave them behind a world devastated by drug abuse, drug trafficking and crime, we will, in my opinion, be causing the next generation, and the generation after that, eternal pain. It is better for people at our age, at our role in life, to suffer the pain and sacrifices so that they live a better life.

It's a privilege for me to be here with Colonel Solano and to be a member of this IDEC meeting. Thank you very much.

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