9781422284162

Another shipment stopped, another job well done, but these U.S. Customs agents in Saint Petersburg, Florida, are in no mood for self-congratulation. They are only too well aware of the staggering volumes of illegal drugs streaming into the United States each day, moved by ruthless and well-organized “narcotrafficking” gangs. Coast Guard, Customs, and Border Patrol agents have to be ever vigilant to stem the tide of illegal substances entering the United States. To speak of a “war” against drugs may sound exaggerated, yet there can be little doubt that drugs have been at war with us for over a generation now. Any of our historical enemies would have been proud of a military offensive that recorded the many hundreds of casualties claimed each year by the use of illicit drugs, not to mention the many thousands killed as a result of drug-related crime. Waves of bomber aircraft, massed in thousands, Words to Understand AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome): an illness caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), which compromises the body’s built-in defenses against infection by all sorts of other diseases Debilitate: to weaken, make feeble Euphoria: a feeling of well being or elation Hallucinogen: a substance that causes people to see or hear things that are not there Illicit: unlawful In the War Zone

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