Page 15 - Customs Today Winter1984-OCR

marijuana in a truck. The vehicle led to a seizures here. One recent haul was 80 Customs computerized law-enforcement
stash house and from there to the fishing pounds of high-quality heroin from data base. Last year the Data Center re
boat, the "Nana II". Thailand found inside two aluminum sponded to 78.9 million queries.
The Portland District has 95 employ vases. The Los Angeles District, located on
ees, including the Office of Investigations Because the San Francisco District is Terminal Island, 20 miles south of Los
and the Patrol. Portland also performs the so close to the computer chip industry, Angeles, oversees an immense import/
classification and value function for the located in a valley to the south called export empire. Economists say that if the
Anchorage District. Recently, a Portland "Silicon Valley/' the Office of Investiga Los Angeles area were a nation, it would
import specialist spent a week in Alaska tions has established an office in Menlo rank number 14 in the world with its
waiting for the ice to melt at Prudhoe Bay Park to better develop leads in connec gross national product. It exceeds
in order to examine a $210 million tion with Operation EXODUS. Australia by 3 %, India by 7 % and Mex
seawater treatment plant, the largest The district has some remnants of its ico by 26%.
single entry ever brought into the United former regional days. There is a 24-hour Prophets and seers add that in eight
States. The 600-foot-long, 10-story-high Sector Communications Center, a Liqui to 14 years, Los Angeles will exceed New
plant was brought in from South Korea dation Section and a suboffice for the York in imports, in Customs revenues
and will be used to treat water that will be and in general commercial importance.
Regional Counsel. The San Francisco
injected into the Prudhoe Bay oil reservoir Lab specializes in petroleum products Basic to the district's operation is
to increase recovery. The duty on this Los Angeles International Airport and
and, as you might imagine, oriental
plant could be as high as $14 million! foods. Dr. Neal Byington, one of two the harbors of Los Angeles and Long
Portland boasts of its cost Effective petroleum chemists in the Customs Serv Beach. A new $124 million international
ness. Last fiscal year, it collected $2.3 ice, works in San Francisco. He can iden arrivals building is scheduled for comple
million per employee. The District pri tion in time for the 1984 Summer Olym
tify the country of origin from crude oil
marily processes cargo moving by ship. samples. This lab has the only scanning pics. It will have 72 primary lanes and an
More than 2,000 vessels called at ports electron microscope in the Customs Serv area of 964,000 square feet. This will be
within the District with cargo destined for ice, an impressive looking piece of equip the largest single Federal inspection facil
central Washington, Idaho and the Mid ment which had a $100,000 price tag. ity in the country.
west via the Columbia and Snake Rivers. The San Diego District covers San With 539 employees, Los Angeles is
It is a Region of extremes. It is a the largest district in the Region. They
Diego and the California/Mexican
Region of California. border. Interstate Highway 5 which ends produce the lion's share of revenue,
California is so large, so populous in Blaine, Wash., at the Canadian bringing in almost $1.5 billion. Various
and so rich that it has three districts, two border, begins at San Ysidro, California, enforcement teams operating at the har
of which include parts of Nevada. on the Mexican border. Across from the bors and airport make significant nar
The San Francisco District is housed Mexican city of Tijuana, San Ysidro is cotic and merchandise seizures. The
in a Federal building built the old- about 20 miles south of San Diego and is district has been very prominent, nation
fashioned way: with wide marble stair linked to that city by trolley car. San wide, for copyright and trademark viola
tion cases.
ways and offices with wood paneling. Ysidro is the busiest single border cross The Los Angeles Office of Investi
Some offices have hardwood floors and ing in the United States. More than 39
furniture you now see in expensive million people crossed there last year. gations takes some of the credit for Oper
decorator shops. At the other side of California, ation EXODUS. Back in late 1980,
The seaport reflects the mix of vin bordered by the Colorado River, is the special agents began looking into the
Bruchhausen case. Bruchhausen, who
tage and new which is a large part of the port of Andrade. Close to Yuma, Ariz., still remains at large, is alleged to have
charm of the San Francisco Bay area. On Andrade was one of the beautification
the Oakland side of the bay, across from projects of former First Lady, Mrs. Lyn shipped a microwave receiver used by
San Francisco, are berths and docks don Johnson. Saint Augustine grass, fan U.S. Navy reconnaissance submarines to
West Germany where it was trans
equipped to unload container cargo. Im and date palms, bottle bushes, mesquite
mense cranes load and unload vessels in a trees, hedges and other plants make this shipped to East Germany and then to
marvelously mechanized way. On the small port seem like an oasis. Open from Russia. Several of Bruchhausen's asso
ciates have been tried and found guilty.
San Francisco side of the bay, berths are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., the port's pace picks
narrow and seem unsuited for contain up in the winter time with the arrival of The Pacific Regional office is, in
erized cargo. Here, passenger ships are visitors escaping the cold climate of the fact, located in Los Angeles. There the
more at home. North and East. Known as "snow new Regional Commissioner and his
At San Francisco International Air birds," the winter guests fill up available staff plan and direct operations
port, a new and expanded Customs proc trailer spaces in the area and in close-by throughout the Region. Regional Com
missioner Quintin L. Villaneuva, Jr.,
essing facility, costing $100 million, was Yuma.
opened on July 18. Using a one-stop con The San Diego Air Support Branch, says the enforcement trend is going to be
towards more participation with local and
figuration, 800 passengers per hour can located at the U.S. Naval Base on Coro- Federal agencies. Programs such as NB
be processed. nado Island just southwest of San Diego,
Under the control of the San Fran has the responsibility for covering the BIS will become the order of the day.
cisco District is the Oakland Mail Facil West Coast from the Mexican border up Workload and work volume are bound to
increase. The future is ahead of us, just
ity, the largest unit on the West Coast. to Canada. The Air Branch is currentiy
The mail unit processes 25% of the inter involved in "Operation Sinsimilla," a beyond today. There will be no shortage
national mail coming into the United marijuana eradication program in of challenges or demands.
States. About 32% of Customs' mail rev Northern California, and with the Vice
enue is collected in Oakland. Mail Presidential NBBIS Program. Jerome Hollander is a Public Information Offi
technicians make significant narcotics San Diego is home for TECS, the cer in the Pacific Region.

CUSTOMS TODAY / WINTER 1984 13