BEST beware

Federal and state officials announced the creation of the Hampton Roads Border Enforcement Security Task Force on Wednesday to intercept illegal drugs and weapon smuggling at the Port of Virginia.

BEST programs were created by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to combat the rise in smuggling taking place at America's borders. Over the past three years, BEST programs have made more than 8,500 arrests and have intercepted hundreds of thousands of pounds of illegal drugs, 3,500 weapons, $53 million in U.S. currency and numerous other contraband items.

"We want to provide security so that residents of this area don't have to worry about weapons or guns being shipped or drugs being shipped into this particular area and not only hitting the streets but also being driven and transported to other destinations within the United States," said John Torres, a special agent for ICE.

The Port of Virginia is the third largest port on the East Coast, receiving an average of 90,544 cargo containers per month in 2011. With the completion of the Heartland Corridor, a railway line from Chicago to Norfolk, and the possible expansion of the Panama Canal, traffic is expected to increase for the Port of Virginia over the next three years.

"All of our agencies have recognized that resources will be tight, and we must be as effective and efficient as possible," said Capt. Mark Ogle, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads.

Federal authorities are hoping to dismantle criminal enterprises that are operating through the port. With the BEST program, federal, state and local law enforcement agencies can work together and share real-time information.

Torres said that the combined efforts of several agencies should allow authorities "to prevent something from occurring as opposed to just waiting for the event to take place and just doing the follow up investigation."

ICE will work with nine other law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Virginia Port Authority, and the Internal Revenue Service.

"The Port of Virginia is an economic engine that is critical to the Commonwealth and ensuring the security of the cargo moving in and out of our port is a vital component of keeping that engine healthy and operational," said Jerry A. Bridges, Executive Director of the Virginia Port Authority.

While the task force was not officially announced until Wednesday, it has been in effect for several months. In April, the task force seized 55 kilograms of cocaine from a ship that had docked at the port after passing through the Panama Canal.

There are 22 BEST programs running in locations throughout the U.S. that include Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Detroit and Seattle.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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