U.S. CUSTOMS BUYS 29 MOBILE CARGO X-RAY MACHINES

   U.S. Customs has purchased 29 mobile cargo X-ray machines for use in
ports around the country.
   The system, known as Vehicle and Cargo Inspection Systems, will be
delivered to the agency over the next 18 months.
   The ports that will receive the equipment are Los Angeles, Otay Mesa,
Tecate and Calexico, Calif.; San Luis, Nogales and Douglas, Ariz.; Santa
Teresa, New Mexico; El Paso, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Laredo, Rio Grand City,
Pharr, Los Indios, Brownsville and Houston, Texas; Tampa, Miami, Port
Everglades and Jacksonville, Fla.; Newark, N.J. and New Orleans.
   "What’s special about this technology is that it is transportable and
relocatable," said Customs Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly. "When necessary,
within a day, this machine can be disassembled, moved and reassembled at
locations where there is a high threat of smuggling or a sudden rise in
drug seizures."
   The Vehicle and Cargo Inspection Systems use non-intrusive gamma-ray
imaging. Customs inspectors will use them to look into containers and
vehicles.
   The $25-million equipment purchase is a big part of Customs’ five-year
technology acquisition for the southern border.