Nation: Bayou Bypass

The Louisiana connection

Some 150 years ago, Pirate Jean Lafitte found the Cajun country of the Louisiana Gulf Coast, with its network of swamps and its 6,000 miles of inland waterways, a congenial place to evade the law. Today a new group of lawbreakers has discovered its convenience: drug smugglers. Since October, more than 250 tons of marijuana have been confiscated in the New Orleans area, three times the amount taken in the entire previous year. Huge busts of 20, 30, 40 tons or more occur regularly, but authorities estimate they are intercepting only...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!