News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 9, 2003

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Contact: DEA Dallas Field Division
G/S Robert N. Evans
Public Information Officer
214-904-8731
www.dea.gov

The Science Place To Host DEA Exhibit On Link Of
Drugs And Terrorism

NATIONAL TOUR LAUNCHES IN DALLAS SEPTEMBER 11, 2003

Includes Artifacts From World Trade Center And Pentagon Attacks

JUN 9--Dallas, Texas - A national touring exhibit which launches at The Science Place September 11, 2003, will give visitors the opportunity to feel close to the September 11, 2001, attacks through pieces of the World Trade Center included in the display.

These artifacts are part of a traveling exhibit mounted by the US Drug Enforcement Administration which makes a link between US drug sales and the funding of terrorism. Starting with the horrific events of September 11, 2001, and moving back in time to Asia's ancient Silk Road, the exhibit entitled Target America: Traffickers, Terrorists and You will present the visitor with a global and historical overview of this deadly connection.
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The exhibit premiered September 11, 2002, at the DEA Museum in Arlington, Virginia. The Science Place is the first stop on a national tour.

Visitors to The Science Place will begin their Target America tour with artifacts from the largest terrorist attack on American soil, which includes rubble from the WTC and the Pentagon, as well as drug-related items from Afghanistan. The mainstay of the exhibit are pieces of the World Trade Center, symbolizing the bloodiest act of terrorism in history.

The 1500-square-foot touring exhibit will be at The Science Place September 8, 2003, to January 7, 2004, before traveling to other cities, including New York, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, and cities on the west coast.

As recently as May 20th, 2003, Assistant DEA Administrator for Intelligence Steven Casteel, in testimony before the Judiciary Committee of the US Senate, stated, "The war on terror and the war on drugs are linked." He went on, "Thirty nine percent of the State Department's current list of designated foreign terrorist organizations has some degree of connection with drug activities. Prior to September 11, 2001, the law enforcement community typically addressed drug trafficking and terrorist activities as separate issues," he said. No more. The attacks of September 11 have "heightened the visibility of DEA's mission," he testified.

Sherri F. Strange, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Dallas Field Division, stated "The DEA Dallas Office is thrilled to be selected as the first office to host the national tour of this important and educational exhibit on the relationship between drugs and terrorism." She noted that The Science Place exhibit will include both the national touring exhibit and a local exhibit depicting contemporary drug issues affecting the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex.

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About The Science Place
With more than 200 hands-on exhibits, The Science Place is where kids figure out for themselves why things work as they do. Whether their questions are about nature, physics, weather, health, astronomy, or dozens of other topics, more than 800,000 visitors enjoy learning something new each year. The Science Place in Fair Park is one of the oldest hands-on science centers in the nation and includes the TI Founders' IMAX® Theater, the science center and the planetarium.

The Science Place at Fair Park is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday from 11:30 a.m. till 5:30 p.m. The Museum is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Admission to The Science Place exhibits is $7.50 for adults, $6.50 for seniors (60+) and $4 for children (ages 3-12). Members and children under the age of 3 receive free admission to The Science Place exhibit halls.

The Science Place, located at 1318 Second Avenue in Fair Park, also offers a rotating series of films in the TI Founders IMAX Theater. The Science Place is supported, in part, by funds from the City of Dallas, Office of Cultural Affairs and the Texas Commission on the Arts and is sponsored by EDS and The Dallas Morning News.