against a mother and son's "insulting'' claims of racism and unnecessary questioning.

"It's not a game they are playing down there,'' he said.

Customs procedures for detecting drug smugglers were proving so successful that drug seizures since January 1 had almost surpassed the whole of last year's, he revealed.

In 1993, some $3 million (local street value) worth of drugs was seized by Customs officers at the airport and on the docks, he said.

In the past two months alone, a "huge amount'' of illegal substances had been seized, he said, almost exceeding the $3 million mark.

And of the 429 people pulled aside last year by Customs officers for personal searches, some 129 were found to be smuggling drugs, he disclosed.

Of that number, some 75 percent were white people, he said.

"Customs officers are certainly not racial,'' he said. "Ninety-three percent of them are black and I am concerned about the effect those remarks will have on them.

"We don't look for potential drug smugglers by colour... And it is insulting to the officers to say that they do when they try their utmost to protect this country from the evils of drugs.'' Mr. Ardis said "routine questions'' were asked by the officer in the case of the 19-year-old who arrived on a BA flight this week after looking at British universities.

The female officer's question concerning his reason for having a condom was certainly valid, he said.

Mr. Ardis pointed out there had been two recent deaths in Bermuda involving smugglers who swallowed drugs wrapped in condoms which had burst inside them.

"The officer was duty bound to ask him such questions (about the condom),'' he said.

Mr. Ardis further denied claims by the teenager's mother that Bermudians were being unnecessarily harassed while passing through Customs checks at the Airport.

"There is no intimidation there,'' he said. "We have to catch the drug smugglers and the indications are that we are becoming more successful at it.'' People singled out for questioning and searches were treated with "respect and courtesy'', he said.

"People do resent being searched and I understand that . But the only reason we exist is to prevent illegal substances coming in and to protect Government revenues.'' The outraged Smith's Parish mother, who did not want to be named, had accused Customs officers of "picking on'' and "harassing'' young black people arriving at the Airport.

Her teenaged son and another black male appeared to have been the only two people pulled aside by Customs officers after they arrived at the Airport on Tuesday night.