Bermuda's Customs officers have seized nearly a ton of drugs worth at least $66 million so far this decade, it was revealed yesterday.

And a total of 790 drugs smugglers have been arrested over the same period -- nearly a third of them large-scale commercial traffickers.

The news came from Collector of Customs Gerry Ardis, just a week before he retires after more than seven years in the hotseat.

Mr. Ardis told a meeting of Hamilton Rotary Club: "I'm not bringing these figures to your attention simply to impress you, but to emphasise as strongly as I can the serious social and economic impact that drugs have on our small community of 60,000 people.'' And he wondered if these were the figures for seizures, how much more might have slipped through the net and down to street level.

Mr. Ardis added that Customs -- which also collects almost a third of Government's total revenue -- faced new challenges in the future from the move towards the breaking down of international trade barriers.

He said that international free trade blocs like the EC, CARICOM and NAFTA in Europe the Caribbean and the US respectively aimed to eliminate barriers to trade and investment.

Mr. Ardis added that it had been estimated that five years into the next century, the entire western hemisphere will be a free trade area.

But he said: "Whether this happens in Bermuda remains to be seen, taking into consideration that we are primarily an importing country.

"Nevertheless, we are well-placed should change occur -- some of our neighbours to the south rely on Customs duties for up to 80 percent of government revenues -- which is too much.'' He added: "In response to the changing face of commerce, Customs has to evolve beyond its traditional role -- we have reformed and modernised so that we might be able to operate more efficiently and effectively and respond to the needs of the new global trade.'' Mr. Ardis said that the drugs war had moved from barrier controls to better targetting of the big traffickers using risk assessment and intelligence gathering to identify high-risk profiles.

And he said Customs was moving towards hi-tech automation to speed up legitimate trade with a paperless electronic chain -- and assist in targetting drug smugglers.

Mr. Ardis added: "The department's pro-active response to changing demands illustrates our strongly-held belief that we cannot afford to be passive observers reacting to changes as they unfold.

"We are convinced that we must contribute to the process and develop a role as an integral part of Government's response to this changing world trade environment.'' But he called for public cooperation and understanding of the delicate balancing act between speeding up legal trade and cracking down on smugglers and excise evaders.

Mr. Ardis said: "Our job is about enforcing the law and collecting money -- but to do this we need the willing acceptance and cooperation of the people of Bermuda, who we serve, and the business community alike.''