Up to 100,000 jobs will be created in Mexico''s textile and clothing industry over the next year if the government continues to crackdown on illegal imports, industry chief said Tuesday.

Rosendo Valles, head of Mexico''s national textile chamber, said a customs clampdown on garment and textile smugglers - firms rather than individuals - would see thousands of new jobs created in 2004.

He added the industry currently employs more than 225,000 people at hundreds of factories.