|
|
| Seizures Down Sharply Amid Security Squeeze |
|
Posted by FoM on September 25, 2001 at 12:35:22 PT By Anna Cearley, Union-Tribune Staff Writer Source: Union-Tribune 
Drug traffickers and people smugglers are apparently steering clear of the U.S.-Mexico border, frightened off by tightened security after terrorists attacked on Sept. 11. Since then, U.S. Customs inspectors have seized just 54 loads of drugs along the California border, a sharp drop from the 138 confiscated in the same period last year. At the busy San Ysidro Port of Entry, the number of seizures has dwindled from five to 25 drug loads a day to just two or three. "Drug traffickers who watch us every day may have been holding back loads," said Dean Boyd, a U.S. Customs spokesman in Washington. Apprehensions by Immigration and Naturalization Service inspectors, who focus on the human smuggling trade, have plummeted as much as 75 percent at the Tecate, Otay Mesa and San Ysidro ports of entry, said an INS spokeswoman. The number of people found in specially made car compartments, for example, has dropped from as many as 30 a day to just a couple a week. Mexican federal agents are seeing similar drops in drug confiscations at the Tijuana airport. A source with the Mexican federal police said only three small drug seizures have been made at the airport in the past two weeks -- about half the usual number. The California border is a major entry point for smugglers of people and drugs, with much of the drug trade thought to be controlled by the Tijuana-based Arellano Félix cartel. The area is considered a major conduit for marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin. The reduction in drug shipments apparently hasn't affected the street price of drugs -- at least not yet. "We might see increases, however, in the coming weeks," said Capt. Larry Moratto, who heads narcotics investigations for the San Diego Police Department. Tijuana authorities, meanwhile, are worried that more drugs may end up on their city's streets as drug traffickers opt to unload their merchandise in Mexico for quick cash rather than trying to navigate the fortified border. Vince Bond, the San Diego region's customs spokesman, said he sees signs that the smuggling slowdown may be short-lived. "They just aren't pushing the drugs right now, but that may probably change in the upcoming days as they have products stockpiled that they need to get to their markets," Bond said. The smugglers also may be helped by the difficulty the United States faces in maintaining border security at such a high level. During the first week of the heightened alert, extensive searches tied up border traffic and commerce. Some people waited more than four hours as border inspectors worked extra hours to meet the tight security demands. But now, some cars aren't being given a full and lengthy inspection, and the waits have subsided a bit. "It's a question of resources, of getting manpower to do this and making sure that that trade is not (disrupted), because we also want to process legitimate traffic," said U.S. Customs spokesman Boyd. Related Articles: Open Borders are Early Casualties of War Border Alert Keeps Drug Shipments at a Crawl Tight Border Security Slows Trafficking Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
 |
| Comment #3 posted by dddd on September 26, 2001 at 02:42:41 PT |
| Excellent commentary!....I specially like;"Plastic Freedom and fake Liberty will not make anyone secured whatsoever."..I've added it to my collection of notable quotes. dddd [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by FoM on September 26, 2001 at 00:33:16 PT |
| Hemp Flag!
http://www.hempusflag.com/ [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by freedom fighter on September 26, 2001 at 00:27:41 PT |
| people just do herion and meth or whiskey Been thinking about the implications.. Spy eyes in the sky looking down at it's own people in the name of National Security... No chance to grow your own... When Afghans stopped growing poppies, ballon effect in effect. Other countries simply took over. Prices stay the same in retail.. And now, we have the ""WAR on TERROR", borders are most dangerous spot on earth... No more movements of huge bulks of cannabis.. Now, we have Talbians annoucning, go ahead and grow your poppies... Price of herion drop.. 20$ a gram... pure.. Heck of alot cheaper than homegrown weed... if you can find one or know one who dare to grow.. Or a methhead who has 10 friends buying 100 tabs of cold pills creating an oz or two. Still expensive comparing to herion.. Herion cheaper than the whiskey... Human being humans I remembered back in 1984 where it was so hard to find any smokes. I traveled far away just to find some fine cannabis but all I could find was Coke and Meth.. The implications just scared me big time.. In five or ten years, we are going to have a nation of drunks and herion/meth/coke addicts far worse than what we have now.. Plastic Freedom and fake Liberty will not make anyone secured whatsoever. ff PS)Stop waving the china made america flags.. I am mightly tired of seeing it. Please buy a real america flag made of hemp made by the people of america that cares. [ Post Comment ] |
| Post Comment |  |
 |  |