President Trump has been talking about building a wall between the United States and Mexico since he first launched his campaign. His stated reasons are twofold: to decrease illegal immigration and to stop the flow of illegal drugs across the border. U.S. officials estimate that 90 to 94 percent of heroin consumed in the United States today comes from Mexico. But how do drugs actually get into the U.S.? Would a wall help?
People find all sorts of creative ways to smuggle drugs. In 2016 alone, two million pounds of illegal drugs were seized by Customs and Border Protection. The wall has yet to be built – although there are walls already in place in some areas – but the U.S. government has increased the number of Border Patrol agents, drones, sensors, cameras and other technologies covering the border. As a result, the drug cartels have become increasingly more creative.
The majority of illegal drugs that pass into the United States from Mexico come by way of vehicle. Much like the way immigrants are smuggled in, drugs are secreted away in hidden compartments, although clearly the much smaller size of the cargo means it can be stashed in door panels, gas tanks, tires, and inside the engine. Commercial trucks carrying fresh produce are another frequent hiding spot. There are also tunnels that cross the border underground. Some are unstable and dangerous, but others have lights, ventilation, and even elevators.
Drug smugglers have even taken to the air. Border patrol agents have caught people dropping packages of drugs from ultralight aircraft (lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft). In a less sophisticated airdrop, some smugglers have launched drugs over fences and walls using air guns. In one case in 2012, Mexican drug smugglers launched four pound bales of marijuana over the border and into Arizona using a pneumatic cannon mounted on a trailer. Officials on the U.S. side recovered 85 pounds of the drug.
Drugs also travel by sea. Container ships, pleasure boats, sailboats, fishing boats – any of these can be used to transport illegal goods. Agents have seen the use of self-propelled semi-submersibles coming from Columbia. In 2000, one such craft – only partially built – was seized. If finished, it could have carried ten metric tons of cocaine to the United States while remaining just under the surface of the water.
However, the majority of illegal drugs that enter the U.S. from Mexico do so through “ports of entry,” meaning the official crossings that people and transports pass through every day.
Clearly, whether you believe the wall would help or not, it’s going to take law enforcement agents on all fronts to make even a dent in the amount of illegal drugs smuggled into the United States.
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