Home Border Patrol Can Cocaine Be Smuggled Past the Border?

Can Cocaine Be Smuggled Past the Border?

Can Cocaine Be Smuggled Past the Border?

Can Cocaine Be Smuggled Past the Border?

Drug smuggling is a major issue faced at the border of the United States. Despite intensive screening methods used by border officials, cocaine smuggling attempts continue to take place. Some studies suggest that enough cocaine enters the US through Mexican borders each year to provide a dose for every American adult. In this article, we will explore the methods of cocaine smuggling and how border officials detect and prevent such activities.

Smuggling Tactics

Drug smugglers are known to use various tactics to get cocaine across the border. One of the most straightforward methods is to conceal the narcotic in a vehicle or shipping container. Drug traffickers also go to lengths to construct hidden compartments in vehicles to camouflage the drugs. There have also been cases where smugglers have sent human couriers to cross the border with cocaine hidden inside their bodies.

Hard-to-Detect Methods

Smugglers are continually innovating their methods of getting cocaine past border security, making it harder to detect drug trafficking. This includes the use of new technology such as drones and submarines to transport drugs. Some smugglers try to disguise cocaine as something else, like concealing it as a food item, electronics, or other everyday items. Such efforts make it difficult to detect these kinds of packages, and officials implement policies and procedures to supervise and manage scanning at the border.

Border Patrol Agents and Screening Technology

Border Patrol agents use various tactics to identify cocaine smuggling attempts. They use specially trained K-9 units to sniff out contraband or other suspicious items. Sophisticated screening technology like X-ray machines, gamma-ray scanners, and inspections of any vehicle crossing the border are used to deter smuggling attempts. Border agents are also trained to investigate for suspicious behavior among individuals crossing the border.

Increased Security

Due to increased concern over drug and human drug trafficking across the border, Homeland Security is deploying more resources to border protection. This includes the deployment of more trained personnel, surveillance technology, and strategically placed sensors to detect suspicious activity.

Conclusion

Despite the numerous attempts by border officials to detect and prevent drug smuggling, cocaine smuggling attempts continue to occur. Conversely, border patrol agents remain vigilant and use advanced screening methods to detect any smuggling attempt and protect our nation from the effects of illegal drug trafficking. Additionally, by staying up-to-date with new tactics, officials can develop new methods of identifying and detecting smuggler’s plans. It’s critical to understand the severity of this issue and continue to work towards making our borders safer.


Crossing the American border in the hopes of living in the United States is the goal of many, as proved by the number of immigrants, both legal and otherwise, that enter the United States. Unfortunately, the American Border Patrol often has to deal with those that illegally cross the border crimes.

Technically, once drugs are found in the possession of the illegal immigrants, the Drug Enforcement Administration takes over the case from the American Border Patrol. But illegal immigrants are not the only ones who try to smuggle drugs across the American border. An investigation by the American Border Patrol lead to the arrest of two women with roughly 50 pounds of cocaine in their possession. One of the individuals was a citizen; the other was a citizen of Mexico with a valid Border Crossing Card.

American Border Patrol has assumed that individuals who are citizens or have valid visas are actually very likely to try to smuggle drugs across the American border, believing that they will not be the target of the American Border Patrol due to their legal status. Border news stories show that this is not the case; in fact, many citizens accept bribes in order to smuggle drugs or illegal immigrants over the American border.

Even corrupt members of the American border patrol have been known to take bribes for helping to smuggle drugs across the American border. Many individuals who attempt to smuggle drugs into the United States fail because of the checkpoints that are set up to investigate individuals. In this investigation, the van containing the two women and the drugs was searched and the 50 pounds of cocaine was found hidden under a secret panel behind the driver’s seat of the minivan.

The value of the cocaine that was fond on the two women was worth over $1.5 million and weighed in at exactly 49.8 pounds. The vehicle that the two women were driving was confiscated, as stipulated by federal law and American Border Patrol protocol.

Vehicles are inspected very carefully by the American Border Patrol due to the fact that many are equipped with special compartments to hide drugs or weapons. The K9 units that the American Border Patrol uses are also very helpful in finding drugs no matter how carefully the drugs may be hidden as individuals try to cross the American border.