Appeals Court Upholds Sentence for Maimed Smuggler
July 3rd, 2009 by Russ
One of the most politicized cases in the Border Patrol’s history, crept on Monday as a federal appeals court upheld a sentence levied on a Mexican drug smuggler who was shot by two agents on the U.S./Mexican border. Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, who had tried to smuggle over 700 lbs of weed across the border, on several occasions, was given a nine and a half year prison sentence for smuggling that occurred after U.S. Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean shot him in the buttocks and groin.
The details of the shooting and subsequent trials and media circus are quite convoluted. Salon managed to wrap it up pretty well a few years ago. In a nutshell, Ramos and Compean botched an attempt to apprehend the smuggler (Aldrete-Davila), shot at him as he fled, attempted to cover up the shooting by having another agent return to clean up the shell casings, and couldn’t agree on a coherent story when pressed by prosecutors.
As the two agents were being sentenced for egregious violations of their enforcement codes (and attempted murder), some conservative media figures (including CNN zombie-anchor, Lou Dobbs) decided to brand the agents as patriotic, U.S. turf-defending heroes. In the interim, the peripheral press began reporting a completely revised version of the pursuit and shooting story, and a petition emerged to set the agents free. Luckily for the agents, former Premiere Bush does watch TV (he famously never read newspapers), and responded to the conservative pleas by commuting the sentences of Ramos and Compean.
So, two corrupt Border Patrol agents run free and one smuggler with a shot up urethra gets a full term. The moral of the story here is that what actually happens on the ground is never as important as how it all ends up in the spin room. When it comes to politics, the motives of interest groups far, far, outweigh reason and truth.
Drone Aircraft to Patrol Canadian Border
June 22nd, 2009 by Russ
Look out, Canadians… Skynet is now online.
The US Border Patrol is preparing to deploy a ‘Predator B’ unmanned drone aircraft along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, presumably to detect drug growing and smuggling operations along the US-Canadian border.
Also known as the MQ-9 Reaper, the drone is a second generation version of the original Predator that the US military has been using in some capacity since 1995. Still enjoying the fruits of a post-9/11 spending spree, the Border Patrol now has at least five of its Predator toys patrolling the US-Mexico border. It launched its first US-Canadian mission along the Dakota-Manitoba border in February as part of the Border Patrol’s “Northern Border Air Wing,” a high-tech surveillance plan called for by the 9/11 commission.
Make no mistake, these drones are not toys. The Reaper has a wing span of 66 feet and can weigh up to five tons when fully armed and loaded. Part of that weight is the 3,000+ lbs of missiles and bombs that it is equipped to carry. Whereas the original Predators were designed primarily for surveillance, Reapers are lauded by the military for their role as “true hunter-killers.”
Of course, without human pilots, these drones are only as good as the electronics and software that keep them airborne, as evidenced by the 2006 drone crash in Arizona. Let’s hope that these new Reapers aren’t running Windows Vista.
AZ Border Patrol Agents Seize 300 Pounds
June 4th, 2009 by Rick
On May 29, nine smugglers from Guaymas, Mexico, carrying bundles of marijuana in backpacks, were arrested by Border Patrol agents from the Wellton station, near Aztec, AZ. Pings on a radar from a roving surveillance system first discovered at least seven of the smugglers, trekking the popular but dangerous route — at least 60 miles from the border.
Initially three smugglers were arrested and then the other six were tracked down by Border Patrol. On June 1st, the Yuma County Narcotics Task Force was called in and after an investigation the suspects were booked and charged with possession and intent to distribute.
Nearly 300 pounds of the marijuana were seized, a street value of $116,160.
Depleted Border Patrol Looks to Children
May 18th, 2009 by Russ
Like a hungry stoner scavenging through the kitchen cupboards for a stray graham cracker, the US Border Patrol has found its resources sadly lacking recently. Amidst administration demands for more recruitment and hiring, the Border Patrol has turned to a tried and true tactic of depleted armies throughout history — conscripting children.
The Explorers Program, a Boy Scouts of America affiliate, trains the pubescent in the art of raiding dens of iniquity, seizing illegally imported goods, and patrolling barren wastelands.
In the words of a California sheriff’s deputy involved with the program:
This is about being a true-blooded American guy and girl.
While it’s unclear what his hermaphroditic reference is all about, it does seem like a wonderful opportunity for these kids to participate in the formative experience that is pepper-spraying a starving immigrant right in the eye socket. That kind of invaluable interaction will really put some hair on the chests of our next crop of soldier-kids.
Border Patrol Agents Using Tonto’s Skills
May 13th, 2009 by Rick
No longer are U.S. Border Patrol agents merely driving along the 2,000 mile long Mexican border searching for suspicious vehicles, looking to smuggle drugs into the United States. With the building of new fences and the utilization of high-tech devices and because of the new initiative taken by both countries to seriously put a dent in drug cartel operation, drug smugglers have had to change tactics in moving their product.
One possible drop point, among many, is Interstate 10, near the New Mexico/Arizona border, which is only accessible by hiking over 75 miles of Rocky Mountain terrain and dry valleys — a trek that would take five to seven days. Using the same tracking skills as the Native Americans once used, agents can look at the depth of the footprint impressions and figure out approximately how much weight a smuggler is carrying, where they crossed and ultimately where they may be going.
For the past six months, the U.S. Border Patrol has seized 1.3 million pounds of marijuana — nearly equal to the entire seizure amount from last year. Clearly, the tactics and technology used by the U.S. Border Patrol is working but the drug cartels, have always rolled with the punches, coming up with new ways of staying alive and pushing weight into this country. Over a million pounds is an impressive number, but it leaves you wondering, just how much actually made it through?
It’s rather sad that a plant that can be grown in any country, indoors or outdoors is constantly being brought into this country, bringing with it; gangs, cartel members and violence. Marijuana, along with any type of illegal drug is currency on the black market… as long as marijuana is worth money, it will continue to be imported illegally into this country by anyone and everyone that thinks they can make a buck. If marijuana was to be made legal and citizens could grow it themselves for personal use, it would lose its value as a currency, but ironically enough it would not lose its worth as a medicinal or recreational drug.
4 Tons of Pot Seized in Calexico
January 29th, 2009 by Silvio
Customs and Border Protection have been killing it lately (and not in a good way).
Last Friday, the CBP caught 4 tons of marijuana (8,000 pounds) inside a tractor-trailor. The weed was camouflaged by all the other cargo in the truck hold, but officers still found the greenery under a pile of boxes and plastic articles.
I guess drivers from Tijuana are suspect by default, because the CBP flagged this truck for further inspection and had it go through a gamma-ray imaging system. The image showed “anomalies” so the truck was flagged for cargo offload, just in time for a narcotics dog to confirm officer’s suspicions.
CBP stated the 503 wrapped packages equate to $3.5+ million in value – which I’m sure is overestimated. The 38 year old driver from Mexico was arrested, of course.
This takes the count of recent busts to nine last week. The total amount seized was reported as 9,354 pounds in only eight days. The logical conclusion is that either the CBP is really stepping up its game or Mexican smugglers are falling off.
Personally, I say good job CBP. And shame on you, smugglers. In times like these, everybody should buy local products and support local growers.
Fishing For Pot in All the Right Places
January 22nd, 2009 by Perry
If I ever run out of weed, I might just want to hang out off the coast of San Diego because there seems to be weed all over the place.
In the latest installment of “Just How Much Weed Did Border Patrol Seize?” this time’s winning catch is 1,100 pounds. Agents arrested two men after finding the vessel in Mission Bay with marijuana located in a compartment underneath the boat’s floor.
This doesn’t appear to be an isolated incident, as the arrests are just the latest in the ongoing battle by border patrol agents to stop the flow of marijuana from Mexico to Southern California.
Border Busts on the Rise
November 21st, 2006 by Alex
As you can probably tell from the increased amount of Arrests/Busts articles being posted on tFS, it’s weed growing (and transporting) season. Authorities are reporting that marijuana seizures are up nearly 15% this year. That’s a jump from 155,000 pounds to 177,500 pounds of seized crop. Damn that’s a lot of herb.
| Recent Marijuana Busts | |
|---|---|
| Mexico | 300 lbs. (high grade) |
| New Mexico | 2,176 lbs. |
| Texas | 3,500 lbs. |
| Total (Recent) | 35,976 lbs. |
| Total (USA) | 177,500 lbs. |
So why is the grow output and bust rate going up this year? After a major bust in Texas, Border Patrol spokesman Doug Mosier had this to say :
Because of the heavy rains and favorable growing conditions we anticipate this will be one of many large marijuana loads to be seized along the border. Large loads are becoming more prevalent, since the fall season (started), and it isn’t likely to end any time soon, as the marijuana harvesting season is far from over.
It’s basic supply & demand. The US will always have a high demand for marijuana, no matter how much is grown. The increase in crop means more delivery attempts. This gives US authorities more chances to locate and confiscate marijuana. Looks like tFS won’t be short on news articles any time soon.
[via ABC 13]
