There can be little doubt that drug use and abuse is an issue in the United States. Because of this, drug smuggling is something that must be dealt with on a daily basis at the borders. The trucking industry is seen sometimes as an industry where drug smuggling might occur frequently. Think about it: Trucks come into the United States from Canada and Mexico, tempting drug dealers to utilize this mode of transport. Drug busts occur on a regular basis – enough so that it is impossible not to recognize that some in the trucking industry could be central to drug-smuggling operations.
On April 15, 2003, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Sandalio Gonzalez told the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform, “Traffickers use tractor-trailers, trucks, vans and cars, as well as commercial trains, aircraft, Federal Express and airborne courier services to smuggle drugs into and through the area.”
He added, “The introduction of NAFTA [North American Free Trade Agreement] had a major impact on the El Paso/Juarez area. The people crossing the international bridges on a daily basis and the large transportation industry available in this area [air, bus, trucking and rail] provide drug traffickers with innumerable drug and money smuggling opportunities. Rural, desert-like areas in New Mexico and west Texas, whether they be large ranches or National Park land backing up to the border, or some easily crossed places along the Rio Grande, offer tremendous smuggling opportunities to drug-trafficking organizations.”
This statement goes hand in hand with what Michael Sanders, public-information officer for the DEA, told Challenge Magazine. “The highest rate of drug smuggling in trucks come up the southwest border. Most trucks carry some type of a legitimate load – like produce, electronics and more – and then mix the drugs in with that legitimate load.”
An example of drug smuggling in the Southwest occurred in September 2005, when Texas Department of Public Safety troopers found 50 kilograms of cocaine inside a tractor-trailer during a routine traffic stop. This bust was worth about $5 million. Instead of hauling the drugs in the trailer, this driver hauled them in a couple of boxes in the cab and then gave consent to have the tractor searched.
Most smuggled drugs in tractor-trailers are carried in the trailer, not the tractor. Sanders shares an example of a tractor-trailer traveling from Guatemala to the United States. “A truck in Guatemala that leaves the banana place generally just has bananas on the trailer. They leave the produce plant with bananas, but if the driver is dirty he will stop and load illicit drugs on the truck.” As all drivers know, once a truck is loaded there generally is a seal on the trailer. If the seal is broken, that is a sign that something is not right.
In order to address this issue, drug smugglers have developed the means to counterfeit seals, especially in the Laredo, Texas, area. “To load drugs onto the tractor the driver will need to break the seal. Once the seal is broken, the driver will then need to purchase a counterfeit seal or counterfeit a seal on their own,” explains Sanders. With a new seal in place, the driver will hope to make it across the border without issue.
That is where the DEA and border patrol come in. Most agents are well-trained in spotting counterfeit seals and in checking weights against the manifest. “When the trailer is loaded with illicit drugs, the seal will need to be broken. Once they get across the border, the border-patrol checkpoints will then check the manifest. We really get a lot of dope seizures there,” says Sanders.
Just to offer some idea of the significance of the dope seizures at the border and elsewhere, consider these DEA statistics: In 2007, 96,613 kilograms of cocaine, 625 kilograms of heroin, 356,472 kilograms of marijuana, 1,085 kilograms of methamphetamines and 5,636,305 units of hallucinogens were seized. Not all of those were seized at the border and on trucks, but these numbers shed light on the magnitude of the drug problem in the United States.
The problem is so significant that in 1988 President Bush established the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) led by a “drug czar.” “The principal purpose of ONDCP is to establish policies, priorities and objectives for the nation’s drug-control program. The goals of the program are to reduce illicit drug use, manufacturing and trafficking, drug-related crime and violence and drug-related health consequences,” according to the White House Web site.
When it comes to controlling drug trafficking, though, the DEA and the local governments are on the front lines, not the drug czar. “If border-patrol agents or the DEA miss the drugs as they are trafficked across the border, the issue becomes one for local law enforcement to handle,” says Sanders.
The DEA spends countless hours training local law-enforcement officials on drug trafficking. Sanders explains, “The DEA trains interdiction units on how to check manifests, watch for counterfeited seals and so forth.” Any truck is subject to inspection on the open road at any time by any trained law-enforcement agent. “It’s really rather simple. A lot of times law enforcement will simply ask for consent to inspect a truck, and generally the driver will give consent – even if they have something to hide,” says Sanders.
“The inspection may look fairly normal at first,” he says, “but you would be surprised at how often we find something that just looks out of place or odd.” Items like shiny bolts, false walls and offset walls might raise a red flag. “The fact is that most states have trained interdiction units, or at least they have officers that are trained on these matters.”
No state is immune to drug smuggling, so it is important to have trained officers in all areas of the country. “Whether it’s the southwestern border, New York, Atlanta, the northeastern seaboard or anywhere in between, we have found drugs in all corners of the United States,” says Sanders.
It’s not just dope they find, either. “A lot of times we will find large caches of money hidden in trucks. The money is obviously from the drug trade and is being moved from one location to another,” says Sanders.
Considering how many trucks cross the border each day and each year, one might wonder whether all drivers who smuggle drugs are doing so intentionally. Some drivers, for instance, pick up a loaded and sealed trailer – how is that driver to know what is in that trailer? Sanders acknowledges that not all drivers know they are smuggling, but he also suggests that if the driver truly is unaware, it will be fairly easy to verify. “Not all drivers know they are smuggling, especially if they picked up a trailer only. We can generally verify this without issue, so drivers should not worry about this. There will be a necessary delay, but the driver – if truly innocent – will generally be on their way shortly after the stop,” he says.
That should come as a relief to drivers who cross the border on a regular basis. The DEA and local drug-interdiction units are focused on finding and stopping the guilty drivers and smugglers. Those who are innocent should not be overly concerned about being caught in the middle. However, drivers should always be aware of what is going on around them and on their loads. “Drivers should be upfront and honest at all times with law enforcement,” says Sanders. And if there is nothing to hide, why not?
Drug smuggling will undoubtedly continue, as drugs are profitable for those involved in criminal activities. Truckers need to do the best they can to be aware and inform law enforcement.
