SMUGGLING: TRUCKS BECOMING CONDUIT FOR DRUGS

A program that was supposed to make truckers' border crossings
speedier and more secure is apparently having the opposite affect.

Under the U.S. program, companies agree to embrace certain security
measures, such as putting their workers through background checks,
track where their trucks are going and have secure, fenced-in facilities.

The theory is that with tight security in place where the trucks are
loaded, there's less chance of smugglers getting in on the action.
This enables the trucks to stop for as little as 20 seconds when
entering the United States. That's a good thing because it speeds up
commerce.

At the border, nine of every 10 trucks enrolled in the program cross
the border without any inspection of their cargo. But, according to a
recent Associated Press story, among the trucks that are inspected,
U.S. government agents have found multiple loads of contraband. That
includes the April discovery in El Paso of more than four tons of
marijuana in a truck carrying auto parts.

It's relatively simple for the smugglers and drug gangs to identify
which trucks are part of the program. And those are the trucks they
want to use, because they have a better chance of getting across the
border uninspected.

Then all the smugglers have to do is target the drivers of those
trucks. When the drivers are offered the choice of taking a bribe or
possibly being killed, the decision isn't really difficult for most.
Obviously, the plan, ponderously named the Customs-Trade Partnership
Against Terrorism, and run by Customs and Border Protection, isn't
working as envisioned and a lot of work remains to be done. Rules of
the program need to be tightened and there needs to be more security
from factory to border.

International trade with Mexico is a vital part of the U.S. economy.
But international trade with Mexico must not become a conduit for
smugglers and drug dealers. Drug traffickers are quite creative and
will find any way they can to ply their trade. International trucking
cannot be allowed to become an ongoing part of their plans.