U.S. BORDER PATROL STOPS MORE DRUGS THIS YEAR

Fewer Illegal Immigrants Caught Crossing Border

Thousands fewer people but tons more illegal drugs were intercepted by
agents of the U.S. Border Patrol in Southern California this year.

The data released Monday match a nationwide trend that shows fewer
arrests of immigrants entering the country illegally, a result of the
enduring economic downturn and intensified efforts to secure the border.

Those efforts have also led to more seizures of drugs at the border
and along the remote stretches of desert on the 140-mile border
between California and Mexico.

Arrests of illegal immigrants fell from 142,837 in 2010 to 109,915 in
2011, a 23 percent drop according to the annual year-end report issued
for the El Centro and San Diego sectors of the Border Patrol.

There was a 48 percent increase in the amount of narcotics seized, to
158 tons, for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30.

That includes 49,815 pounds of marijuana and 1,335 pounds of cocaine
caught by Border Patrol agents based in El Centro, which oversees
Riverside and Imperial counties.

"We've had one of the busiest years ever here at the El Centro sector
for drug seizures," said agent Jonathan Creiglow, a spokesman for the
agency.

The El Centro numbers were boosted by the largest marijuana bust in
its history, also one of the largest ever at any U.S. checkpoint.

Agents found 28,300 pounds hidden inside a tractor-trailer at the
Highway 86 checkpoint Sept. 27.

Creiglow also credited the increase in drug seizures to the number of
border agents, which has nearly doubled in recent years. There are
1,260 working in the El Centro sector.

The agency also now has at least two drug-detecting dogs stationed at
each checkpoint.

"They are one of our greatest assets at the checkpoints," Creiglow
said.

In most cases, drugs are hidden inside vehicle compartments, and
better technology -- including a large-scale imaging system that acts
like an X-ray machine -- has boosted the likelihood of finding those
stashes.

Just Monday, Border Patrol agents from El Centro watched as three men
crossed into California carrying seven large bundles of marijuana
worth $300,000. The men and the truck driver they met were all arrested.

But it's impossible to estimate how many drug shipments make their way
into the U.S.

Agents are spotting an increasing number of ultralight aircraft that
are bringing in drugs by flying under radar and into remote areas, El
Centro Sector Chief Patrol Agent Jeffrey Calhoon said in a statement.

The Southern California data released Monday include numbers from the
San Diego field office as well as the border patrol operations
overseen by agents in San Diego and El Centro.

Though fewer people are trying to enter the U.S. at remote desert
crossings, five people died after crossing into Imperial County this
year, down from 14 last year.

El Centro agents went on eight rescue missions this year, rescuing 28
people who were injured or became lost after crossing the border.
That's down from 20 missions last year.