Feds attribute surging seizure stats to more manpower, technology

Beefed-up enforcement along the U.S. southwestern border has resulted in “unprecedented” seizures of illegal drugs, currency, and firearms, according to a report issued by the Obama administration.

White House drug czar Gil Kerlikowske’s update on counternarcotics efforts says smuggling arrests, narcotics seizures, and cash confiscations all saw dramatic increases during 2009 and 2010 because of added manpower, fencing, and technology on the border.

Among the most telling statistics in this month’s report:

• U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted $282 million in illegal currency, a 35 percent increase over the prior two years.
• Authorities seized in excess of 7 million pounds of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other drugs, up 16.5 percent.
• Agents confiscated 6,800 weapons heading for Mexico, a 22 percent increase over the previous two-year period.

“Drug use in America drives instability and violence in Mexico,” Kerlikowske said in a news release. “That is why this administration has committed increased resources to reduce the demand for drugs in the United States at the same time we are deploying unprecedented levels of personnel, infrastructure and technology to secure the southwest border.”

U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke, who is responsible for prosecuting border drug traffickers, said the report shows “unprecedented progress” combating narcotics smugglers and illegal immigration.

“Our stats distinguish the facts from the popular frenzy of fabrication and falsehoods about the border,” Burke said. “We have made inroads into Mexico through joint investigations and prosecutions as we have never before.”

The Arizona Republic reports that new screening systems at border stations, designed to catch smugglers heading south with firearms and drug money, played a key role in boosting the numbers.

Some Arizona officials question the numbers and claims of improved security. “We have not seen this improvement,” said Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, noting that his jurisdiction has become a major smuggling corridor. “They’re not looking at the reality on the ground.”

Attorney General Terry Goddard said border enforcement was so weak for so long that recent efforts are only a start. “As compared to nothing, they’re doing a lot,” he said.

Goddard said the government should focus on money laundering rather than border smuggling because cartels just keep developing more sophisticated ways to defeat security efforts. “I think as long as we play defense, we’re going to lose. They have the technology to defeat us.”

The White House report says the Border Patrol now has more than 22,000 agents, double the number in 2004.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the CBP, and the Drug Enforcement Administration also have seen major staffing increases. Agents are backed by a new intelligence center in Tucson and increased resources that range from gangster-screening databases to drug-sniffing dogs.

The 64-page study says drug-fighting efforts will be bolstered this year by $600 million more in funding approved under the Southwest Border Security Bill. The measure includes $324 million to hire more federal agents and $32 million for surveillance drones.

Ethan Nadelmann, director of the Drug Policy Alliance, which advocates drug treatment and education rather than expansion of America’s so-called war on drugs, said increased seizures and arrests do not mean that narcotics abuse or violence are abating.

“It says to me they are responding to public demands, public fears,” Nadelmann said. “This sounds like the same-old-same-old they’ve been saying for 40 years.”

Beside increased enforcement, Kerlikowske emphasized that the administration has sought to reduce demand for drugs in the United States with $340 million of increased funding for prevention and treatment programs.

At the same time, the report says, administration officials have collaborated with Mexican president Felipe Calderón’s campaign to root out cartels, sharing intelligence to track down drug lords.