At Mexican Border, Four in Five Drug Busts Involve American Citizens Andrew Becker, G. W. Schulz, Tia Ghose - The Daily Beast
go to original March 26, 2013

There’s no argument that Mexico-based crime organizations dominate drug smuggling into the United States. But the public message that the Border Patrol has trumpeted for much of the last decade, mainly through press releases about its seizures, has emphasized Mexican drug couriers, or mules, as those largely responsible for transporting drugs.

It turns out that U.S. citizens are the predominant culprits that the Border Patrol busts for drug possession and transportation, according to an analysis of records obtained by the Center for Investigative Reporting.

Three out of four people found with drugs by the border agency are U.S. citizens, the data show. Looked at another way, when the immigration status is known, four out of five busts—which may include multiple people—involve a U.S. citizen.

In a written response, Customs and Border Protection said the agency issues news releases to highlight significant or “otherwise noteworthy seizures.” The most commonly highlighted busts involve large amounts of narcotics, unusual trafficking or concealment methods, or other notable factors, according to the agency.

Read the rest at The Daily Beast

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!