Authorities: Smugglers Using Air, Sea Routes

Posted: Apr 19, 2012 6:46 PM
Updated: Apr 19, 2012 7:28 PM

BROWNSVILLE - Federal authorities say the sea and air are becoming more common routes to smuggle drugs and people, as smugglers are finding it more difficult to get their cargo across on land.

In the Rio Grande Valley sector, Border Patrol agents seized about one million pounds of drugs last year. CBP Assistant Commissioner Michael Kostelnik says that enforcement is changing the way smugglers work.

He tells us the Eastern Pacific used to be a common route smugglers used. Now they're using the Western Carribean.

With more smuggling going on over the gulf, CPB and Border Patrol agents have stepped up their presence on the water. They have six boats stationed at this new air and marine unit center in Port Isabel. They patrol from Brownsville to Kenedy County, getting help from helicopters and air support.

Federal law enforcement officers are worried about smuggling on the water.

"They are not going to be providing flotation devices for their passengers. They're going to do whatever they can to get away. If that means throwing over their cargo - whether that's a bundle or a person to distract us - that's probably what we are going to be seeing," said Rosendo Hinojosa, Chief Border Patrol agent with the RGV sector.

CBP officers want to stop this before it happens. CHANNEL 5 NEWS checked with other local law enforcement agencies on Rio Grande Valley waterways. They say they haven't seen violent clashes with smugglers.

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