Thread: AZ: Wild Mustangs Track Drug Smugglers

Wild Mustangs Track Drug Smugglers

Border Patrol Uses Mustangs For Patrol


POSTED: 12:48 pm MST May 18, 2011

UPDATED: 10:07 pm MST May 18, 2011


PIMA COUNTY, Ariz. -- The mustangs arrive at the Colorado prison unruly and straight out of the wild. But they leave there - after being tamed by the inmates - ready to patrol Arizona's borders.
The Wild Mustang Program has been under way for less than a year. But it's already made a difference along the border.
"They're very hardy, rugged, big-boned horses," said supervisory agent Bobbi Schad with the Arizona Border Patrol. "So they're incredible for this terrain."
That terrain is some of the roughest, cactus-strewn areas along Arizona's border with Mexico. The mustangs untamed spirit and ingrained toughness makes them a natural fit for patrolling the rugged Arizona mountains.
"They're what we call green broke, so they're not well broke, well-made horse," said Schad. "So they do take an experienced rider."
The border patrol's horse unit is an elite group of agents that patrol Southern Arizona.
And they invited CBS 5 Investigates to head out on a patrol.
We head south toward the border and into a canyon system that hides smugglers from view. And the area prevents border agents from using their radios to communicate with each other.
Bottom line: We're on our own.
"There's a million hiding places out here," said agent David Derrick.
When the horse patrol started working this area, there were hundreds of illegal immigrants and smugglers crossing every single day. But the horse patrol has managed to push that slew of crossers farther east into the more treacherous mountains.
As the agents ride the trails, they're constantly looking down at the ground, trying to spot footprints hidden in the dirt and brush. Sometimes the mustangs spot the illegal crossers before the agents, Derrick tells us.
We pick up some prints that agents believe belong to a group of smugglers heading south. That means they've already dropped their loads and are heading home light and fast -- too fast even for these wild mustangs.
"The southbound smugglers (footprints) that we saw appeared to be about a day old," said Derrick. "So I imagine they're already back in Mexico."
It looks like the smugglers won this round. But with the help from these sure-footed mustangs, the next round may be different.
"We'll hope to get them next time," said Derrick.

http://www.kpho.com/immigration/27941223/detail.html

The Mustangs are wonderful and this sounds like a terrific program of Border Patrol. Keep up the great work!!

What a great program!

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) -- About six wild horses from Nevada are headed to the Mexican and Canadian borders to help U.S. Border Patrol agents keep a watch on remote areas.

KOLO-TV of Reno and the Nevada Appeal of Carson City report border patrol agents last week for the first time acquired mustangs that were trained by state prison inmates in Carson City.

Felix Morales of the border patrol says wild horses are particularly suited for the task because they're hardy animals that will work in landscapes similar to Nevada's.

The agency began buying mustangs in 2007 so agents could ride them while guarding roadless areas along the border. The agency currently has 123 wild horses.

Morales said the border patrol will return to Carson City to acquire more mustangs in the future.

The Associated Press

http://www.news10.net/rss/article/15010 ... can-border

The horses will come in handy for sure. There have been attempts to halt the BP horse patrol program. However, the horses are always proven necessary as they go many places no man-made machine would. Getting an agent on a horse in areas not suitable for vehicles is a great tactical advantage.

Illegal aliens can't out-run horses