Local Sheriff Visits Arizona to Ride with Border Patrol
Staff Writer
5:27 PM EDT, August 23, 2010

ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) - Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page visited Arizona last week to get an up-close look at drug trafficking and its impact on North Carolina.

Page paid his way to Arizona to ride along with border patrol agents as they pursued human 'mules' trafficking people and drugs across the border. Page spent nearly a week in Arizona.

Sheriff Page said he was impressed with the caliber of law enforcers guarding the border. However, Page said they need more back-up.

"They go out in the desert every morning. When they get calls from areas where people are coming through, they respond," said Page.

Law enforcers said there are 460,000 undocumented persons in Arizona, with more getting across the border every day. The biggest concern about those persons is what they bring across the border.

"People walk through the desert carrying 50-pound sacks of marijuana," said Page. The drug problem is what connects the border-patrol problems in Arizona to North Carolina.

"You could be on Interstate 40 in Arizona and 32-hours later, you're in Rockingham County making a delivery," said Page.

Page said he plants to take what he learned and share it with other law enforcement groups in hopes they will view the borders differently.

"I saw some things that I've never seen. It's been an eye-opening experience," said Page.

Page said he is preparing a presentation for the North Carolina Sheriff's Association


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