Thread: Nogales Ariz: Border Patrol Finds 3 Horses Leaded With Pot

Border Patrol finds 3 horses leaded with pot:

Apr. 13, 2011 11:53 AM ET

NOGALES, Ariz. (AP) — The U.S. Border Patrol says they've found three horses carrying nearly 1,000 pounds of marijuana east of Nogales.

Spokeswoman Colleen Agle says the horses have been turned over to the Arizona Department of Agriculture. The marijuana was seized, and no smugglers were found.

Agle told the Nogales International that last week's incident is relatively rare but has happened before. Smugglers like to use horses because they can carry bigger loads. But she said smugglers often don't take good care of the animals.

Smugglers commonly carry makeshift marijuana backpacks themselves across rugged parts of southern Arizona as they bring the pot north.

Agriculture Department spokeswoman Laura Oxley says the animals will be auctioned off if they aren't claimed by an owner.

Information from: Nogales International,

http://www.nogalesinternational.com/

Arizona wants stricter laws against illegal aliens and undocumented criminals illegally entering the State from across the border, but were denied legal rights to enforce such laws by Arizona's Federal Court.

A very sad consequence of smugglers using horses is that frequently these animals are abandoned in the U.S. A fortune few are discovered and turned over to rescue groups.
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Found tottering alone in the desert with their ribs visible and their heads hung low, horses play a backbreaking, unappreciated role in the multibillion-dollar drug smuggling industry.

Mexican traffickers strap heavy bales of marijuana or other illegal drugs to the horses’ backs and march them north through mountain passes and across rough desert terrain. With little food and water, some collapse under their heavy loads. Others are turned loose when the contraband gets far enough into Arizona to be loaded into vehicles with more horsepower.

“We would pick up 15 to 20 horses a month, and many more of the animals would get past us,â€