CBP officers were screening commercial traffic coming from Mexico on Monday when they selected a commercial semi-trailer load of concrete furniture for inspection. The semi-trailor was driven by a 33-year-old man from Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico. Utilizing a large mobile high-tech x-ray unit, CBP officers were able to detect anomalies embedded deep in the concrete structures.

Further inspection by the officers revealed that concrete structures were filled with packages of marijuana. The total weight of marijuana was more than 300 pounds with an estimated street value of $2.8 million.

CBP officers seized the semi-trailer and the marijuana. The man was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further questioning.

Source = CBP

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management. Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.com.

Secret compartments in empty flatbed trailer

A Border Patrol canine team working the Interstate 19 checkpoint Friday alerted to an empty flatbed trailer. Agents using Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) equipment discovered a hidden compartment in the frame of the vehicle, containing 50 bundles of marijuana.

On Saturday, agents working the State Route 85 checkpoint used NII equipment on a recreational vehicle and located 18 bundles of marijuana hidden in the vehicle’s floorboard.

As part of the U.S. Border Patrol’s “Defense-in-Depth Strategy,” checkpoints are an important tool for stemming the flow of contraband into the United States. By combining technology with other assets, such as canine units, the Border Patrol continues to interdict various attempts to smuggle illegal contraband and aliens into the United States. Between Oct. 1, 2009, and Mar. 31, 2010, the Tucson Sector Border Patrol seized more than 552,000 pounds of marijuana, with a value exceeding $441 million.

Source = CBP

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management. Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.com.

Border Patrol agents assigned to the Blythe Station stopped a Freightliner tractor-trailer at the Highway 78 checkpoint at about 10 p.m. Agents referred the driver for secondary inspection after a Border Patrol canine team alerted to the cab of the tractor-trailer.

A search of the semi revealed 45 bundles of marijuana hidden inside the truck’s sleeping area. The marijuana weighs approximately 580 pounds and has an estimated street value of $464,000. Agents arrested the driver, a 43-year-old male U.S. citizen, and later turned him and the contraband over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Since Oct. 1, 2009, Yuma Sector agents have seized more than 21,000 pounds of marijuana.

Source = CBP

Sierra Vista, Arizona – / N2N / – Thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training, Cochise College, Cochise County Workforce Development, Santa Cruz County One Stop and several other partners in a regional consortium are providing logistics training that prepares students for jobs associated with the transportation and supply chain management industry.

The first cohort of students began the course of study in Sierra Vista in January, and students are now being accepted for another set of classes that begins March 11 in both Sierra Vista and Nogales.

The opportunity to re-focus her career is just what Robin Collins sought. A Sierra Vista resident, Collins left her job as a certified nursing assistant to take care of family and returned to a discouraging job market.

She found a retail job but would have preferred something that offers more stability. So a Cochise County Workforce Development announcement about the free logistics courses seemed like a good opportunity to take control of her future.
“I thought ‘who gives a free class? I can’t pass this up,’ ” Collins said. “My immediate goal is to get enough out of the program to get a job.”

The students who began the program in January are in the early stages of pursuing a Basic Logistics Supply Chain Management Certificate. Curriculum also is in place for an advanced certificate and an associate of applied science degree. The program is layered so that…

Read the full story here…

Border Patrol agents have been extremely effective at stopping illegal drugs at the border and preventing them from reaching our communities. In the past four days, Tucson Sector agents seized nearly 16,000 pounds, or eight tons, of marijuana. The estimated value of the marijuana is $12.8 million.

Checkpoints and canine units have been critical to this weekend’s drug interdiction success. The continued success of the Border Patrol’s “Defense in Depth” Strategy allows agents conducting checkpoint operations to disrupt the pathways of illegal drugs while canine units increase effectiveness by swiftly detecting contraband.

In the first three months of this fiscal year (October through December), agents in the Tucson Sector seized more than 270,000 pounds of marijuana. The estimated value of the contraband is greater than $122 million. During the same time frame last year the Tucson Sector had seized over 230,000 pounds of marijuana.

On January 9 at about 6 p.m. CBP officers at the Douglas port of entry were screening travelers and vehicles when they came in contact with a 60-year-old woman driving a 1989 GMC Jimmy. The woman was identified as a Mexican national and resident of Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico. The CBP officers became suspicious of the woman and selected her for further inspection.

The vehicle was searched and discovered that the quarter panels of the vehicle she was driving were loaded with packages of marijuana. The total weight of marijuana was a little more than 100 pounds with an estimated street value of $162,000.

CBP officers seized the vehicle and marijuana. The woman was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation.

On December 16 at about 7:30a.m., CBP officers were screening travelers when they observed a 15-year-old boy wearing a bulky coat. The boy was identified as a U.S. citizen and a student at the Douglas High School.

The CBP officers searched the boy and found that he had a package of marijuana taped to his lower back and another package taped to his thigh. The marijuana weighed about 1.5 pounds and had an estimated street value of more than $2,000.

CBP officers seized the marijuana. CBP officers held the boy for questioning. The boy was released to the custody of his father.

On Monday afternoon, CBP officers were conducting routine inspections of vehicles leaving the United States when they selected a 1994 Chevy pick-up truck for inspection. The truck was occupied by two Mexican men, ages 19 and 46.

While conducting their inspection, CBP officers opened a suitcase that was inside the truck and discovered 30 packages wrapped in black electrical tape. After a CBP Currency/Weapons Detector Dog alerted to the suitcase, officers removed the packages and seized $300,032 as undeclared currency.

Both occupants of the truck were arrested and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation.

“Border Patrol agents are first responders as well as law enforcement officers,” said Naco Station Patrol Agent in Charge Humberto De La Cruz. “We are happy that both are safe and we were able to avert this potential tragedy and reunite the woman with her son.”

Border Patrol agents became aware of the situation when the woman told agents that she was separated from her son while trying to avoid apprehension by the Border Patrol. She also claimed that her son was suffering from dehydration and had not eaten in three days.

Border Patrol agents immediately responded, activating the Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue (BORSTAR) team, bringing in additional agents from the Willcox Border Patrol Station, and deploying a total of three mobile surveillance scopes. The boy was found hiding in brush with a group of 11 illegal aliens. The boy appeared to be in good health and was reunited with his mother at the Naco Station.

In fiscal 2009, Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents rescued almost 600 illegal aliens from the Sonora Desert. Border Patrol agents never hesitate to help individuals lost or in need of medical assistance, regardless of nationality.

On December 9, CBP officers while processing travelers and conducting routine inspections encountered the U.S. citizen and escorted him to the secondary lot for further inspection. During the inspection process cocaine packages were found inside the gas tank of the Isuzu Rodeo he was driving after it was x-rayed and weighed more than 55 pounds.

The man was immediately arrested and turned over to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation.