The Drug wars below the border are continuing to get worse and worse, and the efforts to smuggle drugs into the United States continue to increase. But the U.S. Coast Guard has been working to find new ways to help in the narcotics trafficking fight.
Smugglers try to find new and creative ways to smuggle drugs and people across the border, and the Coast Guard is working just as hard to find creative ways to prevent the crossing by water.
Rear Admiral Joseph Mimmich is the Joint Interagency Task Force South Director, and he says that there are more and more successes, including the biometric scanners that have been use in the Puerto Rico region and elsewhere.
This new method of interdiction then led to the creation of Mini Submarines, that smugglers use to get drugs across the border. Then the United States Congress got involved, saying the use of such submarines is outlawed.
The fight continues, since last September about 25 metric tons of cocaine and other drugs have been seized by the US Coast Guard. Even if no contraband is found, its now illegal to use these mini subs and can lead to criminal charges.