Last year, canines were put on duty around the clock, said Letty Garza, spokesperson for the Border Patrol's McAllen sector. These dogs will smell anything. We've seen an increase in drug seizures. It's been real steady. The highest number of drug confiscations come around October, when Mexico's marijuana harvest is in full swing, Garza said.
Cocaine is the second most popular smuggled drug.
In 1994 the Drug Enforcement Administration designated the Southwest Border Region, extending from San Diego to Brownsville, as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, according to the comptroller. The comptroller's report notes that Mexico has become a major money-laundering center. Additionally, arrests are up, but a higher percentage is being disposed in Texas courtrooms through deferred adjudication, meaning offenders are not sent to jail. Although the increase in drug arrests may be because more people are smuggling narcotics, said Garza, the rise is also a result of Border Patrol agents' diligence. In addition to dogs, agents also use physical searches and X-ray machines to inspect commercial trucks.