Other seizures have involved tens of thousands of dollars each. The license plate readers, mounted on concrete barriers a few hundred feet north of the border, will tell inspectors whether a car nearing a checkpoint is sought by police and log all cars leaving. Similar readers have been in place in U.S.-bound lanes at San Ysidro for about eight months. Data is checked against a customs computer and a separate national crime database to see if a vehicle warrants special attention. By the time the car pulls up to the booth, the information is on the inspector's computer screen.
Officials say the advanced notice can prove an important warning for inspectors.
Information technology may also play a role in speeding cargo. Computers could instantly sift through the checklist to help inspectors pick which loads warrant a closer look. An INS spokeswoman said the lanes should be running early in 1999. Officials expect about 10,000 people to sign up. A cruder version in use in one rural spot along Montana's border with Canada permits residents to cross each way at night, when the nearest immigration inspector is 70 miles away, watching by video monitor.