Cartels Shift to Drug Smuggling as Border Crossings Plummet 95%

Decline in Illegal Crossings

• 📉 Illegal border crossings in Texas's Rio Grande Valley sector have dropped by a stunning 95% compared to a year ago.
• 😮 A year ago, Border Patrol agents were overwhelmed, seeing an average of 2,000 illegal crossings daily.
• 🚶‍♂️ Currently, very few people are seen crossing illegally, creating a deceptive sense of quiet at the border.

Cartels Pivot to Drug Trafficking

• 💰 With human smuggling profits down, cartels are returning to their original, more profitable tactics of drug smuggling.
• 📈 Border Patrol agents report an increase in drug seizures, indicating a shift in cartel operations.

Major Drug Seizures

• 💊 In just two weeks, agents made significant seizures, including $1.1 million worth of fentanyl hidden in stationary bike rollers.
• 🧊 Another seizure involved $2.3 million of cocaine concealed in the ceiling of an 18-wheeler.
• 🚗 More than $640,000 worth of cocaine was also seized hidden inside a Buick SUV at an international bridge.
• 🌎 Nationwide, drug seizures in June exceeded 60,000 pounds, a substantial increase from the previous year.

New Smuggling Tactics

• 👥 Cartels are increasingly relying on Mexican nationals with dual citizenship to cross legally through ports of entry with contraband.
• 🎒 Teenagers are being used to transport large amounts of drugs across borders between ports of entry, as they are often returned to Mexico without charges if caught.
• 🇺🇸 The US military is playing a larger role than ever in border operations.