Pubdate: Tue, 13 Dec 2011 Source: Desert Sun, The (Palm Springs, CA) Copyright: 2011 The Desert Sun Contact: http://local2.thedesertsun.com/mailer/opinionwrap.php Website: http://www.mydesert.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1112 Note: Does not accept LTEs from outside circulation area. Author: Kate McGinty U.S. BORDER PATROL STOPS MORE DRUGS THIS YEAR Fewer Illegal Immigrants Caught Crossing Border Thousands fewer people but tons more illegal drugs were intercepted by agents of the U.S. Border Patrol in Southern California this year. The data released Monday match a nationwide trend that shows fewer arrests of immigrants entering the country illegally, a result of the enduring economic downturn and intensified efforts to secure the border. Those efforts have also led to more seizures of drugs at the border and along the remote stretches of desert on the 140-mile border between California and Mexico. Arrests of illegal immigrants fell from 142,837 in 2010 to 109,915 in 2011, a 23 percent drop according to the annual year-end report issued for the El Centro and San Diego sectors of the Border Patrol. There was a 48 percent increase in the amount of narcotics seized, to 158 tons, for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30. That includes 49,815 pounds of marijuana and 1,335 pounds of cocaine caught by Border Patrol agents based in El Centro, which oversees Riverside and Imperial counties. "We've had one of the busiest years ever here at the El Centro sector for drug seizures," said agent Jonathan Creiglow, a spokesman for the agency. The El Centro numbers were boosted by the largest marijuana bust in its history, also one of the largest ever at any U.S. checkpoint. Agents found 28,300 pounds hidden inside a tractor-trailer at the Highway 86 checkpoint Sept. 27. Creiglow also credited the increase in drug seizures to the number of border agents, which has nearly doubled in recent years. There are 1,260 working in the El Centro sector. The agency also now has at least two drug-detecting dogs stationed at each checkpoint. "They are one of our greatest assets at the checkpoints," Creiglow said. In most cases, drugs are hidden inside vehicle compartments, and better technology -- including a large-scale imaging system that acts like an X-ray machine -- has boosted the likelihood of finding those stashes. Just Monday, Border Patrol agents from El Centro watched as three men crossed into California carrying seven large bundles of marijuana worth $300,000. The men and the truck driver they met were all arrested. But it's impossible to estimate how many drug shipments make their way into the U.S. Agents are spotting an increasing number of ultralight aircraft that are bringing in drugs by flying under radar and into remote areas, El Centro Sector Chief Patrol Agent Jeffrey Calhoon said in a statement. The Southern California data released Monday include numbers from the San Diego field office as well as the border patrol operations overseen by agents in San Diego and El Centro. Though fewer people are trying to enter the U.S. at remote desert crossings, five people died after crossing into Imperial County this year, down from 14 last year. El Centro agents went on eight rescue missions this year, rescuing 28 people who were injured or became lost after crossing the border. That's down from 20 missions last year. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D