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Drug-filled Mexican planes land nightly along southern border despite $100 million sensor technology
The Washington Examiner ^ | June 27, 2013 | SUSAN FERRECHIO

Posted on 06/28/2013 6:54:53 AM PDT by yoe

In one California border town, at least four drug-laden, ultralight airplanes from Mexico land each night on U.S. soil, dropping off hundreds of pounds of narcotics then flying back to Mexico, all the while eluding a $100 million detection system funded by American taxpayers.

The U.S. Border Patrol’s inability to find and catch these planes, operated by the Mexican drug cartels and sometimes piloted by armed dealers, is among the emerging border security threats a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing will tackle on Thursday.

The panel wants to highlight growing border security problems as Congress debates immigration reform legislation that includes provisions aimed at bolstering border security...

[snip] Chaffetz learned about the deluge of the home-built drug planes crossing the into the United States during a visit earlier this year to border areas in Arizona and Mexico.

Border patrol agents told him that despite the hefty price tag paid for the sensors, they are not helping agents stop the ultralights. The planes land in border towns all along the Mexican border, including El Centro, California, where multiple air drops happen every night.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; Mexico
KEYWORDS:
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America apparently has an enormous appetite for drugs...if Arizona and California tested for drug use anyone signing up for food stamp or disabilities programs I imagine the flight of AZ and CA residents to states where drug testing wasn't in force would be noticeable.

for drug use all recipients of Food Stamps and those claiming Disability before they are made eligible

1 posted on 06/28/2013 6:54:53 AM PDT by yoe
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To: yoe

They quickly learned that the US radar systems installed have trouble distinguishing low flying, slow going ultralights from ground vehicular traffic.

The profit on one haul dwarfs the cost of the ultralight which can be abandoned. Crossing in areas where windmills may be present is even easier I’d expect.


2 posted on 06/28/2013 7:00:38 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: yoe
America apparently has an enormous appetite for drugs

The dirtbags in DC must be consuming a lot of drugs also.

The best thing that could happen to this Country is for them all to get a "bad batch".

3 posted on 06/28/2013 7:01:13 AM PDT by The Sons of Liberty (Jesus, Please Save America!)
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To: yoe

It shouldn’t be too technically challenging to get drones to do the flying.


4 posted on 06/28/2013 7:01:33 AM PDT by Paladin2
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To: yoe

If Obama were giving an outdoor speech at Petco Park they’d darned sure find a way to seal-up the airspace.


5 posted on 06/28/2013 7:05:48 AM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: yoe

There is a lack of desire to fix the problem. I am pretty sure that all they would have do is tell Juan Valdez that we have a sent up drones to protect the border and he would have difficulty getting anyone to want to fly.


6 posted on 06/28/2013 7:06:55 AM PDT by crusty old prospector
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To: yoe

Apparently, the drug smugglers weren’t giving a big enough cut to the Feds and their banker buddies.
When it comes to drug imports, the Feds don’t like competition.


7 posted on 06/28/2013 7:12:55 AM PDT by grumpygresh (Democrats delenda est.)
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To: Gaffer

Where the drones when you need them?

Sending a Predator missile from a drone would pretty much swat that mosquito out of the sky. That happens a couple dozen times, it would be hard to find prospective pilots to run this particular airlift.


8 posted on 06/28/2013 7:13:02 AM PDT by alloysteel (Unattended children will be given a Red Bull and a free Kazoo. Reminds me of Congress...)
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To: crusty old prospector

It wouldn’t be hard to use IR to spot them. After that ...


9 posted on 06/28/2013 7:13:30 AM PDT by meatloaf (3)
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To: yoe

This is not much different from Mena AR and the dirty dealing going on back then. Planes full of drugs landing unopposed in the U.S. is a part of any democrat administration. One more source of democrat funding.

FUBO, FAD, down with the democrat party


10 posted on 06/28/2013 7:14:30 AM PDT by RJS1950 (The democrats are the "enemies foreign and domestic" cited in the federal oath)
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To: yoe
"Our borders have never been stronger" ~ Janet Napolitano
11 posted on 06/28/2013 7:14:57 AM PDT by Beowulf9
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To: yoe

AND randomly while on benefits. Get a CONFIRMED positive. . . forfeit benefits for 10 years.


12 posted on 06/28/2013 7:19:33 AM PDT by Salgak (http://catalogoftehburningstoopid.blogspot.com 100% all-natural snark !)
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To: yoe
LA has a plethora of RC model plane shops served by quite original designers and builders, who I claim started this whole drone business as their "models" grew ever larger and more capable.

Frankly, I always wondered if they were into smuggling! Why risk a pilot?

But Ultralights and light sport planes? A whole new dimension in aviation. Some can easily carry hundreds of pounds, many are made of radar-resistant fiberglass and spruce and can land in a a hundred yards and take off in two. Amazing. Put it all down in the column next to the Colombian fiberglass submarine smuggling fleet.

Build your own?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultralight_aviation
www.kitfoxaircraft.com/‎

13 posted on 06/28/2013 7:22:06 AM PDT by Kenny Bunk ("Obama" The Movie. Introducing Reggie Love as "Monica." .)
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To: alloysteel
A drone system with infrastructure, communications, tracking system and C&C is a very expensive proposition. An area as large as we're talking about would take satellite C&C and central command center.

Couple that with the basic sensor problem in distinguishing this near-vehicle like signature (radar and IR) further complicates the problem...follow a highway at 100 meters height until you get where you want to go sort of thing.

That said, this country will not authorize weapons use even if they should. They reserve that option for things like Ruby Ridge, Waco and other TBD options.

14 posted on 06/28/2013 7:24:02 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: alloysteel
Sending a Predator missile from a drone would pretty much swat that mosquito out of the sky. That happens a couple dozen times, it would be hard to find prospective pilots to run this particular airlift.

Technology is fungible. Pretty soon they'll be flying the drugs in with drones.

15 posted on 06/28/2013 7:26:49 AM PDT by tacticalogic ("Oh, bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: yoe
I am sure that officials are complicit in a lot of this.

Lots of money changes hands and unscrupulous individuals on THIS side of the border certainly have it all their own way!

16 posted on 06/28/2013 7:27:10 AM PDT by SMARTY ("The test of every religious, political, or educational system is the man that it forms." H. Amiel)
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To: Gaffer

As long as the profit margin is high, people will find a way to get this stuff in. If we spend another fifty billion and find a way to stop all these ultralights, they’ll just start using something else, like catapults.


17 posted on 06/28/2013 7:32:01 AM PDT by Boogieman
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To: crusty old prospector

Then they’ll just buy some quadrotor drones and use those. It is not like the cartels can’t afford them.


18 posted on 06/28/2013 7:33:11 AM PDT by Boogieman
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To: yoe

“...nightly...” and daily too. Obviously we haven’t spent enough on the drug war, or hired enough cops, or created enough agencies to do proper combat. In this day of infrared technology, it’s amazing ultralights can’t be seen swarming in from Mexico. We need Sky Net, killer drones controlled by pimple faced kids, scouring the border for low flying Mexicans.


19 posted on 06/28/2013 7:34:37 AM PDT by pallis
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To: SMARTY

Which is why the drug war will continue.

I am fast approaching the legalize it all approach.

Legal for gays to marry, legal for people to kill themselves with drugs, etc.

It is up to the individual to regulate themselves.

Make high potency drugs available cheap and let Darwin sort them out.

I will take my risk driving to get rid of ATF and DEA.

Make drugs available on EBT cards. Just make sure the drugs are potent enough that they will overdose. In a couple of years....problem solved.


20 posted on 06/28/2013 7:38:57 AM PDT by Gadsden1st
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