Customs Says Pot Seizures Have Doubled

The U.S. Customs Service has more than doubled its seizures of marijuana at the five ports of entry in San Diego and Imperial counties, according to a Customs report released Tuesday.

Nearly 40 tons of marijuana, 8 tons more than the weight of a 737 airplane, was seized by Custom’s agents at the five U.S.-Mexico border checkpoints during fiscal year 1992, which ended Sept. 30.

That contrasts with 15 tons taken in fiscal year 1991.

The marijuana seizures mirror a similar increase in confiscation of other drugs in recent years, including cocaine. In fiscal 1990, Customs seized 203 pounds of cocaine at the checkpoints. A year later, the amount skyrocketed to 15,823 pounds. And, during fiscal 1992, the amount remained high at 15,535 pounds.

So far this fiscal year, Customs has seized 11 1/2 pounds of heroin, a record for a single seizure, and already has confiscated nearly half of what was taken last fiscal year.

A budget increase is one reason more drugs have been seized during the past three years, a Customs spokesman said.

More funding has allowed Customs to hire 135 new officers, inspectors and agents, bringing Customs staff for the San Diego region to 474 people, said Customs District Director Rudy M. Camacho, a 17-year Customs Service veteran.

Before the extra staffing arrived, “the smugglers would just sit and wait us out because they knew we couldn’t maintain enforcement constantly,” Camacho said.

Camacho said inspectors used to close lanes down to search vehicles, using a “blitz technique.” But now, there are enough people to maintain 24-hour enforcement, he said.

“We are doing a better job of screening the vehicles entering the United States,” Camacho said. “We are doing a lot of the programs and enforcement that we have wanted to do for years.”