EXCLUSIVE: Dropped in the Desert

Along the southern border, Yuma Sector U.S. Border Patrol agents are now busy at work running a humanitarian mission due to the high number of illegal immigrants crossing into the United States.

All the while, other crimes are happening along our border, such as criminals smuggling dangerous, even fatal drugs into the U.S.

In fact, Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations has seized more than 183,000 pounds worth of drugs this fiscal year so far.

News 11 searched through all the press releases CBP has sent to our newsroom and found that so far this year, agents have seized at least 550 pounds of narcotics near our homes.

One incident happened at the San Luis Port of Entry in March, where a woman had cocaine taped to her body. Another incident happened at the same port of entry the next month with fentanyl worth about $1,740, according to CBP.

Although these smugglers have been caught and charged, drug cartels are still finding ways to get their supply across the border in the mountains. The same region people drive through every single day.

“You can see for miles. This is what those scouts do when they’re trying to move their narcotics through,” said Agent Justin Kallinger, Yuma Sector Border Patrol.

Drug scouts have been known to hide out in mountains, even in the mountains surrounding the Yuma sector.

Agents gave News 11 a first-hand look at how they conduct surveillance by hiking mountains and keeping an eye out or those who call the mountains home and get drugs into the U.S.

“This is a reminder to all the agents that they’re watching us as much as we’re watching them,” said Kallinger.

Agent Kallinger explained scouts watch for them and wait for them to stop.

“As soon as we’re out of the area, they’ll send their product through,” said Agent Kallinger.

While Border Patrol conducts surveillance. One technique they use is called “marking the sign” to let other surrounding agents know they already have eyes track down those who may be scouting or illegally entering the country.

Over the last decade, Wellton Station Border Patrol agents have seized three ultralight aircrafts used to smuggle hundreds of pounds of drugs into the United States.

“These aircrafts can hold up to about two to three hundred pounds of narcotics, that can be anything from fentanyl to hard narcotics like cocaine, fentanyl like I mentioned, to the more known which is marijuana,” explained Agent Kallinger.

One situation Border Patrol caught on camera during one of their first apprehensions of an aircraft ultralight aircraft like this.

“What was different about this aircraft is that the altitude of the thousands of feet it was at and the person only had a scuba mask on. They weren’t even equipped to be at that altitude,” said Agent Kallinger.

Border Patrol said the ultralight later crashed and the person flying it died at the scene.

“They’ll go through any means necessary to get their product across,” said Agent Kallinger.