Smugglers using ultralights to bring in drugs
NOGALES, Ariz. - On Oct. 10, Jesus Iriarte hauled a load of pot from Sonora across the U.S. border.
The Mexican national was like hundreds of other drug couriers except for one important distinction: He transported the marijuana by strapping it to a motorized hang glider, something that looks like a lawn mower in the sky.
Federal customs agents say radar-dodging ultralights may be an emerging trend among drug smugglers looking for new ways to outwit increased surveillance.
But the planes aren’t the safest strategy.
In the past four months, three of the kite-winged aircraft crashed while hauling loads of marijuana into Arizona.
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Mexican drug cartels are notorious for treating employees as expendable.
They also are renowned for creative methods of getting around Border Patrol agents or past drug-sniffing dogs and X-ray machines at inspection stations.
On a single Friday in January, for example, motorists at Arizona border crossings were caught with drugs concealed in gas tanks, mufflers, radiators, tires, engine compartments, car batteries, ceilings and seats.
Shipments are hidden in everything from soap boxes to dirty diapers. Some smugglers ingest narcotics in baggies. Others dig tunnels or hide giant loads in agricultural shipments or trains.
But all those methods face an inspection gantlet, whereas ultralights can slip through remote canyons. Two-seaters are offered on the Internet for about $20,000, a minimal expense considering the estimated $180,000 value of a single marijuana load.
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