Archie...You're right about raising suspicions. I have a neighbor -- young, middle 20's with a wife and two kids -- who is driving a new Cadillac CTS and a late model Ford Expedition. Now, I know that there are many young people with good jobs or own businesses that allow them to own extravigant automobiles. That's not unusual or suspicious in itself. However, most of those high paying jobs that would allow one to affort cars like that don't require the wearing of shirts with your name on the pocket.

now, now archiebonkers, drive around victoria and you'll see many kids that age and younger driving around in very expensive / modified trucks.

i often say, ill know times are hard when stop seeing high school kids in expensive trucks.

23 year old kid with a expensive truck and boat would raise anyone's suspicions!

there's so many ways they ship the product north!

I was thinking the same thing troof, more about the estimates. I was wondering how they establish these monetary values, because they are very inconsistent. The 3 big bust in December, published in the VA were 32 lbs - $52k, 179 lbs - $75k, 483 lbs - $500k, divided into a pound a piece comes to $1600 lb, $400 lb, $1000 lb (estimate).

Republicanwoman...have you ever seen a drive shaft? I haven't but I don't think the naked eye could tell if one has been replaced during a routine traffic stop. Most likely the drug dogs found the stash.

From what I heard when I was spending a lot of time on the border is the drug cartel will resort to anything to keep their money & drugs flowing. They have a hard time keeping honest people working in the prisons because the inmates start threatening the lives of employees & their families if they don't agree to do their bidding. There are also a fair amount of people who are willing to do anything for a few bucks. The drug runners are getting more sneaky since the check points have tightened up security......I doubt much comes through those checkpoints, more like mules carry it through the scrub land & deposit it on the other side of the check points where the runners then stop & pick it up. Border Wars is an excellent program, it shows all the new ways they are smuggling in people & drugs.

What most don't realize is these numbers of $500,000 are very very inflated. The reality of it is we are spending a fortune trying to fight something that we have no chance of stopping. This probably wasn't even a crumb of what goes through the crossroads on a weekly basis. How much revenue are we passing up by not legalizing and taxing marijuana? I have a much greater concern about alchohol. They have tried stopping alchohol with no luck so they regulate it, tax it heavily, and make millions. When are we going to do the same with marijuana? Just my opinion.

Americans have 3 signs on the border:

KEEP OUT
HELP WANTED
WE BUY DRUGS

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Did they sieze the boat? I'd like to bid on that at a police auction. Probably reeks of marijuana though.

Just imagine how many cars and tucks come by undetected !
just saying ...

Keep up the good work, Trooper!

I just got back from Progresso, Mexico yesterday and I have a hard time believing this person came from Mexico and through the very tight border security check points. They had dogs and probably around 10 border patrol agents checking every vehicles what seem to be "with a fine tooth comb". (meaning checking and asking questions) Since this person was pulling a boat....this might indicate he was coming from the coast. Could it be that now catels are brings it with big boats, shrimp boats, cargo boats, and now smaller boats are going out to meet these shipments.
Was this boat registered to this person that got caught? Did someone ask him to go pick up this fishing boat and gave him a few dollars for just picking up this shipment? I have a hard time believing that this person could own a nice pickup and this rather costly boat. Was his anwers to the HIghway Patrolman out of the ordinary bez he was in fear of what someone on the delivery end would do to his family? I was once shown a castle type mansion in Rio Bravo, Mexico, in which the family of a man caught in Texas transporting drugs for them, lived. I saw several brand new high dollars vehicles parked and one included a fancy all "decked" out pickup. This person informed me that the families of these drug runners are provided for by the cartel as their reward for trying to help them get their drugs across and ..keeping their mouths closed if they get caught in the states.

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Keep in mind that these officers are trained professionals and they are able to quickly spot evidence of vehicles having been recently tampered with to hide drugs. For example, if the driver denies having done any work or repairs to the vehicle yet there is a new driveshaft in place that would raise a flag to an officer. I am thankful that there are officers out there who are good at what they do.

Christmas Eve last year while driving home I got pulled over for "following to close" nothing came about it, but it’s just an excuse to pull someone over! Just like "the smell of alcohol" gives the officer probable cause to search the vehicle.

Obviously someone is sending information to the cops on these busts. Last week a large amount was found after a traffic stop for "following to closely"

Are the cops lucky or is it Coincidence ????????

Maybe its an competing drug group keeping the cops busy while they send thier drug load through

Obstructed license plate? As in the boat was in the way?

I still want to know how the trooper knew to look inside the driveshaft some weeks ago. That absolutely astounds me. Somebody has got to be tipping these guys off. Nobody is that smart.

Multipurpose- where have you been? most of the dope goes north from Mexico. That is the way it has been for decades! Supply and demand. It is a business. Come back to earth and join the human race.

Esteban Hernandez moving dope north...WEIRD!