Proposed Law Targets Drug Spotters to Curb Trafficking

Posted by azdrugrehabctr on March 30, 2015 under AZ Drug Rehab News | Comments are off for this article

In order to effectively fight against the drug traffickers that continuously smuggle illegal drugs in the country, law enforcement has to make themselves aware of all the tricks of the trade. One of the most common ways the cartels are able to get their shipments across the U.S. border is by employing “spotters”.

Spotters are people who stake out certain areas along the drug route and warn the people carrying the drug supplies, called the “mules”, if any type of law enforcement is on the path. Despite the fact that law enforcement knows that these people exist and are warning the drug mules, it is very difficult to arrest and prosecute them because there are currently no laws prohibiting these types of actions. Currently the stake outs are along drug routes in Mexico as well as in Arizona.

In order to combat the use of scouts, a new bill has been introduced to the senate. The Transnational Criminal Organization Illicit Spotter Prevention and Elimination Act is designed to prevent and eliminate the use of scouts.

“The scouting network provides a continuous view of law enforcement presence on both sides of the border, making it easier to direct loads around law enforcement presence. The scout’s role is fundamental to the drug organization’s success in supplying drugs to the U.S. cities,” explained Elizabeth Kempshall, the director of the Arizona High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.

Former ONDCP director Barry McCaffrey described what a typical spotter is like, “As he walks in his five miles of U.S. farm here, there are dozens of cartel scouts wearing camouflage uniforms, with padded boots…with $2,500 solar power encrypted satellite phones, with AK47s. That’s who is in control of the border.” There are many farms and ranches along the borders of the Southwestern United States where the spotters and mules are used to bring in dangerous drugs.

If the bill is passed, law enforcement would be able to arrest anyone providing information to drug cartels about the whereabouts of police and border patrol. If found guilty, scouts could receive up to ten years in prison and because many of them carry firearms, an additional ten years could be added on to their sentence.