Arizona Border Still an Entry Point for Illicit Drugs

Posted by azdrugrehabctr on August 15, 2014 under AZ Drug Rehab News | Comments are off for this article

When a couple living on a ranch in Arizona suspected that illegal immigrants were sneaking through their property, they set up hidden cameras in the hopes of catching the trespassers. What they found indicates more of a problem than they originally thought.

Jim and Sue Chilton have long feared the immigrants sneaking through their property – simply because of the illegal activity. They have come face to face with armed trespassers and even caught them sneaking through their home. The Chiltons were sure that these immigrants were also smuggling drugs through their property and had alerted law enforcement several times. Because of the demand on law enforcement in the Arizona towns that border Mexico, it was hard to get anything done without proof that there was a problem.

When law enforcement failed to provide assistance, the Chiltons turned to SecureBorderIntel.org, an advocate group that helps people protect their property from drug smugglers. The group helped to set up cameras on the Chiltons’ 50,000-acre ranch in the hopes they would catch the smugglers in action. When the group came back to check the video footage, they found several groups of men carrying backpacks known to be used in the smuggling of drugs.

Illegal immigration and the smuggling of drugs into Arizona is a problem that ripples throughout the state and the rest of the country. Trespassing and smuggling is so prevalent in this area that families like the Chiltons have resorted to walking around their property in groups, rather than go out alone. Illegal immigrants smuggling drugs into Arizona are oftentimes armed and dangerous.

Now that the Chiltons have gathered evidence proving their land is being overrun with smugglers, law enforcement in Tucson have increased their security in the area. “Tucson Sector has rancher liaisons who are in constant contact with our stakeholders, including the Chilton family…Tucson Sector has deployed additional resources at the Chilton ranch to include personnel and technology,” stated the Tucson Police Department.