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Podcasts Take Two
How cross-border trucking companies stay ahead of drug smugglers
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Sep 17, 2013
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How cross-border trucking companies stay ahead of drug smugglers
More than five million trucks crossed into the U.S. from Mexico last year. For drug smugglers, getting a truckload of illegal narcotics past border authorities means potentially huge profits.
Traffic in the US enters Mexico at the San Ysidro border crossing, the world?s busiest, on June 27, 2008 in Tijuana, Mexico. With the cost of gasoline in California around $4.60 per gallon, many drivers are buying their fuel in Mexico for about $3.20. There is a price to pay for cheaper gas though. Mexican gas is formulated with more sulfur than California gas and that can damage the emission control equipment on US cars, causing them to fail emissions tests and leading to expensive repairs. In addition, unless a driver has other business in Mexico, part of their fuel savings will be burned up idling in a line that can easily last for hours to get back into the US.
Traffic in the US enters Mexico at the San Ysidro border crossing, the world's busiest, on June 27, 2008 in Tijuana, Mexico.
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David McNew/Getty Images
)

More than five million trucks crossed into the U.S. from Mexico last year. For drug smugglers, getting a truckload of illegal narcotics past border authorities means potentially huge profits.

More than five million trucks crossed into the U.S. from Mexico last year. For drug smugglers, getting a truckload of illegal narcotics past border authorities means potentially huge profits.

But they're often up against two levels of security: that of U.S. law enforcement, and that of private export and shipping companies. Reporter Jill Replogle from the Fronteras Desk explores how authorities and trucking companies are trying to stay ahead of smugglers.