Pubdate: Fri, 21 Mar 2014
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Copyright: 2014 Los Angeles Times
Contact:  http://www.latimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/248
Author: Richard Marosi
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

STATE IS METH'S PORTAL TO U.S.

Most of the Drug's Supply Is Smuggled Across the Border into 
California, Report Says.

California has emerged as the major gateway for methamphetamine into 
the country, with Mexican organized crime groups smuggling an 
estimated 70% of the U.S. supply through state border crossings, 
according to a report released Thursday by state Atty. Gen. Kamala D. Harris.

The 98-page report on trends in transnational organized crime also 
cites maritime smuggling, money laundering and criminal alliances 
between Mexican drug cartels and Southern California gangs as growing 
public safety threats.

The report's release comes at a time of severe budget cuts at the 
state Department of Justice. In 2012, the Bureau of Narcotics 
Enforcement was shuttered, dropping the number of state-led drug task 
forces from 55 in 2011 to 17 in 2013. More than 60 agents were laid 
off, according to state officials.

The report - "Gangs Beyond Borders: California and the Fight Against 
Transnational Organized Crime" - calls for more funding and for the 
passage of tougher laws, modeled on federal laws, that target 
organized crime groups.

Federal agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration 
spearhead most anti-drug enforcement operations at the border, but 
state and local agencies have provided key support in recent years.

"State and local law enforcement officers are on the front lines of 
this fight every day," Harris said. "Our response must include 
sustained funding for their work and strong coordination at all 
levels of government."

One of the report's major findings involves the surge of 
methamphetamine smuggling across the California-Mexico border. The 
amount seized at the San Diego ports of entry tripled between 2009 
and 2013, to more than 6,000 kilos, or 13,200 pounds. By comparison, 
about 1,000 kilos, or 2,200 pounds, were seized at border crossings 
in South Texas in 2013.

California's sharp increase is probably related to the rise of the 
Sinaloa drug cartel as the dominant organized crime group in Baja 
California, according to the report. The organization imports the 
precursor chemicals from China and India, refines the drug at 
superlabs in Mexico, then ships it across in vehicles into San Diego.

With many other Mexican border regions still plagued with cartel 
violence, Baja California provides a relatively tranquil staging area 
for Sinaloa-affiliated traffickers to move their drugs.

"They are the strongest players in Mexico right now and their 
trafficking routes come through California," said Ami Carpenter, an 
assistant professor at the University of San Diego who contributed 
research to the report.

In a worrisome trend, state officials said that in some cases the 
drug is being further refined in labs in rural areas of California.

The report also calls for the creation of a multi-agency task force 
to stem the sharp increase in maritime smuggling. Using small but 
swift panga boats, Mexican smugglers in recent years have been taking 
to the seas to smuggle mostly marijuana onto California beaches.

Marijuana seizures from pangas increased from 3,800 pounds in 2008 to 
120,000 pounds in 2012, according to the report. Most landings are on 
Southern California beaches, but some smugglers have reached as far 
north as Santa Cruz County, where two boats carrying marijuana were 
discovered last year.

In an effort to improve cross-border cooperation, Harris next week 
will lead a delegation of state attorneys general to Mexico City. The 
delegation is scheduled to meet with several highranking Mexican law 
enforcement officials, including the state attorney general of Baja California.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom