Three Tons of Coke

By Michael Douglas Carlin

Three vans heading north laden with cocaine driving straight for the Juarez border. It must be crazy to think they have any chance of getting through to the other side – especially since they are all traveling together. Success is unfathomable.

Corruption stops at the border. We all know about corruption on the Mexican side – America is the land of law and order – rules – laws – arrests – punishment – consequences – no gaps – no possibility of corruption. No breach of security.

The drug dealers have money – vast sums. They study the laws. They examine the rules – the procedures. They look for weaknesses. They keep records. They wait. While law enforcement creates charts and graphs inside of conference rooms, the drug dealers have their own charts, graphs, and surveillance.

They also have lists. They hang out at the racetracks and casinos and they watch. They thumb through the mail of customs agents looking for past due notices. They find out about gambling problems, divorce, or addiction. They even create a problem where it doesn’t exist. How was that border agent to know the woman he slept with was underage? How about the kid that needs an operation? A single leverage point and the slide down the slippery slope has begun.

A few agents working in tandem along with a few safety measures put in place to trigger adherence to rules and even three very well placed tons of cocaine will slide across the border without incident.

The customs agents know this as the 5^th dry run. They are happy because today they get their first payment for letting some cement slide through. They have been assured there is no risk and the next shipment will be the live “real deal”. What they could never know is the vans are not loaded today with cement - it is the real deal. The hundred-fifty grand will ease all of their burdens to make life a little easier.

At the border the additional security measure is being handled by a team of poor looking beggars armed with spray bottles and rags seeking to wash a windshield for a buck. The team of beggars descends on a car and begins washing the window. The family objects which creates commotion that distracts the family while their car is being dusted with cocaine and a small bag is placed in the cavity where gas is filled. The dogs will easily catch the scent of the cocaine residue. This family and a few other families will be grilled for hours, some will be charged with crimes, and some will serve prison sentences to eat up precious resources so that today’s cargo can get through.

Money is the grease for this machine. The hundred-fifty grand goes through first. Once it is safely in the hands of the American representing the five customs agents interests, a telephone call is placed and five beepers go off with a code and everybody knows their role and they begin to execute – they exploit the system that they all know so well.

Their job today is to keep the good, hardworking, honest, agents busy with so much work that the vans can get through.

The Federales escorted the vans from the airstrip through all of the checkpoints. It probably wasn’t necessary because the windshields had the Bengal Tiger insignia to warn all that these vans were untouchable.

As the vans approach the Zaragosa bridge a number of other vehicles fall in with them like clockwork. Horns are honked to signify the hand-off and the Federales turn off just before the point of no return. The lead car has a bundle of cash and once the car hits the customs checkpoint it is immediately waived through, the next car is held up with endless questions. The customs officer continues to ask away until his beeper goes off. He looks down then changes his tune and waives the car to Secondary for further inspection.

Secondary is where agents examine a car closely to see if there are hidden compartments where drugs are stowed. Agents tap on tires, check the gas tank and examine all of the areas where drugs are known to be hiding. Once three stations are filled the agents are all tied up.

As the next two cars come through they too are waived to Secondary for further scrutiny. All of the customs agents are either busy pounding on tires and gas tanks or shaking down innocent families. The entire border is busy with activity as the vans approach laden with drugs. Miraculously they get waived through.

So much cocaine has just passed seamlessly through the border and all it cost was a hundred-fifty thousand custom’s bribe and a few baggies of cocaine. Seems the corruption spilled over the U.S. Border. It might extend throughout the entire United States. There is simply too much money involved.

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