Security & Strategic Review - April 2013 (ISSN 1741-4202)

The number of US nationals caught trafficking drugs across the border has increased threefold between 2005 and 2011. That is the headline conclusion of research conducted by the California-based Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) which was published in late March. Though the report claims that these cases account for a large majority of the drug-trafficking busts, the data provided is inconclusive in this respect. Another claim — that the US Border Patrol (USBP) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have been playing down the role of US nationals — does seem proven, with caveats.