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Do drug smugglers have better surveillance?

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    Fmr. U.S. Customs special agent Terry Kirkpatrick explains

  • Duration 4:24
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And security issues at the Mexican border heat up concerned that drug cartels are gaining the upper hand.

Our next -- -- smugglers have better surveillance than our own border agents and building a fence won't make much of a difference at all.

Jamie now -- former special agent the United States Customs Service and author of sixty miles of border -- -- pack.

Good morning Terry.

Good morning Gretchen how are you today I'm doing just fine so glad I didn't think you could hear me for a moment.

I you saw this firsthand for twenty years on the border what do you mean about the fact that the other guys have the upper hand on us.

Well.

The drug businesses -- a multi billion dollar business and they have the ability to buy a any can of surveillance equipment airplanes vehicles armored vehicles.

Guns night vision goggles you name meant they had the ability to purchases.

Like the American agents and have standard budget every year.

Okay so even though the taxpayers are funding that she would think that America would be on the top of the game in fighting this but you say no to that in fact you would trust informants right.

And what would they end up doing -- potentially.

Well informants are the key to working in -- -- major.

Cartel operation you have to infiltrate that cartel.

Soul you're sort of dancing with the double by hard these informants but sometimes.

They'll give you information and take whatever they're gaining from you back to the cartel and that timetable set you up for a hit if you're not careful so you actually -- a hit out on you tell me that story.

I've had probably multiple death threats and now.

In one instance an informant gave me information about a specific stash house that was smuggling and now.

Probably two to three times out of it almost nightly.

And so I went in on foot to try to take a look to see where this house was and the informant was the only one that.

They tell me specifically the directions and of course.

Thirty yards out from the house was just hit -- -- -- bulletin.

Luckily enough to hit the ground before I got hit.

And so us a quick lesson learned never trust an informant ever.

Now the unbelievable amount of tunnels that we have seen I mean it's still amazes me every time we show video of yet another one just last week.

We showed one that was six feet high I forget how many football fields long I think three air conditioned.

I mean how how do we continue to compact this Terry if we're talking about -- offense on the top of the ground and they continue to dig underneath.

Well let's just -- I don't think Homeland Security realizes that no matter how tall that fences they put above the ground there -- coming flyover.

Or in this case are actually four different tunnels discovered last week -- the one you're -- to was like 240 yards long.

And there's been others that have been.

3400 yards long and now.

And just the last four years over seventy tunnels discovered along the border in four years alone what's the answer.

You know I don't know if there is an answer as far as the fans in the border.

The war on drugs I don't think is really ever existed it was just a coin phrase back in the time.

I think the resulting deal would be to take a look at the American people on their desire to use of drugs and now we have to just -- houses and other prohibition era where we go on with this thing.

So quickly before -- let -- -- Terry I know that you made -- -- a comparison between the and I I Iran Contra.

Situation and fast and furious which is a controversy were dealing with right now what's a comparison.

Well the comparison is it just seems to be one cover up after another complete denial by the administration.

Even ATF -- no we didn't release guns we get all the gun dealer commercial land now.

Yeah they told us to do multiple sales to these straw purchasers.

And so it's just seems to be a cover up how high -- -- -- I'm not sure but it sure does resemble Iran Contra affair.

-- -- -- a former special agent with the United States Customs Service he did it for twenty years.

He knows all the details and now he's chronicled them in a new book sixty miles of border.

Terry thanks so much for your time good luck with the book.

Thank -- -- appreciate -- on.

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