US Customs and Border Protection

US Customs and Border Protection is the largest law enforcement agency in the United States. There are more than 46,000 sworn federal agents and officers operating at 328 ports of entry throughout the country. CBP officers and agents primary mission is to prevent terrorists and any type of terrorist weapons from entering into the United States. CBP is also responsible for protection our borders from any and all individuals, drugs and other contraband trying to enter our borders illegally. On any typical day CBP welcomes nearly 1 million visitors, screens more than 67,000 cargo containers, and arrests more than 1,100 individuals and seizes nearly 6 tons of illicit drugs. Under the authority granted by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), as amended, a CBP officer may question, under oath, any person coming into the United States to determine his or her admissibility. A CBP Officer also has authority to search without warrant the person and effects of any person seeking admission, when there is reason to believe that grounds of exclusion exist.

CBP officer have to have constant up to date training and always have their eye open to detect anything that might be considered suspicious. Drugs smugglers are using new and different techniques to try to smuggle drugs across the US border. One new technique drug smugglers are using are hidden compartments, any hidden compartments can vary in size and complexity. Some are designed to hold a single handgun while others can contain hundreds of pounds of drugs. A hidden compartment is covered by a lid or built as a drawer. The lid or drawer is powered open by an electronic or pneumatic motor that can be triggered by activating a complex series of switches, such as turn signals, power windows, or the defroster. Another method is by the use of underground tunnels, there have been nearly 170 tunnels found nationwide since 1990, most along the Arizona and California border with Mexico. The tunnel construction ranges from