NEW YORK: The number of watercraft tools such as Jet Skis and WaveRunners are mostly preferred way to smuggled people illegally, drugs and also weapons in United States.
The U.S. Coast Guard has been ramping up its enforcement efforts, which seems to be having some effect.
In a three-month period in the fall of 2013, federal officials arrested 50 smugglers who were using watercraft. In the fall of last year, such apprehensions dropped to just ten.
“It’s become a routine conveyance of organized crime. Because of that, and because 50 to me is a high number, I see that as a security threat,” said Coast Guard Capt. Jonathan Spaner, who headed a campaign to fight the watercraft smuggling.
“I think our system of sensors is very good, and we’re very good at detecting when this happens,” Spaner said.
Part of the appeal of watercraft as a smuggling tool is that they are inexpensive or easy to steal, usually from San Diego rental companies. Watercraft can be rented for relatively low cost, about a $500 deposit in San Diego, the Tribune says, citing a survey it conducted of advertised fees.
The trip, like so many across U.S. borders, is fraught with danger.
“You see the sandy beaches, you see the palm trees – but just the 10 to 20-mile trip from somewhere in Mexico to here, it can be extremely hazardous,” said Lt. Commander Jason Cameron, who is captain of a Coast Guard cutter. “Once you get out of the harbor, it’s an unprotected environment.”
