CBP Announces Fiscal Year 2009 Achievements for Southern California Ports of Entry

(Wednesday, November 25, 2009)

San Diego — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers conducting security operations at California’s ports of entry with Mexico performed almost 66 million inspections of travelers, seized almost 145 tons of illegal narcotics and apprehended more than 42,000 immigration violators during federal fiscal year 2009.

CBP’s field office in San Diego manages the work of more than 1,800 front-line federal officers and agriculture specialists at passenger and commercial border stations at San Ysidro, Otay Mesa, Tecate, Calexico, Andrade and the San Diego air and sea ports of entry.

During the fiscal year, which ended September 30, CBP officers at ports in San Diego and Imperial counties inspected almost 27 million passenger vehicles, more than 1 million trucks, almost 114,000 buses, and slightly more than 14 million pedestrians entering the U.S.

The total amount of narcotics seized during the year at California’s six ports of entry with Mexico increased 20 percent compared to the previous period. Marijuana seizures increased 21 percent to 277,542 pounds; cocaine seizures decreased 13 percent to 7,906 pounds; heroin seizures increased 51 percent to 619 pounds; and methamphetamine confiscations increased 82 percent to 3,693 pounds.

The focused enforcement efforts by California’s border ports accounted for 40 percent of the marijuana, 13 percent of the cocaine, 34 percent of the heroin and 71 percent of the methamphetamine seized at ports of entry nationwide.

Seizures of unreported currency departing the country grew 108 percent to $1,460,602.

The apprehension of individuals with outstanding felony warrants for such crimes as homicide, robbery and assault by local, state or federal police agencies remained similar to last year’s numbers: 1,925 this fiscal year compared to 1,996 arrests during the same period last year.

CBP agriculture specialists performed 8,019,823 agricultural inspections in the passenger environment and 41,094 inspections in the cargo environment. These inspections resulted in 76,153 seizures of prohibited plant materials, meat, or animal products and finding 911 cargo shipments that did not meet the U.S. entry requirements, causing the shipments to either be sent back, treated, or destroyed.

“These impressive results should be credited to the men and women serving on the front lines at our ports of entry,” said Paul Morris, director of Field Operations for CBP in San Diego. “Their daily efforts and the significant level of law enforcement and stakeholder partnerships, both in Mexico and the U.S., enhance our effectiveness and efficiency in helping secure our nation’s borders while facilitating the flow of legitimate travel and trade.”

	FY2008	FY2009	Percent Change
Marijuana (lbs.)	228,923	277,542	+ 21%
Cocaine (lbs.)	9,106	7,906	- 13%
Heroin (lbs.)	409	617	+ 51%
Methamphetamine (lbs.)	2,029	3,693	+ 82%
Wanted Fugitives Arrested	1,996	1,925	- 3%
Inadmissible Aliens	47,170	42,269	- 10%

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

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