Drugs were coming over no matter what, NAFTA did not create a drug traffic that did not already exist. Drugs are coming in by boat, truck, car, plane...you name it. The cartels moved the shipments out of Mexico to other countries with less scrutiny. Puerto Rico was the entry of choice for a long time, Canada, U.S. Virgin Islands, anything to get it into a U.S. territory to then avoid customs in the mainland.
Pffff.... Ocho.... cars, boats, airplanes.... that is spare change. It comes in by rail and on semi's.
90% of the illegal drugs entering this country cross a US/Mexico port of entry. Some argue that number is a bit high, but its close enough.
A quick search turns up this npr interview...
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MARTIN: So we thought that we would use this opportunity to ask, how do illegal drugs enter the U.S.? And what, if anything, can be done to stop it? To help us answer this question, we've called Gil Kerlikowske. He knows both the border and the problem of illegal drug trafficking well because he was director of U.S. Customs and Border Protection from 2014 to 2017. And before that, from 2009 to 2014, he ran the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy - so a highly relevant experience. And he's with us now.
Mr. Kerlikowske, welcome back to the program. Thanks for joining us.
GIL KERLIKOWSKE: And thank you.
MARTIN: So, first of all, just walk me through it. How do most illegal drugs enter the U.S.?
KERLIKOWSKE: So the drugs that are actually taking the lives of people here in the United States - methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, fentanyl - almost universally come through the ports of entry along the southern border - so that is people that carry them on their bodies or even in their bodies or cars or vehicles. And then the second way is through the international postal mail service.
MARTIN: And when you say most, what do you mean? Like, 50 percent, 60 percent, 90 percent?
KERLIKOWSKE: Oh, well over 90 percent. People don't backpack or try to sneak those drugs across the border between the ports of entry because, one, they could be caught by the Border Patrol. Number two, they don't really trust those people to do that. So it's much better for them to have somebody that is taking the drugs through a port of entry where they're met on the other side of the port here in the United States, and those drugs are immediately taken.