Blog 5: Extent of drug Trafficking via FedEx and its Rivals is Unknown

It didn't surprise former U.S. Customs investigator Jamie Haase that a drug trafficker testified in federal court about cocaine sent from Mexico into the U.S.  using FedEx.  Haase said the FedEx Express world hub in Memphis, which handles about 1.5 million packages on a typical night, just doesn't have enough people, drug dogs and detection gear to catch everything.  "The sheer volume of packages that goes through there makes it a win-win for drug traffickers.” It's unclear how much narcotics traffic moves to and around the United States through air cargo carriers like FedEx and UPS, but it's thought to be a lot.  Nationally, Customs seized nearly 5 million pounds of narcotics in 2011 and 4.14 million the year before. Customs in 2010 processed nearly 334,000 flights with cargo and screened more than 57 million regular and express air waybill records. Spokesmen at FedEx and UPS, declined to discuss cargo screening aimed at rooting out contraband.  Haase said Customs officers and security personnel use sophisticated intelligence and technology tools to identify suspicious packages and set them aside for closer examination.  "The mass volume is too much to handle," he said. "They can put new procedures in place and catch what they can catch. It's going to be very minuscule, and it makes you wonder if it's going to be worth it."  According to this article, drug trafficking appears to be a major problem around the world.  Obviously, certain measures need to be taken to prevent trafficking that are not currently being taken.  According to Haase, the measures that are currently being taken are not enough, but it is unlikely that anything will be done about it because there is just not enough man power.  It may be true that there is not enough man power, but if it is also true that they have certain technology that can detect these drugs, then more of this technology needs to be produced.  It has to be taken care of somehow.  Otherwise, this illegal activity will continue to increase around the world.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/feb/19/carriers-on-alert-to-illegal-cargo/