Produce truck jams worsened by security checks, fewer drivers
By ARTHUR H. ROTSTEIN
Associated Press Writer

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- Increased checks of northbound produce trucks in the Mexican interior and a lack of long-haul truck drivers on the U.S. side imperil some of the winter fruit and vegetables crop now being imported from Mexico, a trade group official said.

Backups at a series of inspection stations have added hours and even days to drivers' treks to the U.S., raising fears among importers that millions of dollars worth of produce could be damaged, said Lee Frankel, president of the Nogales-based Fresh Produce Association of the Americas.

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Cocopahs remove cover for illegal activity
BY BLAKE SCHMIDT, SUN STAFF WRITER

The Cocopah Tribe has finished a project to remove a hiding spot for drug smugglers and illegal aliens coming across the border, and to block makeshift bridges that have been used to cross the Colorado River on wheels.

"It was nastier than nasty. It was the nastiest," said Cocopah Environmental Director Tracy Register, referring to the thick brush that had sprout up around native cottonwood and willow trees, creating cover for illegal and "bandit" activity.

On Tuesday, Register peered into what now looked like an open park, after the land was cleared as part of a $50,000 project that brought the Cocopah tribe together with federal, state and local agencies to stem illegal activity at the border.

"If Border Patrol or the sheriff were responding to a call here, it would have been impossible to pursue anyone in the area," Register said.

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Border Patrol nab homicide suspect
By Blake Schmidt, SUN STAFF WRITER

Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents caught a California homicide suspect Wednesday morning after they pulled over a suspicious-looking vehicle driving on Interstate 10 near Blythe, according to a Border Patrol news release.

The unidentified suspect told them he was a Mexican national in the United States illegally, the release said.

He was taken into custody at the Blythe station, where agents routinely scanned the suspect's fingerprints by pressing them against a computer touchscreen. The computer system then ran the detainee's prints through a national database, Yuma Sector spokesman Michael Gramley said.

They found he was wanted in connection with a homicide in San Joaquin Valley, Calif.

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Border Patrol seizes 638 pounds of marijuana
From Staff Reports

Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents stopped a suspected pot-smuggling sport utility vehicle by putting a spike strip down in its path to puncture the vehicle's tires Tuesday night, according to a Border Patrol press release.

Shortly after dark, agents watched a GMC Yukon speeding from the border just south of Sentinel, the release said.

"Agents in the area saw vehicle drive past them at high rate of speed with lights off. Other agents deployed the spike strip in the driver's path," said Border Patrol spokesman Michael Gramley.

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People-smuggling ring's alleged leader is a decorated veteran, denied bail
By Louie Gilot
El Paso Times

The alleged ring leader of a people-smuggling organization is a decorated Vietman War veteran who married an undocumented immigrant, his family and his lawyer said.

Michael Lynn Price, 53, was indicted on charges of conspiracy . His lawyer, Alex Melendez, said the government had no evidence against his client.

“He was not seen on a videotape like the other guys. It’s all based on a co-defendant to whom they offered deals. They don’t have any evidence that my client was involved,” he said. Judge Mesa gave alleged members of the ring bail, but denied Price, his wife and another undocumented immigrant bail. They will have to remain in jail until the trial.

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Questions raised about tunnel found at border
By Anna Cearley
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

TIJUANA – Did U.S. authorities find a cross-border tunnel west of the San Ysidro port of entry this week, or was it just a passageway on the U.S. side that ended at a concrete barrier?

Hiram Sánchez, a high-ranking official with the Mexican Attorney General's Office, said yesterday that his office would determine the answer.

Border Patrol agents found a tunnel Monday that runs about 35 feet into the United States. On the other side of the border fence from the tunnel is a junkyard lot owned by Mexican Customs.