BajaNomad

83-Year-Old Retiree Woman Charged With Drug Smuggling At Border

BajaNews - 10-8-2006 at 09:29 PM

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7005104049

October 7, 2006
Russell McSpadden

Phoenix, AZ (AHN) - U.S. border agents arrested an 83-year-old U.S. citizen on Thursday as she entered California across the Mexican border on drug charges. Officials report that she is being held for suspicion of smuggling 10 pounds of methamphetamine found strapped to her body.

The woman, a retiree, along with two Mexican nationals were stopped in their car at a U.S. border crossing in San Ysidro, California, just north of Tijuana, Mexico.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson Angelica De Cima, the methamphetamines were found strapped to the elderly woman and a 40-year-old Mexican woman. The driver of the automobile, a 22-year-old Mexican man, was also arrested.

In a telephone interview conducted by Reuters, De Cima explained, "It's very unusual for us to arrest such an elderly smuggler, but it's not unique. We are catching more drugs at the port and so the Mexican cartels are using more creative techniques to try and get away with it."

The ingredients used to manufacture the stimulant Methamphetamine are highly regulated in the U.S. The drug is therefore prepared in large quantities in Tijuana and smuggled north to California.

De Cima remarked that the frequency of drug seizures, especially methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin, had increased by 25 percent at the San Ysidro crossing along in the past year.

Surprised?

bigzaggin - 10-8-2006 at 11:28 PM

I'm not. Most of the octagenarians I know are RAGING meth-heads. It's a well documented fact: Senior citizens do TONS of crystal (it has replaced coke as their drug of choice) and are often lured south of the border by the promise of cheap meth en masse. A border agent friend of mine said the past year has seen a 20% spike in the number of 70+year olds busted with big-time quantities of the stuff and that the TJ cartels are increasingly targeting that demo with their new ad campaign "Dé Vuelta Detrás Al Reloj Con CRISTAL!" ("turn back the clock with crystal"). Very sad.

jerry - 10-9-2006 at 01:10 AM

no problem when the clock stops ticking its over

chino - 10-9-2006 at 07:08 AM

Proof that the SS is not enough?,I'd prefer Alpo!

backninedan - 10-9-2006 at 07:28 AM

Alpo is to hard to keep lit

wornout - 10-9-2006 at 08:16 AM

Not hard to figure out this one, Social Security averages 25 - 40 dollas a day for the retiree. I just read it is costing the state of California 65 a day to house an inmate. So, alpo and freedom and pay for everything or jail, room and board, medicine, might not be a bad choice for someone over 80 who should have seen and done it all by then.

Living on Social Security

MrBillM - 10-9-2006 at 09:41 AM

Those retirees who are having a difficult time living on Social Security alone are people who didn't have a very successful working career. Those who earned enough to draw the upper limits of Social Security are receiving enough to live in comfort if they use prudence

Social Security was never meant to be the primary source of retirement income. It was to be only a supplement to keep those remaining alive above poverty. It's also worth noting that, when the age for eligibility was established, it was set at ten years above the average lifespan at the time. If that had been adjusted periodically, the threshold today would be around 75 or higher.