Border trip really isn’t the best description since I didn’t get closer then 50 miles to the U.S./Mexico line, but things in Arizona have deteriorated enough that you can run into drug and/or human smuggling in most of the lower third of the state. Law enforcement is doing a better job then ever but the bad guys have matched them in both tactics and determination. As usual, I prowled around with my buddy Paul, a very experienced border vigilante. We spent 4 days 3 nights in the Ironwood Forest NM and Silver Bell Mountain area. The haulers run drugs/people up through the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation to I-10 to avoid highway checkpoints around Tucson. We’ve found that even good 4X4’s aren’t enough for moving quickly on rough desert roads where you may need to chase smugglers who will push their vehicles (often stolen) much faster than we will. So I brought this for reconnaissance and pursuit.

My Artic Cat when I bought it used:

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After my modiications: Some date stamps on pictures are wrong.

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I pulled the rear seat and installed a rack. Got a Tamarack front bag that holds a rifle. Made a mount for a Surefire IR flashlight to use with my night vision goggles so I can ride lights out at night. Disconnected the brake light and bought a seat cover. And replaced the worn stock tires with Maxim Big Horns. She was ready to chase the bad guys!

We did the usual driving around with some short and moderate hikes looking for tracks, drug stashes, haul rigs ect. Despite what some people say and believe, your chances of coming on fresh footprints, and then following and catching up with a group on foot is unlikely. Most smugglers haul ***, and to successfully track and catch a group is very tough. Many times you end up running into the bad guys by chance just from being out there, or find their routes and set up a stakeout. I hiked up the hill in the following picture one night to see if it was being used as a lookout post but found nothing. Even with NV goggles on, trying to be silent and not get ambushed made it slow tedious work. The next morning we found some tracks and a pretty fresh ski mask that the drug haulers sometimes wear. I put it on the post for the picture.

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In the past we had seen very few LE in this area. This time we ran into a bunch of BLM cops, some unidentified feds, and a mystery helicopter that buzzed us on two occasions. We always see the LEO’s in nice 4X4 rigs in the middle of the day but they don't hang out at night or early AM when the smugglers are moving. Much of the area is off limits to the Border Patrol for “political reasons”. So guess where the bad guys go?

On the third night, I climbed up on some high ground for surveillance and looked out over the Ironwood/SB/TO area. It was quiet. Just lights from the mine and the glow from metro Tucson far to the east. I was tired and said ************************************************** ************************************************** ************************************************** ************************************************** ************************************************** ************************************************** ************************************************** ************************************************** ************************************************** **********************it and rode the ATV back to where we were camped at a crossroads. Normally I sleep in my BDU’s with as much gear on as possible to be able to deploy if something happens during the night. This time I stripped down to a pair of sweat pants/shirt to hopefully get some decent sleep. I had gotten up the next morning and was taking my morning **** when a Chevy truck with 20 illegals rolled through the crossroads. Paul was already up and ran out to the road to stop them but they stomped on it and drove right past. The truck was so overloaded and in disrepair that it just gave out a pathetic sputtering as the smugglers tried to speed away. I fired up my ATV and Paul jumped on it to give chase.

Frequently they will use multiple vehicles, so I pulled my full sized truck across the road to block any other haul vehicles and slung my FAL in case they tried to ram through my ad-hoc roadblock or stopped and fought it out. I spent the next thirty minutes getting my gear on and making multiple (failed) attempts at getting a cell phone call through to BP. After I decided no more haul vehicles were coming, I loaded up my rifle, pack, and Paul’s dog into my truck and followed the ATV tracks. I didn’t have far to go.

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Paul had caught the haulers about a half mile away. The driver and 7 illegals had fled without water into the desert. The rest either stayed with the truck or gave up after Paul cowboy rounded up them with the ATV. He was just one guy trying to stop 20 so I was just happy to see he was OK. He had managed to get a call out to BP. Catching a grossly over weighted truck with the ATV had been ridiculously easy, But I'm sure it will be tougher chasing a healthier beefed up vehicle with less weight on it. There's also the danger of the smugglers turning and trying to run over the guy following them. We caught a dozen all from Meh-he-co.

Paul and BP agent with the illegals.


The group seemed almost happy to see us. They had walked for days, been treated like dirt by the smugglers, and some were sick and all were dehydrated. We gave them water. One even got comfortable on my ATV while we waited for Border Patrol.

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One of the two BP agents that responded first took off into the desert looking for some of the runners but came back empty handed. It was a 4 mile walk to the nearest houses and water and much, much further than that in all the other directions. The smugglers took the trucks keys but were nice enough to leave us the title. BP seized the truck and will probably sell it at auction, maybe to another smuggler.

We took a day of R&R plus we needed to re-supply, then we headed down to an area off of I-8 that’s a major smuggling zone to meet up with some of these guys.
http://americancivilsentinels.ning.c...ource=activity

They had just come back from a week long operation down at the fence in a place that can best be described as “spooky” and a “hills have eyes” kind of area. I felt uneasy just passing through the area in the daytime a couple years back. The ACS guys were worn down from the deployment plus the cold temperatures (12F) in that area. It was much warmer up near I-8 though. We didn’t have time to set up a decent stakeout since some of the guys arrived late and all (except me and Paul) were headed home the next day. We set up in an informal camping area that is used for drug pickup’s and also has bad guys just passing through. We were the only one’s there. A couple ACS guys were behind a probable pickup vehicle out on the highway that got spooked and took off. Right after that, Paul heard a guy come to the edge of the campground and make a really bad coyote (4 legged kind) call and was waiting for a response. Paul was the only one there and couldn’t leave, but a few of us went out looking for him when we returned a half hour later.

Paul and I staked out the area the next night but it was quiet.

Me with some trash from a group of illegals that got caught the morning we arrived. One of them must have been a Confederate at heart.

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I'll be back down on the border in the future and we're always looking for volunteers if any of you guys are interested.

 

I'm a little to far away to lend a hand. My sister lived in S. Arizona for a few years and had to go out every morning to clean up the mess. They pretty much walked right through her yard almost every night. She was afraid to go out at night because of the drug runners. She got tired of living in fear and moved. It shouldn't have to come to that... Keep up the good work.

 

You are doing fine work, keep it up. Far more Americans support what you are doing than the leftard media will ever let you know.

 

I agree, awesome job your doing out there!! I used to live in Tucson about 10 years ago and it was crazy then I cant imagine now

 

pretty cool atv there...nice job on the camo !

 

I have a few friends working the BP- When I was stationed at Camp Pendleton I had the opportunity to join the BP on more then one occasion, but was more interested in getting into the mass state police-

I've heard some crazy horror stories about that area! If I didn't live 3000 miles away with my family, I'd head down in a heart beat!

Keep up the good work!!!

 

Lets have more photos!!!!

 

Thanks for your service to our country.

 

Thanks for everything your duing for our country. Most people in the US are very supportive of what you are during, keep up the good work, and be CAREFUL!! Oh ya sweet quad!

Thanks
PAGrizz