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Drug couriers are individuals that use a variety of means to transport illegal drugs, typically across state borders, such as the Mexican-American border. These people are recruited by many different means, and are not always fully aware of what they’re doing. Still, drug couriers are caught everyday by American or Mexican authorities and face serious penalties and jail time.
1. Newspaper Ads
In the past, newspaper ads have been used in Mexico to recruit drug couriers. For obvious reasons, the smugglers keep the details out of these ads, simply advertising jobs for people who will drive “company cars” across the border. A variety of different ads recruited people for roles as cashiers, house cleaners, and security guards, with only a passing mention of the need to drive cars across the border legally.
2. Social Media
More recently, in 2019, Facebook ads were used to recruit drug couriers in Mexico. Two American citizens were caught smuggling large quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine across the border, and admitted to being recruited via Facebook ads that offered “an opportunity to make money.”
One of these people, Saul Leal, was contacted by a person who claimed to be selling “candy and wallets” in America, and was given a car. Then, under the premise of bringing legal items into the US, the vehicle was stuffed with illegal drugs.
3. Word-Of-Mouth
In some cases, drug couriers are recruited by friends, family members, gang members, or others who are already involved in the drug trade. They are not always provided with the full details of exactly what they will be doing – and are promised easy money for transporting items across the border. In an incident that occurred in Chula Vista, a high school student recruited multiple friends to smuggle drugs across the US-Mexico border.
4. Coercion And Threats
In some cases, drug couriers are people who are in trouble with gangs, drug traffickers, and other individuals involved in the drug trade. In these cases, they may be fully aware of what they are doing, but are being threatened with bodily or financial harm, or are being coerced into drug trafficking in some other way.
Accused Of A Crime? Contact A San Diego Drug Trafficking Attorney
Our experienced drug trafficking attorneys in San Diego are standing by to help individuals accused of crimes protect their rights and obtain the best possible outcome for their case. Being accused of a drug crime is extremely serious, and can result in very high monetary fines and decades of jail time, in some cases.
So don’t risk working with anything less than the best. At the Law Office of Elliott Kanter, our team is standing by to assist you. Contact us online or call today at (619) 639-9687 to get the help from a drug trafficking lawyer in San Diego right away.
