Drug busts at Organ Pipe

Rangers at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona say they’ve seized nearly a ton of marijuana from backpackers since Nov. 20.

Organ Pipe’s 330,000 acres include 31 miles of Sonoran Desert along the Mexico border. As scrutiny of nearby border cities has increased in recent years, the area has emerged as a favored territory of smugglers bringing drugs and people into the U.S.

After the murder of a ranger in 2002, federal officials boosted staff in the area and installed barriers to deter vehicle crossings, but foot traffic continues. The recent spate of marijuana seizures included:

* 350 pounds seized Dec. 14. Rangers say they tracked smugglers for five miles before making three arrests.

* 300 pounds in six backpacks, found Dec. 9 with help from a canine narcotics team. Rangers arrested five suspects.

* 400 pounds, carried by eight smugglers on Dec. 2. Working with Border Patrol agents on horseback and a Customs helicopter, rangers arrested the eight.

* 1,160 pounds, confiscated in three separate incidents on Nov. 20. One included the arrest of eight smugglers on foot and the discovery of 10 hidden packs holding 460 pounds of marijuana.

An Organ Pipe spokesman says that in recent years, drug seizures averaging 1,000 pounds per month have been common.

-- Christopher Reynolds