US patrol agents find drug-launching catapult on border fence

As if Donald Trump didn’t have enough nightmares about the US-Mexico border as it is, he now has catapults to contend with. Law-enforcement officials from both sides have dismantled a ballistic device that was affixed to the fence separating both countries. The catapult was found on the Mexico side, facing the US state of Arizona, where drug traffickers were literally launching bundles of marijuana over the fence.

A picture of the catapult was released on Tuesday by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency.

It was discovered by officers on duty near the Douglas Port of Entry, located in the middle of the desert, around 180 kilometers east of Nogales (Arizona).

A press release explains that patrol officers “noticed several people on the south side quickly retreating from the fence as they approached.”

Upon inspection, the agents discovered the catapult system and found two bundles of marijuana on the ground “that weighed more than 47 pounds [21 kilograms] combined.”

American authorities contacted their Mexican counterparts, who arrived at the scene and seized the catapult.

“US Customs and Border Protection officials welcome assistance from their law-enforcement partners in Mexico,” says the release.

All experts with direct experience in border control agree that increased cooperation with Mexico is the key element that has substantially improved border security in the last 20 years.

English version by Susana Urra.