A program designed to expedite trucking's passage across American borders has provided a way for Mexican drug smugglers to get drugs over the border, according to the Associated Press.


The Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program (C-TPAT) involves the Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program. To participate in FAST, motor carriers must become C-TPAT certified and their drivers must undergo a background check. Carriers can get expedited clearance of their equipment, driver, and cargo - as long as it belongs to a C-TPAT importer - in addition to getting access to a lane dedicated for FAST participants.

However, the program is not playing out as the government planned, as drugs have been found in truck loads, including 13 tons of marijuana that was discovered in a three-week period last spring, the AP reported.

According to the news service, the government keeps the list of member carriers confidential, but some of the 9,500 companies prefer to publicize their membership to help their businesses. This leaves them vulnerable to and attractive to smugglers.

The participants of the C-TPAT program account for more than half of all U.S. imports, the AP says. In addition, while Mexican trucking companies account for 6 percent of the participants in the program, these companies were involved in half of the 71 security violations in the last two years.

For more information about the C-TPAT program, click here.