Texas hold'em initiative

[txholdem]

(DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY DOCUMENTS AND PUBLICATIONS/ContentWorks via COMTEX)
Laredo, Texas -- Commercial truckers driving into and out of Laredo, Texas now have a couple of reminders that they should not gamble with their livelihoods by hauling illegal aliens or drugs.
Two billboards were erected today along Interstate Highway 35 as part of Laredo Sector Border Patrol's effort to make truckers aware of the Texas Hold 'Em initiative. One of the billboards is located at the junction of I-35 and Loop 20. It is visible to northbound traffic. The other billboard, which targets southbound drivers, is located north of Cotulla.
Both of the signs carry the blunt message behind the initiative: "Smuggle Aliens... Smuggle Drugs... Lose Your Commercial Driver's License in Texas."
Laredo Sector Chief Patrol Agent Carlos X. Carrillo led the effort to unite several federal and state agencies to establish the program that uses existing state laws to revoke the Commercial Driver's Licenses of truck drivers who are convicted of federal charges for smuggling people or drugs. Working through the Texas Department of Public Safety Driver License Division, the program will revoke the commercial license of any driver convicted of felony smuggling transportation charges regardless of the state of issuance of the license. The initiative was announced June 19 by Texas Gov. Richard Perry during a press conference that also included the chiefs of the Border Patrol's five Texas sectors.
During the current fiscal year which began on October 1, 2007, Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents have intercepted 240 commercial tractor trailers attempting to smuggle aliens or drugs. These cases have resulted in the rescue of 1,309 smuggled aliens, the seizure of 56,359 pounds of marijuana and the seizure of 1,483 pounds of cocaine.
To report suspicious activity such as drug and/or alien smuggling, contact the Laredo Sector Border Patrol toll free telephone number at 1-800-343-1994.

[necie67]

This reminds me of a true story. My ex, and one of his friends were following each other through the CA check point. When they asked his friend what he was hauling, he jokingly said "POT" He got pulled immediatly and he and his truck were searched from top to bottom, and his cargo unloaded and checked.
My ex later asked his friend what happened, and needless to say he never joked around with CA again!

[vwaggs]

Truckers caught smuggling could lose licenses under new "Texas Hold 'Em" initiative | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Texas Politics | The Dallas Morning News

Truckers caught smuggling could lose licenses under new "Texas Hold 'Em" initiative

03:30 PM CDT on Thursday, June 19, 2008
By KAREN BROOKS / The Dallas Morning News
kmbrooks@dallasnews.com

AUSTIN — Truckers who get caught smuggling illegal immigrants or drugs through Texas will lose their commercial driver’s licenses under a new enforcement program announced today by Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

The “Texas Hold ‘Em” initiative relies on a 10-year-old state administrative law and some federal statutes on revoking commercial licenses for smuggling crimes. The governor said those laws hadn’t been used in the past for federal cases due to a lack of communication between federal and state agencies.

Officials from the U.S. Border Patrol say they’ve seen a rise in the use of trucks – a longtime favorite of smugglers – to bring contraband through Texas and into the rest of the country. They hope to use the new enforcement effort as another tool to deter smuggling.

The law applies to any driver licensed in any state, officials

[Cerberus_Kelpie]

Is the Border Patrol Agency going to hire about (place number here) more Agents to fully enforce the "Texas Hold-Em" Laws??
Not every Combo is searched whilst crossing the Border(s) from Mex. to Tex. as this would require an enormous amount of Agents and would verily back up the transition to the States or State.
1 way to curtail smuggling is to deftly eliminate the Coyotes when apprehended since like Las Vegas, NV., there is plenty of desert to hide the evidence.

Regarding the POT story:
If one were to tell the B. P. folk that one IS NOT a U. S. Citizen, one would as well verily acquire attention one wasn't otherwise seeking.
I used to carry my current Passport yet none of the Border folk ever saw it.
It was thought by me to be a good idea yet in actuality it would have been perceived as sarcasm and our gubmint folk don't have a reverence for sarcasm.