Illegal-immigrant smugglers give stimulants to hasten trek

While signs of nervousness aren't unusual for someone caught trying to enter the country illegally, there was something different about this man: His condition was caused by stimulants.

A smuggler had coaxed the Mexican man into popping eight stimulant pills in four hours to hasten his trip across the border, according to authorities. The recommended dose for such a pill is one within eight hours.

Border Patrol officials say they are increasingly finding illegal immigrants who have been urged to pop pills by smugglers who are concerned about getting people across the border quickly - regardless of the sometimes life-threatening consequences.

The number of illegal immigrants caught in Arizona who had taken or were carrying stimulants started surging in May, officials say.

And agents along the rest of the roughly 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border have also been finding people with these pills, said Gloria Chavez of the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection.

"It is just another desperate measure by these smugglers to entice people to cross the border illegally," Chavez said.

The pills, called triple stacks, contain caffeine, pain relievers and ephedra. Ephedra is a popular herbal stimulant for weight loss and bodybuilding and has been linked to scores of deaths. The government is building a case that could lead to banning ephedra. Border Patrol agents said the so-called stackers are sold over the counter in Mexico but are banned in the United States.

Using them can be particularly hazardous for illegal immigrants who try to cross through harsh deserts, because the pills make border crossers more susceptible to dehydration and heat stroke.

"People are being told that ephedra is OK because it is a natural herb," said Raymond Woosley, vice president for health sciences at the University of Arizona. "But there is no doubt that ephedrine-containing products cause sudden death, heatstroke and heart attacks."

Heat, exercise and a lack of water exacerbate the effects of ephedra, said Woosley, who is also a Food and Drug Administration consultant on ephedrine, ephedra's active ingredient.

Woosley and border officials suggested that an increasing number of deaths among border crossers may be linked to the increased use of stimulants.

More than 145 illegal immigrants have died during border crossings in Arizona alone since Oct. 1, the start of the federal fiscal year, according to federal figures. Some 335 illegal immigrants have died across the entire border, said Mario Villarreal of the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection.

Last fiscal year, 145 border crossers died in Arizona; 320 died along the entire border.

Border Patrol officials don't know how many of the deaths can be linked to stimulants.

They do have at least anecdotal evidence that stimulant use among border crossers is climbing.

Ron Bellavia, a commander for the Border Patrol's Search, Trauma and Rescue team, said 60 percent to 70 percent of the crossers caught since May in Arizona have been found with stimulants.

Bellavia said that's when agents started finding an increasing number of people who were walking only a mile or two before succumbing to heatstroke and dehydration. The agents discovered the stimulants when they searched them.

"The scope of the problem is more widespread than what we originally thought," Bellavia said.

Border Patrol spokesman Raul Martinez said this is a new phenomenon in the agency's San Diego sector, which covers 66 miles along the California-Mexico border. He said this is just one more brutal tactic used by smugglers.

"Their No. 1 concern is strictly monetary," Martinez said.

And immigrants won't necessarily hear warnings about ephedra.

In the United States, ephedra has been banned in professional football, college athletics and minor league baseball. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson has advised people not to take the herb.

But Chavez said smugglers will tell immigrants whatever it takes to get them to cross the border.