New Trend in Drug Smuggling: Juvenile 'Mules' Who are U.S. Citizens

Five teenagers have recently been arrested with narcotics strapped to their bodies in what authorities are calling a new trend in drug smuggling along the border.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested the teenagers, all U.S. citizens, on Thursday and Friday at the San Ysidro and Calexico ports of entry. Agents seized roughly 17 pounds of marijuana and just over a pound of brown heroin, worth an estimated $38,000, officials said.

On Thursday morning, a 16-year-old boy from Chula Vista wearing a sweater on a warm day caught the attention of officers at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Officers checked him and found packages with almost three pounds of marijuana taped to the back of his thighs and around his legs, official said.

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