U.S. authorities are seizing significantly more illicit money and guns along the Mexican border.
Three federal agencies that police the border announced Tuesday in San Diego that $40 million in Mexico-bound cash was seized on the southwest border from mid-March through September. That is nearly double the amount from the same period in 2008.
The agencies said officers also seized nearly 600 illegal weapons headed for Mexico, up more than 50 percent from last fiscal year.
The announcement came as top federal immigration officials discussed ways to curb the flow of weapons and drug sale profits into Mexico from the United States. The conference includes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement , U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The increases are due in part to the fact that inspections of southbound vehicles have increased dramatically during the last year.
