Michigan-Canadian border: agents working to tackle drug smuggling, human trafficking & more

DETROIT (FOX 2) – You may not realize it, but U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents are constantly patrolling the Michigan-Canadian border by land and air.

“If we had these borders open, the transnational criminal organizations would exploit that quicker than you can spell fast,” said Marc Sledge, Director of Great Lakes Air and Marine Branch.

Human trafficking, drug, and gun smuggling are regularly busted at the border.

“The high THC levels of unregulated Marijuana going south through Canada. It's the guns going north into Canada. Human traffickers generally they're trying to go both ways depending on what they're being used for and who the buyers are,” said Sledge.

Last weekend, U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted a jet ski carrying Brazilian nationals crossing illegally into the U.S. from Canada near the Blue Water Bridge.

“For somebody to cross from Canada to the U.S. across the Detroit River takes seconds on the jet ski.

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Sledge says their biggest fight is putting a dent in the drug trade, specifically Fentanyl.

“Last year, we seized over 130 pounds of that. One pound is lethal enough to kill 226,000 people that's one pound. They're very clever. They're camouflaged within commercial and normal traffic,” Sledge said.

Agents are constantly working to keep the border safe.

“Nobody sits around. Everybody is doing something to protect Americans from foreign and domestic threats,” said Sledge.