The United States Border Patrol has a new asset in their search for drugs.  Their new robots, called Sentinels, go through common drug-smuggling tunnels so that Border Patrol doesn’t have to.  The tunnels are either sewer pipes or man-made tunnels.  The robots make the Border Patrol’s job much safer than before.

 The Sentinels haven’t been on the scene too long but they are already making an impact.  The robots have made multiple busts and have potentially saved the lives of many Border Patrol agents.

“If anyone is going to get hurt, it better be that robot,” said supervisory agent Tom Pittman.

The Sentinels are the size of a remote controlled car, have four wheels and have mounted cameras.  Border Patrol can control the robots by using remote controls and see what the robot sees with a monitor.  The Sentinels let the Border Patrol keep a safe distance so they won’t run into smugglers in the tunnels.

The tunnels that the Sentinels go though are all over the United States/ Mexico border.  The most recent one that was found was 481 feet long, was lit by lamps and had fans so that the air was more fresh.  In the last year, the Border Patrol had seized 2.9 million pounds of illicit drugs, mostly marijuana.  1.3 million of the 2.9 million tons of drugs were found in Arizona alone, according to the New York Times.

“At any given moment, there’s a tunnel being planned, under construction or in operation in and around this city,” said Homeland Security special agent Eric Balliet in an interview with the New York Times.

Many of these tunnels lead to very obscure places in Mexico like abandoned homes or garages that are not far from the border.  The drugs are also hidden in strange places such as washing machines or couches, according to the New York Times.

Besides the safety aspect of the Sentinels, they are also very beneficial in an economic aspect.  Border Patrol agents need to be trained, provided with gear and be paid hourly.  The Sentinels on the other hand, don’t need to be trained in any way and only cost a flat rate with occasional repair costs.

“The robots, on the other hand, need no preparation other than the flick of a switch,” said Fernanda Santos of the New York Times.

The United States government has four of these robots but only three are in use.  They have already been making busts and changing the game.  These robots are on their way to making very large impacts on the drug trade on the border and keeping these drugs of out the United States.