Lead is banned in many states from being used for tire balancing. Not internal tire-balancing beads that are used on some 4x4 tires. Some ingenious Mexican's have found an all-natural alternate: 137 pounds of a particular herb.My wife was recently interviewed as part of a background check for a neighbor that was applying for a job with the U.S. Border Patrol. According to National Defense magazine, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) aims to increase the number of border personnel to 20,000 by September. This is up from 12,000 in 2006. The objective was initiated two years ago by former President George W. Bush to inhibit cross-border smuggling and border jumping. Read more about this particular bust here.
For extra reading - check out "The 7 Most Ingenious (And Insane) Smuggling Techniques" article
at digg.com. The "Human Captain's Chair" was my favorite. My least favorite was the "Cocaine Jesus" - a seven-pound molded statue in the shape of an idol. The elderly Mexican woman was paid $80 to transport the statue across the border. Estimated street value - $200,000.