With recent reports showing incidents of drug smuggling along the northern border increasing, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and other northern border state senators, are urging federal authorities to deploy tried and tested military-grade radar technology to combat the illegal smuggling of drugs into the United States from Canada.

The senators urged the Departments of State and Homeland Security to deploy radar to stop drug smugglers who use small aircraft along the northern border.

Sen. Charles Schumer said, “These shocking reports make it clear that we have a long way to go when it comes to securing our northern border and keeping drugs out of New York, Fortunately, we have military-grade radar technology that has already proven effective in detecting low-flying planes that are chock full of illegal drugs and bound for the U.S. from Canada. The Department of Homeland Security and Defense Department need to work together to immediately bring these military-grade radars to the front lines in the fight to keep drugs from crossing the northern border into the U.S.”

The Government Accountability Office released a report in November 2010 signaling that “cross-border use of low-flying aircraft to smuggle drugs has been much higher than indicated by the number of drug seizures.”

In addition, a recent report from Hearst Newspapers indicates that “drug gangs ratcheted up shipments” of illegal drugs over the border during the last decade.