Yevgeny Safronov and the four tourists landed in Los Angeles on a 70-degree dream of a day last May. They were Czechs, Slovaks, and Russians, here on vacation. It was a holiday, so the banks and much of government had closed, but not all of it. For at least six months investigators in federal agencies that watch the nation's wild lands, its fauna and flora, had also kept eyes on these five foreigners, who would soon drive into the desert, where undercover agents would be waiting. The flight from Moscow had lasted 12 hours. Safronov and the others left their seats, then applied for entry into the U.S. The investigation began when an agent in Denver found a European website advertising a trip. Written in Slovak, the blog post read: "Already this summer, I began to have 'cold turkey'––I have not been in the U.S. since last June." The post was written by the trip's organizer and the site's host, Igor Drab, who had planned a camping tour of state and national parks across the American Southwest, starting and ending in Los Angeles. "If anyone among you is interested to join," Drab wrote, "you must do so as soon as… Read full this story
- Even the Cactus May Not Be Safe From Climate Change
- Victor LaValle’s Latest Mixes Horror With a History of the West
- On the Border, Police Chase Smugglers. The Migrant Body Count Is Getting Higher.
- March Madness: Brackets busted! Top teams fall before Day 2
- Simone Leigh, in the World
- Texas sheriff tells Congress county 'under siege' as department shares migrant smuggling cases
- Full transcript of "Face the Nation," March 26, 2023
- Thieves steal 27 public defibrillators in Bangkok, Thailand
- 23 bold predictions for 2023 MLB season: MVP upset, traded aces, 'quiet' year for Aaron Judge and much more
- The Tick That Causes a Meat Allergy Is on the Move
Busting Cactus Smugglers in the American West have 318 words, post on www.theatlantic.com at February 22, 2016. This is cached page on Vietnam Colors. If you want remove this page, please contact us.