Nightly News   |  July 07, 2012

New high-powered boats watch border

Heavily armed boats from Texas are now patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border along the Rio Grande. NBC's Charles Hadlock reports.

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This content comes from Closed Captioning that was broadcast along with this program.

>> gun boats patrolling the waters of the rioj grande. we got a look at the boats in action.

>> reporter: you are watching a drug smuggler trying to get away from police in south texas . the suv is loaded with what police believe is thousands of pounds of marijuana. the driver with nowhere to go splashes into the riogrande. it is a scene that is repeated day and night along the border.

>> splash down.

>> and even though the smugglers are followed by helicopters and officers on the ground. if they make it to the river, they can make their escape with waiting accomplices who use boats to hall brdrugs back to mexico. all police on the u.s. side can do is watch them paddle away. but now, texas state troopers are taking to the water with a fleet of 34 foot arm mored gun boat was automatic weapons .

>> they are automatic machine guns. the show of force is desperately needed on this narrow stretch of water.

>> they have to tall disregard for human life . they will stop at nothing to move their poison into the united states .

>> he recognizes the center of the river as the boundary.

>> our goal is to make the arrest prior to them getting back to their base.

>> for place who have seen countless drug runners swim away, it is a navy that is long overdue. texas.