# What was this detector type device being used at the border? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 26, 2009, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-detector-type-device-being-used-at-the-border/497648 "2009-05-26T03:40:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bad\_Samaritan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bad\_Samaritan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_Samaritan)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-detector-type-device-being-used-at-the-border/497648/1 "2009-05-26T03:40:28Z")
I travel to Juarez frequently for business, and of course have noticed the very obvious heightened presence of soldiers and federal police countering the drug war in the city, particularly at the border crossings. While crossing back over last Friday –I saw a device being employed on the Mexican side that I hadn’t seen on previous visits. A Mexican soldier had a black cylinder, about 3” in diameter and 10-12” long, with about a 16” long antenna coming out of one end perpendicular to the cylinder. The soldier would hold it in front of his chest, cylinder axis vertical, with the antenna pointing out in front of him, and walk along the line of cars. It looked like it had a couple of red LED’s on the top end, and maybe the antenna could swing left to right. I saw him single out a few cars for inspection but couldn’t see if the LED’s lit up or the antenna swung towards a specific area. I assume this is a drug/gun detector of some type. Anyone know? One of the vehicles that was targeted for inspection apparently was clean because it got back in line next to me. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-detector-type-device-being-used-at-the-border/497648/2 "2009-05-26T03:46:49Z")
Was the ‘antenna’ solid? Or was it a tubular probe attached to the cylinder? If it was a tube, here’s a WAG: It was a detector for explosives (picking up trace elements in the air) or CO[sub]2[/sub] (looking for stowaways). ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_Samaritan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bad\_Samaritan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_Samaritan)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-detector-type-device-being-used-at-the-border/497648/3 "2009-05-26T04:32:52Z")
Uh, it looked your typical telescoping antenna used on rabbit ears, transistor radios, etc. and was about the same diameter. I guess it might have had a hole in the end had it pointed directly at my car so I could see. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-detector-type-device-being-used-at-the-border/497648/4 "2009-05-26T06:12:02Z")
I’m thinking it’s a “molecular detector”: [http://sniffexquestions.blogspot.com/](http://sniffexquestions.blogspot.com/) This sort of thing is popular with your more gullible law enforcement agencies. They don’t work, but folks really want it to be real. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_Samaritan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bad\_Samaritan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_Samaritan)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-detector-type-device-being-used-at-the-border/497648/5 "2009-05-27T00:36:20Z")
That’s what it was. At least they’re making some kind of effort, even if it doesn’t work worth a damn. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-detector-type-device-being-used-at-the-border/497648/6 "2009-05-27T06:04:39Z")
Bah, everyone knows that if you want to find explosives, you use [trained bees](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1986769.stm). ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-detector-type-device-being-used-at-the-border/497648/7 "2009-05-27T06:35:32Z")
> [@](#): > > I travel to Juarez frequently for business Business huh? :dubious: I know a few people that travel to Juarez on business also. The business of getting shitfaced. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Techowiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Techowiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Techowiz)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-detector-type-device-being-used-at-the-border/497648/8 "2009-06-02T23:42:24Z")
Hi Bad Samaratin, The equipment you saw was a complete phoney, it is simply a stick on a swivel sold to the corrupt and gullible for many thousands of $$$$ Drug smugglers and the like have no fear of this joke equipment, it would fail to indicate 1,000k of coke right in front of it. regards