It is not uncommon for thieves to get away with more than $1,000.

Drug trafficking seems to have picked up in the past six months, authorities say.

Bradford has a chain hanging from his rearview mirror on which dangles the image of Jesus Malverde. The deceased Mexican bandit has taken on patron saint status for coyotes and drug smugglers — they are known to pray to him for safe passage. The trooper sometimes questions suspects in his car to gauge their reaction to the picture. A surprised look, he says, often indicates guilt.

Drug runners usually travel in pairs or alone and are not the same people who traffic in humans. Blanding police recently made several major drug busts, involving methamphetamine, marijuana and cocaine.

But on this past Labor Day, they came up empty handed.

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Contributing: Tyler Sipe

E-mail: romboy@desnews.com