Members of the Tucson, Ariz., area Tohono O'odham tribe are deeply involved in the region's drug smuggling operations, with more than 190,000 pounds of marijuana seized on the tribe's reservation last year, the Los Angeles Times reported Jan. 22.

DEA officials say that about 20 percent of all the marijuana moving into Arizona each year crosses the border from Mexico and onto the Tohono O'odham reservation. Many young tribal members have gotten involved in the drug trade, said DEA official Anthony Coulson; despite operating a Tucson casino, half of the Tohono tribe lives below the poverty line, making the cash associated with the drug trade very tempting. Even some children of prominent tribal leaders have been caught smuggling marijuana.

The 70-mile border between Mexico and the Tohono reservation is virtually unguarded, making it a magnet for smugglers and illegal immigrants. But the drugs have done little to improve the Tohonos' lot. "There's little collective wealth from drugs in evidence on the reservation," Coulson said. "Drug running is not enough to get the Tohono out of poverty -- but just enough to kill them."