Ariz. Sheriff Asks for More Federal Help Against Drug Smuggling

PHOENIX -- An Arizona sheriff is seeking more federal help to combat drug smuggling between Tucson and Phoenix.

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu says his repeated calls for thousands of federal troops is falling on deaf ears. Babeu is also hoping to persuade officials in his own county that more money is needed to help his department set up an anti-smuggling unit.

Babeu's problems were highlighted by an incident in July. He says residents of Arizona City south of Phoenix reported a spotter for smugglers living in a mountain cave. The U.S. Border Patrol ultimately arrested him and deported him as an illegal immigrant.

Babeu says an announcement by President Barack Obama that he's deploying more than a thousand National Guard troops to four border states isn't enough.