By Dennis Wagner

Arizona Republic

September 24, 2010

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved a bill co-authored by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., to stiffen penalties for smugglers who use ultralight flying machines to run drugs across the border.

Under present law, the tiny planes – often built from kits – are not legally classified as aircraft, so smugglers who fly them face lesser prison terms than airplane pilots and motorists caught hauling narcotics.

The Ultralight Smuggling Prevention Act, if passed by the Senate and signed into law, would impose sentences of up to 20 years, identical to penalties for smugglers using aircraft or motor vehicles.

In House testimony, Giffords said ultralights are “the latest weapon in the ever-expanding arsenal of narco-terrorists,” with hundreds of flights each year. The U.S. Border Patrol confirmed 135 ultralight incursions during the first six months of this fiscal year.