serve a deterrent. as the drug cartels get more brazen, the law enforcement has to be one step ahead of the game. the vessels are equipped with bulletproof shield to fully automatic machine guns that can fire up 900 rounds a minute. it for important for us to be armed better than they are. they have to be. the border, the vast majority is with the lone star state. it s unique terrain compared to california, arizona. we have 1250 miles of boarder with mexico, all of which there is water in between. because of the remoteness, they are unable to put put fences in places and unable to cover vast remoteness. this is another asset to be in remote areas.
homeland. the people we go up against with the drug cartels they have unlimited monies. they have unlimited firepower. reporter: but these new 34-foot boats boasting 900 horse power, should help serve as a deterrent. s as drug cartels on the mexican side get more and more brazen law enforcement has to be one step ahead of the game. that s why these vessels are equipped with everything from bulletproof shields and fully automatic machine guns that can fire 900 rounds a minute. it is very important for us to be armed better than they are. reporter: those things are fast. soon there will be six of those interceptors out patrolling the waters at a price tag of $580,000 apiece, money that came from grants through the department of homeland security and also the texas legislature. jenna? jenna: casey stiegel in texas today. casey, thank you. reporter: yep. jon: a new york judge orders
full of drugs and try to float them across. the texas department of public safety telling us this is clear evidence that the violent drug war in mexico that has killed some 56,000 people since 2007 is in our backyards and the cartels are no longer trying to hide it. we re out here. parked along the side. this is continual process. that correct. you have to stay ahead of curve? we re trying to stay ahead of the game. these marine intercepters staying ahead of game. 900 horsepower, fully automatic machine guns, bulletproof panels and 34 feet long, it s to intimidate the bad guys but also be in a position to fight back. in addition to the riogrande those six new boats will be used on the intracoastal water way
the line of duty. the rio grande is a hotbed of activity for these cartels. it s the only thing separating the lone star state from mexico in many areas. illegal immigrants try to swim across. drugs are moved on rafts and it s common for officers who come out of fire. our own fox news crew saw what was going on down here just last week. there are vans parked along the side. this is a continual process. we are trying to stay ahead of the game. these marine intercepter toes are helping stay ahead of the game. 900 horse power, fully automatic machine guns and 34 feet long. the key is to intimidate the bad guy by their sheer presence and
shares with mexico. now dps has a new tool in its arsenal to help battle these cartels. support vehicle on the south side. reporter: the rio grande river in south texas, places only a few hundred feet of water separates mexico from the u.s. it is very rough down here and that is putting it lightly. at gunpoint and three rafts. reporter: almost every single day the smugglers try to use the river to move drugs, weapons and people into our homeland. people we go up against with the drug cartels they have unlimited monies. they have unlimited firepower. reporter: but these new 34-foot boats boasting 900 horse power, should help serve as a deterrent. as the drinking cartels on the mexican side get more and more brazen, law enforcement has to be one step ahead of the game. that s why these vessels are equipped with everything from bullet-proof shields and fullly automatic machine