SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – An initiative by federal authorities in San Diego to curb the smuggling of Mexican pesticides into the United States — chemicals which the U.S. Attorney’s Office says both lack EPA approval and are hazardous to human health — has resulted in more than 50 people prosecuted to date for environmental crimes, it was announced Friday. The Border Pesticide Initiative group was formed in 2019 to combat a rise in injuries to law enforcement officers exposed to pesticides during operations aimed at taking down illegal marijuana cultivation sites. The chemicals in question require registration numbers showing they received EPA approval and importers must provide documentation in advance to allow for inspection, neither of which the U.S. Attorney’s Office says were provided by the defendants, who allegedly attempted to bring pesticides across the border at ports of entry.