A frustrated border agent can’t figure out what this man is smuggling.
Sometimes we can become so focused on one little detail that we miss the bigger picture. This can be a real issue for folks working in law enforcement, as one little detail can make or break a case. It’s not unheard of for officers to allow themselves to be led on wild goose chases as they stay focused on a suspect or piece of evidence only to learn they were on the wrong track the entire time. Such was the case for one border patrol agent who could not figure out what Juan was smuggling across the border.
Juan comes up to the Mexican border on his bicycle every day. He’s got two white bags over his shoulders.
The border agent stops him and says, “What’s in the bags?”
“Sand,” answered Juan.
The agent says, “We’ll just see about that, get off the bike!”
The agent takes the bags and rips them apart, he empties them out and finds nothing in them but sand.
He detains Juan overnight and has the sand analyzed, only to discover that there is nothing but pure sand in the bags.
He releases Juan, puts the sand into new bags, lifts them onto the man’s shoulders, and lets him cross the border.
The next day, the same thing happens. The border agent asks, “What have you got?”
“Sand,” says Juan.
The agent does his thorough examination and discovers that the bags contain nothing but sand.
He gives the sand back to Juan, and Juan crosses the border on his bicycle.
This sequence of events is repeated every day for a whole year.
Finally, Juan doesn’t show up one day.
However, the agent sees Juan in a Cantina in Mexico.
“Hey, Buddy,” says the agent as he sits next to Juan, “I know you are smuggling something.
It’s driving me crazy. It’s all I think about and I can’t sleep.
Just between you and me, what were you smuggling?”
Juan sips his beer and says, “I was smuggling bicycles.”