Arizona state police arrested close to 200 Mexican drug cartel smugglers and previously-deported criminal aliens during a seven day roundup south of Tucson.
Breitbart Texas has reported extensively on how the Sinaloa Cartel is able to operate with impunity in northern Mexico and continues to move large quantities of narcotics into major U.S. cities. The lack of border security by the federal government has led to some border sheriff’s stepping up their enforcement as cartel gunmen continue to roam the desert. Other Arizona border sheriffs have begun to deputize federal agents to they can prosecute their cases in state court.
This week, the Arizona Department of Public Safety announced the result of their ACTT (Alliance to Combat Transnational Threats) operation in the areas south of Tucson. The roundup was led by Arizona DPS’ Border Strike Force made up of foot and vehicle patrols aimed interdicting the routes commonly used by Mexican cartels.
According to information provided to Breitbart Texas by Arizona DPS, transnational criminal organizations (the government term for Mexican drug cartels) engage in human and narcotic smuggling in Arizona’s remote desert to avoid detection while in route to U.S. interstates and highways. Since large parts of desert areas are state parks with visitor centers, the brazenness of the cartel smugglers has resulted in damage to the historical landmarks and placed tourists at risk.
“These coordinated efforts leverage the capabilities and jurisdictional authorities of federal, state, and local law enforcement to dismantle criminal networks,” explained Frank Milstead, director of Arizona Department of Public Safety. “ACTT’s strategic approach creates an environment that denies, degrades, disrupts and dismantles the criminal elements’ ability to operate in Arizona.”
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project and you can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.
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