AZMEX EXTRA 27 DEC 2015
Note: Be sure to clear your inboxes for the coming email deluge after Jan. 1st
Note: Could be interesting to know where all that ordinance came from? Unknown if grenades and other ordinance were live or deactivated. Mexican Army knows. Any helpful attaches?
A massive disarmament; from pistols to rocket launchers
In exchange for money, they have delivered nearly 22,000 pieces to exchange modules from 2012 to December 16, 2015
27/12/2015 8:07 GEORGINA OLSON
1/7
EXHIBITION. Sculptures made from weapons surrendered as part of the program of voluntary disarmament.
July 1
MEXICO CITY.
http://www.excelsior.com.mx/comunidad/2015/12/27/1065468
In three years of the program for your family, voluntary disarmament, the authorities have received 21,877 weapons at the exchange modules, including AK-47, AR-15, rocket launcher and even grenades, which are destroyed by members of the Secretariat National Defense.
"It was a program approach to nonviolence, coexistence, peace, and in specific areas such as Iztapalapa, Gustavo A. Madero, Cuauh-temoc Venustiano Carranza and people go almost massively to surrender their weapons" told Excelsior, Jorge Medellin contributor Por Tu Familia program, voluntary disarmament and responsible for their social networksDesarmeCDMX.
Medellin recalls that in late 2012, at the Iztapalapa delegation arrived rocket launchers, mortars shells of 60 and 81mm, automatic rifles and grenades.
It was precisely there, in Iztapalapa, where the need to initiate this program arose from the death of the child Hendrik Quaquas , 12, which occurred in November 2012- and who received a bullet in the head while in the a cinema room at Plaza Ermita, a stray bullet that caused his death.
Then the Ministry of Social Development of the Federal District, together with the local Public Security secretariats (SSPDF) and National Defense (SEDENA) launched this touring program that runs the 16 delegations each year, where people surrender their weapons in return for money and they are destroyed.
In counting this year until December 16, 5,433 guns, of these, 1,481 were rifles, 3,612 handguns, 335 grenades and five weapons classified as "other" were delivered.
In the last month, in which the exchange module started Cuauhtemoc, in the atrium of the Cathedral, received 364 rifles, 338 handguns, 115 grenades and 4,226 cartridges.
Geography
Those who have participated in the program from the beginning, like Medellin, have noted that each area of the city has a different dynamic as far as weapons are concerned.
The delegations of the periphery, where there are very rooted festivities, some community members still have the habit of shooting into the air and used homemade weapons now delivered swap modules.
"They bring home-made weapons in delegations Milpa Alta, Xochimilco, Tlalpan, Cuajimalpa, that are manufactured using traditional methods, but some can shoot bullets .22 ... that by fortune is not a widespread phenomenon," said the interviewee .
When the module was in Tlalpan last September, 430 people handed weapons, among which were AR-15 semi-automatic rifles and machine guns Thompson, manufactured in the United States, and Uzi submachine guns, made in Israel.
While Cuauhtemoc they found that people gave several goat horns, a type of weapon that was never swap modules in other delegations of the city.
INLAND
During December to Friday 18, the module was in the atrium of the Cathedral and there came Don Carlos Enrique, who came from San Vicente Chicoloapan, in the State of Mexico.
"I brought a Smith and Weston pistol, .38 special and gave me three thousand 500 pesos for it ... there is no ammunition for that gun, so I decided to sell it," he told this newspaper.
He bought it to protect his family, he told Don Carlos, because five years ago they reached the people who disrupted the peace of the community.
But other villagers this month in San Vicente Chicoloapan asked Don Carlos who swapped their weapons in Mexico City. "I brought as 20 weapons, the villagers gave to me because they are afraid to come by bus to the DF; I was brought rifles, shotguns, pistols shotguns ... they pay me seven thousand pesos, "he explained.
DEFENSE, A MYTH
Medellin explained that although many people buy arms to defend their homes "and firmly believe they can fend off assaults are very few cases in which someone uses his weapon to protect your home from attack."
Thus, in order to fund the program for Your Family, Voluntary Disarmament "is that people who have guns throw it away, start building a society without violence. Possession of weapons is causing many problems: Fatal accidents at home or problems between neighbors "reflected Medellin.
They take money for Christmas gifts.
The main motivation for carrying arms trade module in December is to have money to buy Christmas gifts and watched by Excelsior at module Por Tu Familia Program, Voluntary Disarmament was in the atrium of the Cathedral this month.
"I came to bring my pistol .32 and I was paid three thousand 500 pesos ... I will use the money to buy toys and clothes for my son who is eight months," Saul, a young man of 25 who until recently was federal police officer.
Saul heard on the internet existence of the program and decided to take his gun. He bought it thinking about protecting his family, who live in Nezahualcoyotl, but now that there are children in the house, his nephews of two to five years and eight months your baby, it seems dangerous to have a gun.
"Children are very curious, and begin to see the gun and want to play with it ... and that worried me already," he said.
Saul, who left the federal police because almost had no time to spend with your family, think that the program "is good, because the truth is there are many guns on the street that should not be there."
The program began in 2012 at the initiative of the Ministry of Social Development of Mexico City, the Ministry of Public Security of the Federal District and the Secretariat of National Defense.
In the same spirit, out of the house the weapon had to avoid jeopardizing their children from nine to 12 years, John took his rifle to the module, for which he paid seven thousand pesos.
"As the boys grow older, they have nine and 12 years, and for them the rifle looks like a toy; the nine years he has wanted to take and play with it, obviously has cartridges, but better safe, "said mechanic this newspaper.
Like Saul, Juan bought the gun to protect your home from a possible assault. Now that the holidays came "better decided to bring the rifle to the module ... I will use the money for Christmas and Three Kings Day."
They traded in a month, 115 grenades
It is the third of these explosives collected just in Cuauhtemoc.
Throughout 2015, through the Program For Your Family, voluntary disarmament, people have given 335 grenades, but the third of these, 115 were received during the last month in the module exchange in Cuauhtemoc, in the atrium of the cathedral.
On 15 December, were delivered in exchange module 20 weapons, of these 10 were grenades, according to Jorge Medellin contributor Por Tu Familia program, voluntary disarmament and responsible for their social networksDesarmeCDMX.
At one in the afternoon of Thursday, December 17, a young man with short cap, military boots, khaki trousers and cap, he brought to the module for conversion, a 60 mm mortar shell.
That kind of grenade, fired from a rocket launcher (mortar), may fall to four kilometers from where it was projected.
Among the 115 grenades that were in the program module For Your Family, Voluntary Disarmament in Cuauhtemoc, there were grenades of 40, 60 and 81 mm, as well as hand and smoke grenades ... and up to 10 landmines. (the 60 and 81mm are mortar shells)
Interviewed by Excelsior, the young man who carried a grenade on December 17, he said he learned of the program through the Internet and he was paid three thousand 500 pesos.
Asked what he thought of the program said, "Okay, to avoid risks in the house ... for that reason the suit, so they were not going to find the children."
When asked where he had bought, visibly nervous replied: "That I can not say." The young man about 23 years, also refused to respond to what worked.
A month and half ago was published in the Official Gazette that if a person is caught in the street with a cartridge magazine for the exclusive use of the Army, Navy or Air Force, is punishable by imprisonment of one to five years ago depending on the number of magazines.
FINISH
Monday, December 28, 2015
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
AZMEX UPDATE 22-12-15
AZMEX UPDATE 22 DEC 2015
Somali citizen paid to help sneak people across US border
Katie Conner
6:19 AM, Dec 22, 2015
2 hours ago
http://www.kgun9.com/news/border/somali-citizen-paid-to-help-sneak-people-across-us-border
PHOENIX - A Somali citizen was paid to help sneak people across the U.S. border, according to a criminal complaint in Federal Court.
Last week, according to the paperwork, Omar Haji Mohamed, a Somali citizen, was stopped at a border checkpoint in Why, Arizona, near the Tohono O'odham Nation.
Agents say Mohamed was driving a silver Volvo SUV with two other passengers. After an investigation, agents say they determined the two passengers were: Gilberto Alcantar and Alma Delia Reyes-Castillo. Both were illegal immigrants from Mexico, according to an affidavit.
The criminal complaint alleges that Alcantar and Reyes-Castillo told agents, "They had made arrangements to enter the United States illegally....their guide instructed them to find a gray Volvo SUV after entering the United States."
Both Alcantar and Reyes-Castillo identified Mohamed as their driver, according to the criminal complaint.
END
Border Patrol spots ultralight dropping drugs
Yuma Station
U.S. Border Patrol photo
Yuma Station
http://www.trivalleycentral.com/casa_grande_dispatch/arizona_news/border-patrol-spots-ultralight-dropping-drugs/article_4f82acaa-a8e2-11e5-a63c-1f7c98e9e72d.html
Border Patrol agents from the Yuma Station recovered more than 200 pounds of marijuana that had reportedly been dropped by an ultralight aircraft north of Interstate 8.
Posted: Tuesday, December 22, 2015 12:29 pm
Staff Reports
YUMA – Border Patrol agents seized 496 pounds of drugs in two incidents over the weekend, one involving the use of an ultralight aircraft flying across the border, authorities said.
On Saturday, an ultra-light aircraft was detected dropping drugs in the United States before it turned around and returned to Mexico. The ULA was seen north of Interstate 8 and the Imperial Sand Dunes, near Ogilby Road. Agents recovered 226 pounds of marijuana, with an estimated value of $113,000.
On Sunday, agents assigned to Yuma Sector's forward operating base, Camp Grip, arrested three illegal aliens attempting to smuggle 270 pounds of marijuana into the United States. The drugs had an estimated value of $135,000.
end
Note: State forced to issue driver's licenses to IA's will not be mentioned.
Arizona drivers can choose 'Real IDs'
A traditional driver's license will not get you on an airplane after Oct. 1, 2020
Posted: Monday, December 21, 2015 9:08 am
By HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services
http://www.trivalleycentral.com/casa_grande_dispatch/arizona_news/arizona-drivers-can-choose-real-ids/article_0893d386-a7fd-11e5-928d-e3718c736683.html
PHOENIX — If your Arizona driver's license expires April 1 or later, you're going to have to decide whether you trust the federal government with your information.
And your decision will be emblazoned onto your license.
That's essentially what's going to happen when Arizona starts issuing licenses that comply with the federal Real ID Act. Those are the documents that meet certain security and background standards that let you get on a commercial aircraft and enter certain federal buildings.
Unlike residents of some states, Arizonans don't actually have to get one. State lawmakers voted earlier this year to make it voluntary.
But here's the thing: The Real ID-compliant licenses for those who provide the additional documentation — and whose records are checked with federal databases — will look different than those who opt out.
Ryan Harding, spokesman for the state Motor Vehicle Division, said it's not yet clear exactly what notation will be on those licenses the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will honor. But what is clear is that licenses that do not meet the federal standards will include the words "Not for Federal Identification" right on the front.
Harding said that indication will have no immediate effect.
He said the arrangement his agency has with the Department of Homeland Security requires the federal government to honor all Arizona licenses through Sept. 30, 2020 for all purposes. That includes both those licenses specifically marked as not for federal identification as well as those held by Arizonans who are still using licenses issued before April 1.
Come Oct. 1, 2020, though, anyone without a license containing specific markings as being compliant with the federal requirements won't be able to get into certain government facilities. And forget about flying.
What's behind all this is the Real ID Act of 2005. Passed in the wake of the attacks by terrorists who had boarded U.S. aircraft, it requires states to have licenses that comply with certain security requirements.
Nothing in the federal law can force Arizona to comply. And state legislators approved a measure in 2008 actually prohibiting MVD from producing a Real ID-compliant license.
But some legislators became concerned earlier this year when Homeland Security said it will begin enforcing a key provision of that federal law in 2016, allowing people to board aircraft only if they first show an identification the agency has decided is "secure.'' Arizona licenses are not.
That would leave Arizonans having to obtain a passport and carry it on all flights as the only other viable option. Inconvenience aside, a passport costs $110 plus a $25 application fee; expedited consideration adds another $60.
So Sen. Bob Worsley, R-Mesa, crafted a measure requiring MVD to create a license that meets the federal requirements — but not actually require any Arizonan to have it. And that gave MVD the entre it needed to ask Homeland Security to delay the no-fly provision for non-compliant licenses.
Harding said the federal agency informed MVD Arizona will get that delay until 2020 if it has compliant licenses available by April 1.
In any event, at some point all Arizonans are going to have to decide whether to get a Real ID-compliant license or, for non-drivers, a state-issued identification card.
It starts with that question of Arizona sharing information with the feds.
It was Rep. Judy Burges, R-Skull Valley, who is now a state senator, and former Sen. Karen Johnson, R-Mesa, who spearheaded the original 2008 state ban on issuing such licenses. Johnson called the licenses an unwarranted intrusion into privacy, rejecting arguments the new licenses are necessary to protect national security.
"If you want to give up your liberty for security, you're going to end up with neither one," she said at the time.
There was also the concern that the new licenses would be embedded with a radio-frequency-identification computer chip that could be read by nearby scanners.
"They could embed RFID readers in federal buildings and anywhere," Burges said in opposition to the chips.
"They're small enough they can embed them in furniture, they can put them in the floor, they can put them in the ceiling," she continued. "And they can, in essence, track you as a citizens everywhere you go."
Those concerns spanned the political spectrum, with the John Birch Society and the American Civil Liberties Union united on the issue.
With that in mind, Worsley chose to sidestep the controversy: He put a provision into this year's legislation specifically barring the use of RFID technology.
But there are other issues that may help Arizonans decide which kind of license they want.
One is cost.
MVD says it is still trying to determine between now and April 1 what surcharge, if any, to put on Real ID-compliant licenses above the standard fees. But it will cost more if for no other reason than it has to be renewed every eight years; regular licenses can be good until someone turns 65, though new photos have to be taken every 12 years.
There's also what might be considered a hassle factor. Applicants not only have to show up in person but will have to produce some evidence of legal presence in this country that the federal government recognizes, like a birth certificate or passport.
Harding said MVD will then be required to verify the information by linking to federal computers — the sharing of information that has bothered some legislators and led to making the enhanced licenses optional.
Aside from different markings between those that are Real ID-compliant and those that are not, Harding said the licenses to be issued beginning April 1 are likely to look very similar to the latest generation of what MVD already provides. These have features designed to make them tamper-proof, including holograms, a second photo and raised lettering for the date of birth.
end
Somali citizen paid to help sneak people across US border
Katie Conner
6:19 AM, Dec 22, 2015
2 hours ago
http://www.kgun9.com/news/border/somali-citizen-paid-to-help-sneak-people-across-us-border
PHOENIX - A Somali citizen was paid to help sneak people across the U.S. border, according to a criminal complaint in Federal Court.
Last week, according to the paperwork, Omar Haji Mohamed, a Somali citizen, was stopped at a border checkpoint in Why, Arizona, near the Tohono O'odham Nation.
Agents say Mohamed was driving a silver Volvo SUV with two other passengers. After an investigation, agents say they determined the two passengers were: Gilberto Alcantar and Alma Delia Reyes-Castillo. Both were illegal immigrants from Mexico, according to an affidavit.
The criminal complaint alleges that Alcantar and Reyes-Castillo told agents, "They had made arrangements to enter the United States illegally....their guide instructed them to find a gray Volvo SUV after entering the United States."
Both Alcantar and Reyes-Castillo identified Mohamed as their driver, according to the criminal complaint.
END
Border Patrol spots ultralight dropping drugs
Yuma Station
U.S. Border Patrol photo
Yuma Station
http://www.trivalleycentral.com/casa_grande_dispatch/arizona_news/border-patrol-spots-ultralight-dropping-drugs/article_4f82acaa-a8e2-11e5-a63c-1f7c98e9e72d.html
Border Patrol agents from the Yuma Station recovered more than 200 pounds of marijuana that had reportedly been dropped by an ultralight aircraft north of Interstate 8.
Posted: Tuesday, December 22, 2015 12:29 pm
Staff Reports
YUMA – Border Patrol agents seized 496 pounds of drugs in two incidents over the weekend, one involving the use of an ultralight aircraft flying across the border, authorities said.
On Saturday, an ultra-light aircraft was detected dropping drugs in the United States before it turned around and returned to Mexico. The ULA was seen north of Interstate 8 and the Imperial Sand Dunes, near Ogilby Road. Agents recovered 226 pounds of marijuana, with an estimated value of $113,000.
On Sunday, agents assigned to Yuma Sector's forward operating base, Camp Grip, arrested three illegal aliens attempting to smuggle 270 pounds of marijuana into the United States. The drugs had an estimated value of $135,000.
end
Note: State forced to issue driver's licenses to IA's will not be mentioned.
Arizona drivers can choose 'Real IDs'
A traditional driver's license will not get you on an airplane after Oct. 1, 2020
Posted: Monday, December 21, 2015 9:08 am
By HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services
http://www.trivalleycentral.com/casa_grande_dispatch/arizona_news/arizona-drivers-can-choose-real-ids/article_0893d386-a7fd-11e5-928d-e3718c736683.html
PHOENIX — If your Arizona driver's license expires April 1 or later, you're going to have to decide whether you trust the federal government with your information.
And your decision will be emblazoned onto your license.
That's essentially what's going to happen when Arizona starts issuing licenses that comply with the federal Real ID Act. Those are the documents that meet certain security and background standards that let you get on a commercial aircraft and enter certain federal buildings.
Unlike residents of some states, Arizonans don't actually have to get one. State lawmakers voted earlier this year to make it voluntary.
But here's the thing: The Real ID-compliant licenses for those who provide the additional documentation — and whose records are checked with federal databases — will look different than those who opt out.
Ryan Harding, spokesman for the state Motor Vehicle Division, said it's not yet clear exactly what notation will be on those licenses the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will honor. But what is clear is that licenses that do not meet the federal standards will include the words "Not for Federal Identification" right on the front.
Harding said that indication will have no immediate effect.
He said the arrangement his agency has with the Department of Homeland Security requires the federal government to honor all Arizona licenses through Sept. 30, 2020 for all purposes. That includes both those licenses specifically marked as not for federal identification as well as those held by Arizonans who are still using licenses issued before April 1.
Come Oct. 1, 2020, though, anyone without a license containing specific markings as being compliant with the federal requirements won't be able to get into certain government facilities. And forget about flying.
What's behind all this is the Real ID Act of 2005. Passed in the wake of the attacks by terrorists who had boarded U.S. aircraft, it requires states to have licenses that comply with certain security requirements.
Nothing in the federal law can force Arizona to comply. And state legislators approved a measure in 2008 actually prohibiting MVD from producing a Real ID-compliant license.
But some legislators became concerned earlier this year when Homeland Security said it will begin enforcing a key provision of that federal law in 2016, allowing people to board aircraft only if they first show an identification the agency has decided is "secure.'' Arizona licenses are not.
That would leave Arizonans having to obtain a passport and carry it on all flights as the only other viable option. Inconvenience aside, a passport costs $110 plus a $25 application fee; expedited consideration adds another $60.
So Sen. Bob Worsley, R-Mesa, crafted a measure requiring MVD to create a license that meets the federal requirements — but not actually require any Arizonan to have it. And that gave MVD the entre it needed to ask Homeland Security to delay the no-fly provision for non-compliant licenses.
Harding said the federal agency informed MVD Arizona will get that delay until 2020 if it has compliant licenses available by April 1.
In any event, at some point all Arizonans are going to have to decide whether to get a Real ID-compliant license or, for non-drivers, a state-issued identification card.
It starts with that question of Arizona sharing information with the feds.
It was Rep. Judy Burges, R-Skull Valley, who is now a state senator, and former Sen. Karen Johnson, R-Mesa, who spearheaded the original 2008 state ban on issuing such licenses. Johnson called the licenses an unwarranted intrusion into privacy, rejecting arguments the new licenses are necessary to protect national security.
"If you want to give up your liberty for security, you're going to end up with neither one," she said at the time.
There was also the concern that the new licenses would be embedded with a radio-frequency-identification computer chip that could be read by nearby scanners.
"They could embed RFID readers in federal buildings and anywhere," Burges said in opposition to the chips.
"They're small enough they can embed them in furniture, they can put them in the floor, they can put them in the ceiling," she continued. "And they can, in essence, track you as a citizens everywhere you go."
Those concerns spanned the political spectrum, with the John Birch Society and the American Civil Liberties Union united on the issue.
With that in mind, Worsley chose to sidestep the controversy: He put a provision into this year's legislation specifically barring the use of RFID technology.
But there are other issues that may help Arizonans decide which kind of license they want.
One is cost.
MVD says it is still trying to determine between now and April 1 what surcharge, if any, to put on Real ID-compliant licenses above the standard fees. But it will cost more if for no other reason than it has to be renewed every eight years; regular licenses can be good until someone turns 65, though new photos have to be taken every 12 years.
There's also what might be considered a hassle factor. Applicants not only have to show up in person but will have to produce some evidence of legal presence in this country that the federal government recognizes, like a birth certificate or passport.
Harding said MVD will then be required to verify the information by linking to federal computers — the sharing of information that has bothered some legislators and led to making the enhanced licenses optional.
Aside from different markings between those that are Real ID-compliant and those that are not, Harding said the licenses to be issued beginning April 1 are likely to look very similar to the latest generation of what MVD already provides. These have features designed to make them tamper-proof, including holograms, a second photo and raised lettering for the date of birth.
end
Friday, December 18, 2015
AZMEX EXTRA 16-12-15
AZMEX EXTRA 16 DEC 2015
Note: Sonora, Mexico. There will be no accounting of those stolen from AZ.
Despistolización ending campaign
Details Published on Wednesday December 16, 2015,
Written by Jesus Esquer / The Journal
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63583
Hermosillo.
The program exceeded expectations: 68 grenades and a large number of AK47s were received.
Sonora destroyed 450 weapons, 68 grenades and other weapons in what was despistolización campaign, triggering payment of 900,000 pesos
($53,000 USD) in vouchers to the Sonorans who decided to deliver their weapons and also which included tactical vests and gunpowder.
The state coordinator of linking the Ministry of Public Security, Juan Pablo Acosta Gutierrez said that the campaign lasted 17 days, in which he had a favorable response from Sonorans, especially in large municipalities.
"This year the number of grenades raised, 68 grenades in total, 40 high-powered rifles, AK-47s in most cases, and a certain amount of 'sausages', ( most likely stolen from the mines ) as they call the explosives, and 450 weapons as well as about 38 thousand bullets, more than last year "said the state official.
He said other items delivered by the citizens of the 24 municipalities that participated in the despistolización, included several kilograms of gunpowder and had the support of the authorities and the 45th Military Zone that helped reduce the risks of families who have firearms in their homes, in addition to remove them from the streets.
The state official stressed that Hermosillo, Nogales and Cajeme were the cities that participated more in the exchange of weapons in the end totaled 900 thousand pesos, an amount that was estimated for the 2015 campaign and giving what was coming in recent years.
"This campaign is since 2004 has been very successful because we have to date has received more than nine thousand weapons in the eleven years, then we every year could lower the number of weapons that are received because people have delivered, "said Acosta Gutierrez.
END
Finalizan campaña de despistolización
Detalles Publicado el Miercoles 16 de Diciembre de 2015,
Escrito por Jesús Esquer / El Diario
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63583
Hermosillo.
El programa superó las expectativas: se recibieron 68 granadas y un gran número de AK47.
Sonora destruyó 450 armas, 68 granadas y demás armamento en lo que fue la campaña de despistolización, lo que provocó el pago de 900 mil pesos en vales para los sonorenses que decidieron entregar su armamento que incluyó chalecos tácticos y pólvora.
El coordinador estatal de vinculación de la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública, Juan Pablo Acosta Gutiérrez, comentó que la campaña tuvo una duración de 17 días, en los que se contó con una respuesta favorable de los sonorenses, en especial dentro de los municipios grandes.
"Este año subieron el número de granadas, 68 granadas en total, 40 armas largas de alto poder, AK-47 en su mayoría, y cierta cantidad de 'salchichas', como les llaman a los explosivos, y en total 450 armas, así como cerca de 38 mil balas más que el año pasado", declaró el funcionario estatal.
Dijo que otros artículos entregados por los ciudadanos de los 24 municipios que participaron en la despistolización, incluyeron varios kilogramos de pólvora y se contó con el apoyo de las autoridades de la Cuarta y 45 Zona Militar que ayudaron a disminuir los riesgos de las familias por tener armas de fuego en sus hogares, además de eliminarlas de las calles.
El funcionario estatal resaltó que Hermosillo, Cajeme y Nogales fueron las ciudades que participaron más en el canje de armas por vales de despensa que al final sumaron 900 mil pesos, cantidad que era la estimada para la campaña de este 2015 y lo que se venía otorgando en los últimos años.
"Esta campaña que está desde el 2004 ha dado muy buenos resultados porque a la fecha tenemos que se han recibido más de nueve mil armas en los once años, contando este; entonces tenemos que cada año pudiera bajar la cifra de armas que se reciben porque la gente ya las ha entregado", explicó Acosta Gutiérrez.
FIN
Note: Sonora, Mexico. There will be no accounting of those stolen from AZ.
Despistolización ending campaign
Details Published on Wednesday December 16, 2015,
Written by Jesus Esquer / The Journal
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63583
Hermosillo.
The program exceeded expectations: 68 grenades and a large number of AK47s were received.
Sonora destroyed 450 weapons, 68 grenades and other weapons in what was despistolización campaign, triggering payment of 900,000 pesos
($53,000 USD) in vouchers to the Sonorans who decided to deliver their weapons and also which included tactical vests and gunpowder.
The state coordinator of linking the Ministry of Public Security, Juan Pablo Acosta Gutierrez said that the campaign lasted 17 days, in which he had a favorable response from Sonorans, especially in large municipalities.
"This year the number of grenades raised, 68 grenades in total, 40 high-powered rifles, AK-47s in most cases, and a certain amount of 'sausages', ( most likely stolen from the mines ) as they call the explosives, and 450 weapons as well as about 38 thousand bullets, more than last year "said the state official.
He said other items delivered by the citizens of the 24 municipalities that participated in the despistolización, included several kilograms of gunpowder and had the support of the authorities and the 45th Military Zone that helped reduce the risks of families who have firearms in their homes, in addition to remove them from the streets.
The state official stressed that Hermosillo, Nogales and Cajeme were the cities that participated more in the exchange of weapons in the end totaled 900 thousand pesos, an amount that was estimated for the 2015 campaign and giving what was coming in recent years.
"This campaign is since 2004 has been very successful because we have to date has received more than nine thousand weapons in the eleven years, then we every year could lower the number of weapons that are received because people have delivered, "said Acosta Gutierrez.
END
Finalizan campaña de despistolización
Detalles Publicado el Miercoles 16 de Diciembre de 2015,
Escrito por Jesús Esquer / El Diario
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63583
Hermosillo.
El programa superó las expectativas: se recibieron 68 granadas y un gran número de AK47.
Sonora destruyó 450 armas, 68 granadas y demás armamento en lo que fue la campaña de despistolización, lo que provocó el pago de 900 mil pesos en vales para los sonorenses que decidieron entregar su armamento que incluyó chalecos tácticos y pólvora.
El coordinador estatal de vinculación de la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública, Juan Pablo Acosta Gutiérrez, comentó que la campaña tuvo una duración de 17 días, en los que se contó con una respuesta favorable de los sonorenses, en especial dentro de los municipios grandes.
"Este año subieron el número de granadas, 68 granadas en total, 40 armas largas de alto poder, AK-47 en su mayoría, y cierta cantidad de 'salchichas', como les llaman a los explosivos, y en total 450 armas, así como cerca de 38 mil balas más que el año pasado", declaró el funcionario estatal.
Dijo que otros artículos entregados por los ciudadanos de los 24 municipios que participaron en la despistolización, incluyeron varios kilogramos de pólvora y se contó con el apoyo de las autoridades de la Cuarta y 45 Zona Militar que ayudaron a disminuir los riesgos de las familias por tener armas de fuego en sus hogares, además de eliminarlas de las calles.
El funcionario estatal resaltó que Hermosillo, Cajeme y Nogales fueron las ciudades que participaron más en el canje de armas por vales de despensa que al final sumaron 900 mil pesos, cantidad que era la estimada para la campaña de este 2015 y lo que se venía otorgando en los últimos años.
"Esta campaña que está desde el 2004 ha dado muy buenos resultados porque a la fecha tenemos que se han recibido más de nueve mil armas en los once años, contando este; entonces tenemos que cada año pudiera bajar la cifra de armas que se reciben porque la gente ya las ha entregado", explicó Acosta Gutiérrez.
FIN
Thursday, December 17, 2015
AZMEX UPDATE 17-12-15
AZMEX UPDATE 17 DEC 2015
Updated: Dec 17, 2015 10:43 AM MST
Border Patrol agent assaulted during drug seizure
Written By Associated Press
http://www.kvoa.com/story/30777304/border-patrol-agent-assaulted-during-drug-seizure
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - A U.S. Border Patrol agent in the agency's Tucson Sector was assaulted while trying to apprehend suspects during a drug seizure near San Simon.
Authorities say the incident happened Tuesday when the agent came across six suspected smugglers carrying large packages of narcotics. They say one of the suspects became combative and the agent was forced to use pepper spray.
The agent was able to capture three of them and locate 300 pounds of marijuana.
They say the marijuana has an estimated value of $150,000.
Border Patrol agents also arrested 13 suspects allegedly smuggling marijuana on the same day in western Pima County. The suspects were caught with more than 500 pounds of marijuana valued at more than $250,000.
end
Note: the struggle to regain control of the DTO's continues.
PGR incinerates more than four tons of drugs
Details Published on Thursday December 17, 2015,
Written by Cesar Barragan / El Diario
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63662
Nogales.
Federal authorities destroyed marijuana, heroin, methamphetamine and psychotropic pills.
a simultaneous event organized by the Attorney General's Office in eleven states, tens of tons of marijuana and other drugs were incinerated.
The states that performed the incineration of narcotics this morning were Baja California, Durango, Guerrero, Jalisco, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas and the Federal District.
The ceremony was led by Mr. Cuauhtemoc Montes de Oca Muciño , deputy of northern Sonora, PGR, senior members of the Mexican Army and the various heads of the police forces of this city.
As witnesses to the event were university students and representatives of different media.
During the ceremony were destroyed in this border city 3,947 kilos of marijuana, 3.650 kilograms of heroin, 88 kilos of methamphetamine and 1,896 thousand pills.
The event was held near the shooting range "Los Lobos" located on the eastern peripheral of the city minutes after 11:00 pm yesterday.
end
PGR incinerated 51 tons of drugs; is record
Details Published on Thursday December 17, 2015,
Written by Especial
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63638
Mexico DF.
The burning was carried out in ten states; different amounts of narcotics were destroyed.
In a simultaneous event incineration of narcotics in ten states were destroyed 51 tons 319 kilos of various narcotics, at military facilities and the Attorney General's Office (PGR).
They were different amounts of marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine and psychotropic substances, which was considered a milestone in these procedures as part of the Narcotics Destruction Program, records related to preliminary investigations and of various criminal offenses.
The PGR explained that the narcotics burning ceremonies took place in premises of the regional offices of the agency and the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA) in Baja California, Mexico City, Durango, Guerrero, Jalisco, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas.
The Attorney General for Regional Control, Criminal Proceedings and Amparo, Gilberto Higuera Bernal, led the ceremony on the premises of the Seventh Military Zone, Nuevo Leon, where the destruction was monitored in the rest of the country.
During his speech, the deputy noted that in the past nine months have been burned and destroyed more than 200 tons of drugs, as required by procedure in the Federal Code of Criminal Procedure.
Destruction processes were supervised by staff of the Internal Control and PGR prosecutor of the Federation.
end
Note: Still working on confirming details.
Team led by Middle Eastern Woman Caught Surveilling U.S. Facility on Mexican Border
DECEMBER 16, 2015
http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2015/12/team-led-by-middle-eastern-woman-caught-surveilling-u-s-facility-on-mexican-border/
A Middle Eastern woman was caught surveilling a U.S. port of entry on the Mexican border holding a sketchbook with Arabic writing and drawings of the facility and its security system, federal law enforcement sources tell Judicial Watch.
The woman has been identified as 23-year-old Leila Abdelrazaq, according to a Customs and Border Patrol (CPB) report obtained by JW this week. Abdelrazaq appeared to have two accomplices, a 31-year-old man named Gabriel Schivone and a 28-year-old woman named Leslie Mcafee. CBP agents noticed the trio "observing the facilities" at the Port of Mariposa in Nogales, Arizona on December 2. Schivone was first noticed inside the entrance of the pedestrian area while the two women stood outside by the entry door, the CPB document states.
When federal officers asked Abdelrazaq why she was drawing sketches of the facilities she "stated because she's never been to the border," according to the CBP report. Abdelrazaq resisted showing officers the sketchbook, citing personal reasons, but subsequently handed it over. "During the inspection of the Abdelrazaq sketching book, CBPOs noticed the book contained writings in English and Arabic language," federal officers write in the document. "There were drawings of what appeared to be vehicle primary inspection area and an additional drawing of pedestrian turn stile gate depicting video surveillance cameras above the gate." The report proceeds to reveal that the drawings were "partial and incomplete."
This distressing information comes on the heels of two separate—and equally alarming—incidents in the same vicinity. A few weeks ago JW reported that five young Middle Eastern men were apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol in Amado, an Arizona town situated about 30 miles from the Mexican border. Two of the men were carrying stainless steel cylinders in backpacks, alarming Border Patrol officials enough to call the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for backup. DHS officially denies this ever occurred, but law enforcement and other sources have confirmed to JW that the two men carrying the cylinders were believed to be taken into custody by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Of interesting note is that only three of the men's names were entered in the Border Patrol's E3 reporting system, which is used by the agency to track apprehensions, detention hearings and removals of illegal immigrants. E3 also collects and transmits biographic and biometric data including fingerprints for identification and verification of individuals encountered at the border. The other two men were listed as "unknown subjects," which is unheard of, according to a JW federal law enforcement source. "In all my years I've never seen that before," a veteran federal law enforcement agent told JW.
A week earlier six men—one from Afghanistan, five from Pakistan—were arrested in nearby Patagonia, a quaint ranch town that sits 20 miles north of the Mexican border city of Nogales. Federal authorities publicly confirmed those arrests after local media learned about them. JW has broken a number of stories involving serious terrorist threats on the southern border that have been disputed on the record by various Obama administration officials. Among these is an April report—confirmed by high-level Mexican authorities—about ISIS operating camps near the U.S. border in areas known as Anapra and Puerto Palomas west of Ciudad Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.
Last fall JW was the first to report on an Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) plot orchestrated from Ciudad Juárez to attack the U.S. with car bombs or other vehicle borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED). As a result of JW's reporting Ft. Bliss, the U.S. Army base in El Paso, increased security. The threat was imminent enough to place agents across a number of Homeland Security, Justice and Defense agencies on alert. A few weeks later JW reported that four ISIS terrorists were arrested by federal authorities and the Texas Department of Public Safety in McAllen and Pharr.
Sign Up for Updates!
END
Updated: Dec 17, 2015 10:43 AM MST
Border Patrol agent assaulted during drug seizure
Written By Associated Press
http://www.kvoa.com/story/30777304/border-patrol-agent-assaulted-during-drug-seizure
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - A U.S. Border Patrol agent in the agency's Tucson Sector was assaulted while trying to apprehend suspects during a drug seizure near San Simon.
Authorities say the incident happened Tuesday when the agent came across six suspected smugglers carrying large packages of narcotics. They say one of the suspects became combative and the agent was forced to use pepper spray.
The agent was able to capture three of them and locate 300 pounds of marijuana.
They say the marijuana has an estimated value of $150,000.
Border Patrol agents also arrested 13 suspects allegedly smuggling marijuana on the same day in western Pima County. The suspects were caught with more than 500 pounds of marijuana valued at more than $250,000.
end
Note: the struggle to regain control of the DTO's continues.
PGR incinerates more than four tons of drugs
Details Published on Thursday December 17, 2015,
Written by Cesar Barragan / El Diario
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63662
Nogales.
Federal authorities destroyed marijuana, heroin, methamphetamine and psychotropic pills.
a simultaneous event organized by the Attorney General's Office in eleven states, tens of tons of marijuana and other drugs were incinerated.
The states that performed the incineration of narcotics this morning were Baja California, Durango, Guerrero, Jalisco, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas and the Federal District.
The ceremony was led by Mr. Cuauhtemoc Montes de Oca Muciño , deputy of northern Sonora, PGR, senior members of the Mexican Army and the various heads of the police forces of this city.
As witnesses to the event were university students and representatives of different media.
During the ceremony were destroyed in this border city 3,947 kilos of marijuana, 3.650 kilograms of heroin, 88 kilos of methamphetamine and 1,896 thousand pills.
The event was held near the shooting range "Los Lobos" located on the eastern peripheral of the city minutes after 11:00 pm yesterday.
end
PGR incinerated 51 tons of drugs; is record
Details Published on Thursday December 17, 2015,
Written by Especial
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63638
Mexico DF.
The burning was carried out in ten states; different amounts of narcotics were destroyed.
In a simultaneous event incineration of narcotics in ten states were destroyed 51 tons 319 kilos of various narcotics, at military facilities and the Attorney General's Office (PGR).
They were different amounts of marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine and psychotropic substances, which was considered a milestone in these procedures as part of the Narcotics Destruction Program, records related to preliminary investigations and of various criminal offenses.
The PGR explained that the narcotics burning ceremonies took place in premises of the regional offices of the agency and the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA) in Baja California, Mexico City, Durango, Guerrero, Jalisco, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas.
The Attorney General for Regional Control, Criminal Proceedings and Amparo, Gilberto Higuera Bernal, led the ceremony on the premises of the Seventh Military Zone, Nuevo Leon, where the destruction was monitored in the rest of the country.
During his speech, the deputy noted that in the past nine months have been burned and destroyed more than 200 tons of drugs, as required by procedure in the Federal Code of Criminal Procedure.
Destruction processes were supervised by staff of the Internal Control and PGR prosecutor of the Federation.
end
Note: Still working on confirming details.
Team led by Middle Eastern Woman Caught Surveilling U.S. Facility on Mexican Border
DECEMBER 16, 2015
http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2015/12/team-led-by-middle-eastern-woman-caught-surveilling-u-s-facility-on-mexican-border/
A Middle Eastern woman was caught surveilling a U.S. port of entry on the Mexican border holding a sketchbook with Arabic writing and drawings of the facility and its security system, federal law enforcement sources tell Judicial Watch.
The woman has been identified as 23-year-old Leila Abdelrazaq, according to a Customs and Border Patrol (CPB) report obtained by JW this week. Abdelrazaq appeared to have two accomplices, a 31-year-old man named Gabriel Schivone and a 28-year-old woman named Leslie Mcafee. CBP agents noticed the trio "observing the facilities" at the Port of Mariposa in Nogales, Arizona on December 2. Schivone was first noticed inside the entrance of the pedestrian area while the two women stood outside by the entry door, the CPB document states.
When federal officers asked Abdelrazaq why she was drawing sketches of the facilities she "stated because she's never been to the border," according to the CBP report. Abdelrazaq resisted showing officers the sketchbook, citing personal reasons, but subsequently handed it over. "During the inspection of the Abdelrazaq sketching book, CBPOs noticed the book contained writings in English and Arabic language," federal officers write in the document. "There were drawings of what appeared to be vehicle primary inspection area and an additional drawing of pedestrian turn stile gate depicting video surveillance cameras above the gate." The report proceeds to reveal that the drawings were "partial and incomplete."
This distressing information comes on the heels of two separate—and equally alarming—incidents in the same vicinity. A few weeks ago JW reported that five young Middle Eastern men were apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol in Amado, an Arizona town situated about 30 miles from the Mexican border. Two of the men were carrying stainless steel cylinders in backpacks, alarming Border Patrol officials enough to call the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for backup. DHS officially denies this ever occurred, but law enforcement and other sources have confirmed to JW that the two men carrying the cylinders were believed to be taken into custody by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Of interesting note is that only three of the men's names were entered in the Border Patrol's E3 reporting system, which is used by the agency to track apprehensions, detention hearings and removals of illegal immigrants. E3 also collects and transmits biographic and biometric data including fingerprints for identification and verification of individuals encountered at the border. The other two men were listed as "unknown subjects," which is unheard of, according to a JW federal law enforcement source. "In all my years I've never seen that before," a veteran federal law enforcement agent told JW.
A week earlier six men—one from Afghanistan, five from Pakistan—were arrested in nearby Patagonia, a quaint ranch town that sits 20 miles north of the Mexican border city of Nogales. Federal authorities publicly confirmed those arrests after local media learned about them. JW has broken a number of stories involving serious terrorist threats on the southern border that have been disputed on the record by various Obama administration officials. Among these is an April report—confirmed by high-level Mexican authorities—about ISIS operating camps near the U.S. border in areas known as Anapra and Puerto Palomas west of Ciudad Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.
Last fall JW was the first to report on an Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) plot orchestrated from Ciudad Juárez to attack the U.S. with car bombs or other vehicle borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED). As a result of JW's reporting Ft. Bliss, the U.S. Army base in El Paso, increased security. The threat was imminent enough to place agents across a number of Homeland Security, Justice and Defense agencies on alert. A few weeks later JW reported that four ISIS terrorists were arrested by federal authorities and the Texas Department of Public Safety in McAllen and Pharr.
Sign Up for Updates!
END
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
AZMEX SPECIAL 16-12-15
AZMEX SPECIAL 16 DEC 2015
Note: AFGE is The American Federation of Government Employees. Local 2544 is the Tucson Border Patrol Local Union.
Candidate Endorsements
http://www.local2544.org/candidate-endorsements/
Local 2544 had no input and no notification that AFGE was going to endorse Hillary Clinton. We have long disagreed with many things that AFGE does. However, even though we are the largest local in District 12 we hold very little sway with AFGE at a national level because our numbers aren't big enough. We have historically used AFGE for next to nothing as far as running this local. We have our own attorneys, we do our own rep work, we finance our own operations and we are very well run and independent. We have largely just tolerated AFGE and their shenanigans because we have to and we have always realized that they are out of touch with most Border Patrol agents. They simply have never really cared. AFGE is mostly run by members from the VA, SSA and DoD. They are not a true "law enforcement" union. They have marched with our enemies and supported those we arrest with callousness and disregard for what we do for a living. We have often found it disgraceful and we have told them so.
All of the above is no different when it comes to endorsing a presidential candidate. We are fully aware that very few Border Patrol agents would vote for Hillary Clinton and we do not support this endorsement. AFGE didn't ask us. They do what they want.
We welcome your comments and we will pass every one of them on to AFGE. We also encourage you to look at the AFGE Facebook page and post your comments there. As always, we stand with OUR members and we will never be co-opted into AFGE's way of thinking or their political activities. We find many of their statements and positions disgraceful and we often fail to see what much of it has to do with a labor union that should stick to LABOR issues.
Lastly, we realize that AFGE has been a hindrance to our membership recruiting and retention for many years. We strive to provide top-notch representation and legal service for our members to overcome AFGE's negative effects. We will continue to do so.
This entry was posted on Thursday, December 10th, 2015 at 12:08 pm and is filed under News. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
END
Note: AFGE is The American Federation of Government Employees. Local 2544 is the Tucson Border Patrol Local Union.
Candidate Endorsements
http://www.local2544.org/candidate-endorsements/
Local 2544 had no input and no notification that AFGE was going to endorse Hillary Clinton. We have long disagreed with many things that AFGE does. However, even though we are the largest local in District 12 we hold very little sway with AFGE at a national level because our numbers aren't big enough. We have historically used AFGE for next to nothing as far as running this local. We have our own attorneys, we do our own rep work, we finance our own operations and we are very well run and independent. We have largely just tolerated AFGE and their shenanigans because we have to and we have always realized that they are out of touch with most Border Patrol agents. They simply have never really cared. AFGE is mostly run by members from the VA, SSA and DoD. They are not a true "law enforcement" union. They have marched with our enemies and supported those we arrest with callousness and disregard for what we do for a living. We have often found it disgraceful and we have told them so.
All of the above is no different when it comes to endorsing a presidential candidate. We are fully aware that very few Border Patrol agents would vote for Hillary Clinton and we do not support this endorsement. AFGE didn't ask us. They do what they want.
We welcome your comments and we will pass every one of them on to AFGE. We also encourage you to look at the AFGE Facebook page and post your comments there. As always, we stand with OUR members and we will never be co-opted into AFGE's way of thinking or their political activities. We find many of their statements and positions disgraceful and we often fail to see what much of it has to do with a labor union that should stick to LABOR issues.
Lastly, we realize that AFGE has been a hindrance to our membership recruiting and retention for many years. We strive to provide top-notch representation and legal service for our members to overcome AFGE's negative effects. We will continue to do so.
This entry was posted on Thursday, December 10th, 2015 at 12:08 pm and is filed under News. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
END
AZMEX I3 16-12-15
AZMEX I3 16 DEC 2015
Note: No stats available for AZMEX border.
Unprecedented border crossings prompt CBP commissioner visit to RGV
Kerlikowski: CBP is handling the surge and is prepared if it continues
Posted: Tuesday, December 15, 2015 8:16 pm | Updated: 8:24 pm, Tue Dec 15, 2015.
KRISTIAN HERNANDEZ | STAFF WRITER
Posted on Dec 15, 2015by Kristian Hernandez
McALLEN—The man tasked with overseeing the largest federal law enforcement agency in the United States visited the Rio Grande Valley Sector on Monday in the midst of an unprecedented end of the year spike of unaccompanied minors crossing the border illegally.
United States Customs and Border Protection Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske stopped by the Border Patrol Holding Station in McAllen, where most of the 6,465 unaccompanied minors that crossed between Oct.1 and Nov. 30 were processed. This was a more than 101 percent increase compared to the same time last year, according to CBP statistics.
"The numbers have been increasing, and it's certainly of concern to me and to the rest of the Department of Homeland Security," Kerlikowske said during a news conference. "Historically at this time of the year, the numbers would not be at the levels that we see right now."
The Border Patrol central processing center for unaccompanied immigrant children at 3700 W. Ursula Ave. was opened in the summer of 2014, when nearly 69,000 unaccompanied minors crossed the border illegally in South Texas.
The center can house up to 1,000 children but is also being used to process family units which have also hit unprecedented numbers during last two months. Between Oct. 1 and Nov. 30, more than 8,500 family units crossed the South Texas border through the Rio Grande Valley Sector, which stretches from the mouth of the Rio Grande in Cameron County to the Starr-Zapata county line.
Gov. Greg Abbott's response to the recent surge was to order the Texas National Guard troops on Tuesday to remain at the South Texas Border, extending a mission that began in 2014 after the first surge of unaccompanied minors.
"Texas will not sit idle in the face of this challenge," Abbott said in a news release. "We will not be victimized as a state by a federal government's apathetic response to border security."
Kerlikowske said he does not think this is an issue of border security but said he welcomed the continued presence of the Texas National Guard. Acting Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Robert M. Duff echoed Kerlikowske's praises of state law enforcement working alongside their agents.
"Daily, we are co-located. We exchange information for operational deployment the National Guard," Duff said. "My entire career I worked closely with them and DPS here. Like the commissioner said, it's an excellent working relationship."
Kerlikowske said they have sufficient Border Patrol agents, "particularly in this area," and have the option of temporarily bringing additional agents from other sectors but have not found the need to do so despite the recent surge.
When asked what he thought about Abbott's comments, Kerlikowske said he had not seen or read them.
"I'm not so much in the political realm. I'm much more in the realm of trying to manage Customs and Border Protection to get the job done to make sure that people are protected and taken care of," Kerlikowske said.
Most unaccompanied minors apprehended in the Rio Grande Valley in the past two months are from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, Kerlikowske said.
"The greater question is how long will this continue, and what is Congress going to do about immigration reform?" Kerlikowske said. "What are these longer term improvements that are needed particularly in those three Central American countries?"
In January, President Barack Obama requested more than $1 billion to help improve the economies and safety of the three Central American countries, but it has not been approved by Congress.
Meanwhile, CBP is outfitting a warehouse next to the McAllen center to house more unaccompanied children and family units in case the numbers remain high, Kerlikowski said.
The Department of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services have begun a process to expand temporary capacity of current providers from 7,900 to 8,400 beds in November and is preparing for temporary bed space in the event that additional beds are needed, according to CBP's website.
"We are adequately financed. We have resources in the Border Patrol through Secretary Johnson and the Department of Homeland Security. We are going to be fine to deal with this even at this level," Kerlikowske said.
Reminder: The driver's license is the primary ID for purchase of firearms.
Pew: 10 States And Counting Supplying Unauthorized Immigrants With Driver's Licenses
By: Jason Ralls, Staff Writer
12/07/2015 ( 9:27am)
Unauthorized immigrant access to driver's licenses has been a hotly debated issue among states this year. Amid this controversy, Pew Charitable Trusts' Immigration and States Project released two briefs last month analyzing and providing updates on how states are designing and implementing laws which allow unauthorized immigrants to apply for driver's licenses.
The briefs were published on the heels of a previous study by Pew, Deciding Who Drives, released in August 2015. Pew identified four main areas of study when looking at each states' alternative licensing program: scope, eligibility standards, issuance procedures and outreach and education.
The study revealed that as of the summer of 2015, ten states have issued driver's licenses, or similar documents referred to by different names, to unauthorized immigrants. 37 percent of unauthorized immigrants live in a jurisdiction where they may obtain a license.
These states, with the addition of the District of Columbia, include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Vermont, and Washington. Delaware and Hawaii have enacted legislation making unauthorized immigrants eligible for driver's licenses, but, at the time the Pew report was written, had not begun issuing licenses.
The first brief, Factors Influencing the Number of Alternative Driver's Licenses Issued by States, explained that it is too soon to draw definitive conclusions regarding the number of licenses that have been issued, since these states have been issuing license to unauthorized immigrants for less than two years.
The brief revealed that as of September 30, 2015, more than 900,000 unauthorized immigrants in eight jurisdictions (California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, Vermont and Washington, DC), have receive alternative licenses, with 513,000 of those licenses issued in California in just the last nine months.
Over the next five years, these states estimate to issue more than 2.8 million alternative licenses to unauthorized immigrants. Numbers are sure to surge as Delaware and Hawaii begin to issue licenses in the coming weeks, and as additional states follow suit.
Pew identified five core factors that may impact estimates for the number of immigrants seeking licenses: learning permit requirements, appointment availability, eligibility requirements, fraud and public outreach and education. Pew notes that estimating the number of applications is critical to planning for the cost of implementation, anticipated revenue and staffing needs.
The brief also explained that even if a state prepares for all these factors, it may still experience unanticipated events affecting the number of expected applications. In Vermont, for example, the number of driver's privilege cards issued as of October 18, 2015—more than 53,000—far exceeded the initial estimate of 1,500.
Pew's second brief, Alternative Driver's Licenses for Unauthorized Immigrants, stated both Delaware and Hawaii still need to make implementation-related decisions. In particular, the two states need to decide whether appointments will be needed to screen applicants, and how fraudulent applicants will be handled.
Pew noted the experience of other states should inform the discussion on how Delaware and Hawaii will make these important decisions before they begin issuing alternative licenses.
Providing driver's licenses to unauthorized immigrants is a contentious issue in many states. Under the 2005 REAL ID Act, states are authorized to issue licenses to unauthorized immigrants as long as those licenses are distinctly different from a regular driver's license that would be held by a legal resident.
The REAL ID Act implemented the 9/11 Commission's recommendation that the government set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver's licenses. The act prohibits federal agencies from accepting for official purposes licenses and identification cards from states that do not meet these standards. One of the goals of the REAL ID Act was to strengthen the security of federal facilities, nuclear power plants, and federally regulated aircraft from terrorist attacks.
Earlier this year, Homeland Security Today reported some security experts believe putting licenses in the hands of unauthorized immigrants is a practice that is antithetical to the 9/11 Commission's recommendations.
"REAL ID was intended to carry out key recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, which revealed that our nation's permissive system of issuing driver's licenses was a glaring vulnerability that was exploited by the terrorists who attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon," said FAIR President Dan Stein in a statement.
Stein added, "REAL ID is a textbook example of what happens when the vital interests of the American people run up against the interests of powerful business interests, the illegal alien lobby and bureaucratic foot-dragging. The interests of the American people – even the security of our nation – get sacrificed."
The Pew Charitable Trusts takes no position on federal, state or local laws or policies related to immigration or driver's licenses.
end
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
AZMEX UPDATE 14-12-15
AZMEX UPDATE 14 DEC 2015
Commentary by Bill Richardson Special to Tribune
Richardson: Arizona needs one boss to deal with Mexican cartels
Posted: Tuesday, December 8, 2015 11:26 am
Gov. Doug Ducey has announced his plans for a Border Strike Force within the Arizona Department of Public Safety to take on border crime and the infamous Mexican cartels we constantly hear about from Arizona politicians and border sheriffs. He plans to ask the state Legislature for tens of millions of dollars to fund Arizona's latest border crime effort.
The Arizona Sheriff's Association has come out swinging in opposition to Ducey's plan touting DPS has better things to do and they already have units working the border. The sheriffs also went onto blame the state for many of their current woes.
So much for playing well together and joining forces to fight a common enemy. Since the dissolution of the state's last collaborative Border Strike Force in 1981, the sheriffs have failed to come up with a better plan to tackle cross-border crime and its spread throughout the state.
Think of our border sheriffs as four mom-and-pop corner markets trying to compete with Wal-Mart. That's the state of affairs with four separate and independent sheriffs trying to take on the cartels.
Making more arrests and seizures simply can't solve the problem.
If the governor is serious about addressing the cross border crime issue and the role Mexico-based organized crime plays in Arizona, he needs to take off his politician's hat and put on his businessman hat.
Ducey, who touted his business credentials when he ran for governor and is a member of Arizona State University's prestigious W.P. Carey School of Business Hall of Fame, needs to understand the cartels are, in fact, global businesses with billions of dollars in the bank, that employ the principles of vertical integration and have a supply chain that would make America's corporate giants green with envy. We're not talking about a bunch of Mexicans who got lucky; we're talking about some of the best business acumen in the world.
Tens of millions of dollars spent on traditional law enforcement isn't going to worry them or even slow the flow of contraband going north from Mexico through Arizona and across the United States. It'll put on a good show, but won't even put a dent in the cartels factored in losses in their business plan.
Ducey needs to understand he can't just arrest Arizona out of its role as the "Ho Chi Minh Trail" of drug smuggling into the United States.
What he can do, as Arizona's CEO, is to make it more difficult and expensive to do business in Arizona for the cartels and their associates who operate with near impunity.
The cartels, the competition, are highly organized like a well-run corporation. Statewide law enforcement in Arizona is fragmented and in disarray. The sheriffs and many of the law enforcement agencies that fall under the control of the governor do their own thing. They all compete for cash and credit.
If the governor's plan is going make a real difference there needs to be a single boss that directs Arizona's anti-cartel/organized crime efforts from the top down. And that includes the regulatory agencies that also have the authority and mission to deal with the various business enterprises that are controlled by the cartels that go well beyond just drugs and human smuggling.
The cartel's relationships with the gangs that control the state's prisons and the street gangs that do the dirty work at the street level are also key players in the cartel's business plan the governor needs to also address.
Ducey needs to look at the cartels as a competing business with a business plan and supply chain that touches every community in Arizona.
At the end of the day, showy press conferences with stacks of drugs, money and guns look cool, but it's going to take more than arrests and county sheriffs beating their chests to make a dent in the cartel's presence and impact on Arizona and its future.
Retired Mesa master police officer Bill Richardson lives in the East Valley and can be reached at bill.richardson@cox.net.
end
Asesinan jóvenes a pastor de una iglesia en SLRC
Detalles Publicado el Sabado 12 de Diciembre de 2015,
Escrito por Redacción / El Diario
SLRC.
El cuerpo de la vÃctima fue localizado a la orilla de un canal, el cual presentaba heridas punzo cortantes.
varias heridas punzocortantes fue encontrado el cuerpo de una persona a la orilla de un canal, hallazgo registrado por la PolicÃa Estatal Investigadora (PEI) a las 14:00 horas de del jueves.
Fue identificado, por la esposa del occiso, como Héctor GarcÃa UrÃas, de 58 años, quien presentó tres lesiones en región occipital del lado izquierdo y estaba en calidad de persona desaparecida o extraviada, por lo que existÃa denuncia.
Se encontró entre la maleza a orillas del agua del canal Bacanora, en la carretera San Luis-Rito, a donde acudió el Agente del Ministerio Público del Fuero Común quien ordenó el levantamiento y traslado del cuerpo para la necropsia de ley.
GarcÃa UrÃas, pastor de una iglesia en California, fue visto por última vez cuando salió a lavar su vehÃculo al estar de visita en casa de su madre en esta ciudad, por lo que se iniciaron las indagatorias correspondientes.
Agentes de la PEI lograron la aprehensión de Samuel Alberto Gómez Zazueta, de 19 años, Yésica Sánchez Medina, de 24, y Salvador Ruiz Candela, de 21, a quienes se les aseguro 16 envoltorios confeccionados en plástico conteniendo, al parecer, "crystal".
Ellos confesaron privar de la vida al pastor, a quien presuntamente arrojaron a un canal de desagüe, logrando recuperar los policÃas investigadores algunos objetos que los relacionan con la vÃctima, quedando los jóvenes a disposición del Ministerio Público.
FIN
Friday, December 11, 2015
AZMEX UPDATE 11-12-15
AZMEX UPDATE 11 DEC 2015
Note: One of several informal border transit sector execs to become deceased in past couple weeks. Including in northern Sonora.
No media, no links.
A good bit of very quiet speculation on who is doing it..
Mostly computer english.
Note: One of several management level execs to Become deceased in past couple weeks. Including in northern Sonora.
Nephew of "El Mayo" Zambada killed in confrontation
11 / Dec / 2015 - 10:08 a.m.
http://tribuna.com.mx/nota.php?n=8255
Vicente Zambada trying to board a vehicle when he was caught by the armed group
By:
Culiacan, Sinaloa.- Thursday night an armed group killed Vicente Zambada Reyes, nephew of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, when he tried to board a late-model truck in Hidalgo, Culiacan, Sinaloa colony.
Zambada Reyes was in the company of three people, one of them died on the spot, while the rest was injured, who were taken to a private clinic for treatment.
Unofficially it was learned that the injured were identified as brothers Humberto Trinidad and Ignacio Benitez Osvaldo Avila.
In the scene more than 100 casings from 9 mm caliber and AK-47 rifles were found.
finish
Note: Exempt from the rules only while in the ruling class?
PGJE found weapons used exclusively by the army in search warrant
Details Published on Friday December 11, 2015,
Written by Drafting
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63303
Hermosillo.
In housing nephew of former Gov. Guillermo Padres.
The Attorney General of the State of Sonora (PGJE), yesterday several raids in the city of Hermosillo in different homes, whose owners or possessors to be related to investigations of insurance over 3.5 million pesos guarding and transporting who He was identified as Luis Lopez Moreno Aristiga.
It notes that these raids were authorized by the Fifth Criminal Judge of first instance of this same city.
The first of the raids occurred in Nightingale Street # 307 Fraccionamiento Los Lagos, domicile where receipts room services on behalf of Mr. lend in that house were found Jose Arturo Dagnino Acuña
In this place the experts of the Office found and secured firearms used exclusively by the army, as a 9MM caliber pistol s Luger brand, supplied with magazine, also a 40 caliber pistol Glock brand, Also supplied with a magazine, a high-powered rifle fitted with a telescopic sight .270 caliber, as well as a lot of rounds of ammunition for the 9 mm. All this is legally classified as exclusive use of military weapons, so will be given to the Attorney General's Office (PGR) with such evidence to be under federal jurisdiction.
In the same place a motorcycle Harley-Davidson brand, which it found indications that the number could be altered was seized.
Likewise a recent model Mercedes Benz vehicle, white, truck type, within which several rounds of ammunition were found caliber 9mm taken. they also collected and secured various documents related to the person named above, it is estimated that relevant to the clarification of the facts under investigation.
More:
http://www.elimparcial.com/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Sonora/11122015/1035585-Aseguran-armas-en-cateos.html
FINISH
PGR seizes methamphetamine in Sonora
Details Published on Thursday December 10, 2015,
Written by Drafting / El Diario
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63260
The Attorney General's Office (PGR) said more than nine kilos of methamphetamine, which were transported in a van type vehicle, on the road
Navojoa Estacion Don by the Toltecs ejido, municipality of Huatabampo, Sonora.
Officers located the vehicle after a citizen complaint up to the International Highway 15 Mexico-Nogales, from Culiacan, Sinaloa, bound for Tijuana, Baja California, achieving the arrest of three people.
finish
Authorities seize 53 pounds of drugs
Details Published on Friday December 11, 2015,
Written by Rosalia Muñoz
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63321
NOGALES, AZ.
Official at the junction Dennis DeConcini able to seize this amount in two inspections.
A resident of Nogales, Arizona, and other Rio Rico, were arrested last Tuesday with a total smuggle 53 pounds of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.
Official at the junction Dennis DeConcini sent to a resident of Nogales, Arizona, Nevares Francisco Huerta, 73, to a further inspection with his Nissan.
In the process of inspection, a narcotics detection canine alerted the presence of drugs in the car and then the officers located the vehicle in more than 25 pounds of methamphetamine valued at $ 76,000.
Later, officers in the same crossing, sent a second to review Jose Humberto Villa, 19, a resident of Rio Rico, Arizona.
The young man driving a Dodge sedan car which was carrying 13 pounds of cocaine valued at $ 139,000; 12 pounds of methamphetamine valued at $ 36,000 and a little more than two pounds of heroin with an estimated value of $ 32,000.
finish
Matan en enfrentamiento a sobrino de 'El Mayo' Zambada
11/Dic/2015 - 10:08 am
http://tribuna.com.mx/nota.php?n=8255
Vicente Zambada intentaba abordar un vehículo cuando fue sorprendido por el grupo armado
Por:
Culiacán, Sinaloa.- La noche de este jueves un grupo armado asesinó a Vicente Zambada Reyes, sobrino de Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, cuando pretendía abordar una camioneta de modelo reciente en la colonia Hidalgo, Culiacán, Sinaloa.
Zambada Reyes iba en compañía de tres personas, una de ellas murió en el lugar, mientras que el resto resultó con lesiones, quienes fueron trasladados a una clínica particular para ser atendidos.
Extraoficialmente se supo que los heridos fueron identificados como los hermanos Trinidad Humberto e Ignacio Osvaldo Ávila Benítez.
En el lugar de los hechos se encontraron más de 100 casquillos percutidos calibre .9 milímetros y rifles AK-47.
fin
Note: Exempt from the rules only while in the ruling class?
PGJE halla armas de uso exclusivo del Ejército en cateo
Detalles Publicado el Viernes 11 de Diciembre de 2015,
Escrito por Redacción
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63303
Hermosillo.
En vivienda de sobrino del ex gobernador Guillermo Padrés.
La Procuraduría General de Justicia del Estado de Sonora (PGJE), realizó ayer varios cateos en la ciudad de Hermosillo en distintos domicilios, cuyos propietarios o poseedores se consideran relacionados con las investigaciones del aseguramiento de más de 3.5 millones de pesos que custodiaba y transportaba quien se identificó como Luis Aristiga López Moreno.
Cabe señalar que dichos cateos fueron autorizados por el Juez Quinto del Ramo Penal de primer instancia de esta misma Ciudad.
El primero de los cateos ocurrió en la calle Ruiseñor # 307 del Fraccionamiento Los Lagos, domicilio en el cual se encontraron recibos de servicios que se prestan en esa casa habitación a nombre del Sr. José Arturo Dagnino Acuña
En dicho lugar los peritos de la Procuraduría encontraron y aseguraron armas de fuego de uso exclusivo del ejército, como una pistola tipo escuadra calibre .009 milímetros, marca Lugger, con un cargador abastecido, además una pistola tipo escuadra calibre 40 milímetros, marca Glock, también con un cargador abastecido, un rifle de alto poder provisto de mira telescópica calibre 2.70, así como una gran cantidad de cartuchos útiles correspondientes al calibre 009 milímetros. Todo esto es armamento clasificado legalmente como de uso exclusivo del ejército, por lo que al ser de competencia federal se dará vista a la Procuraduría General de la Republica (PGR) con tales evidencias.
En ese mismo lugar se aseguró una motocicleta de la marca Harley-Davidson, a la que se le encontraron indicios de que su serie pudiera encontrarse alterada o remarcada.
De la misma forma se aseguró un vehículo marca Mercedes Benz de modelo reciente, color blanco, tipo camioneta, en cuyo interior se encontraron diversos cartuchos útiles calibre .009 milímetros. También se recogió y aseguró diversa documentación relacionada con la persona mencionada anteriormente, misma que se estima relevante para el esclarecimiento de los hechos que se investigan.
More:
http://www.elimparcial.com/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Sonora/11122015/1035585-Aseguran-armas-en-cateos.html
FIN
Asegura PGR metanfetamina en Sonora
Detalles Publicado el Jueves 10 de Diciembre de 2015,
Escrito por Redacción / El Diario
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63260
La Procuraduría General de la República (PGR) aseguró más de nueve kilos de metanfetamina, que eran transportados, en un vehículo tipo vagoneta, en el tramo Estación Don-Navojoa, a la altura del ejido Los Toltecas, Municipio de Huatabampo, Sonora.
Los agentes localizaron el vehículo tras una denuncia ciudadana a la altura de la Carretera Internacional 15 México-Nogales, procedente de Culiacán, Sinaloa, con destino a Tijuana, Baja California, logrando la detención de tres personas.
fin
Decomisan 53 libras de droga
Detalles Publicado el Viernes 11 de Diciembre de 2015,
Escrito por Rosalía Muñoz
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63321
NOGALES, AZ.
Oficiales en el cruce Dennis DeConcini lograron incautar esta cantidad en dos revisiones.
Un residente de Nogales, Arizona, y otro de Río Rico, fueron detenidos el pasado martes con un contrabando total de 53 libras de cocaína, heroína y metanfetamina.
Oficiales en el cruce Dennis DeConcini enviaron a un residente de Nogales, Arizona, Francisco Nevares Huerta, de 73 años, a una inspección adicional junto a su automóvil Sedan Nissan.
En el proceso de inspección un canino de detección de narcóticos alertó la presencia de drogas en el auto y posteriormente los agentes localizaron dentro del vehiculo más de 25 libras de metanfetamina valorada en 76 mil dólares.
Más tarde, los oficiales, en el mismo cruce, enviaron a una segunda revisión a José Humberto Villa, de 19 años, residente de Río Rico, Arizona.
El joven conducía un automóvil sedán Dodge donde transportaba 13 libras de cocaína valuada en 139 mil dólares; 12 libras de metanfetamina valuada en 36 mil dólares y un poco más de dos libras de heroína con un valor estimado de 32 mil dólares.
fin
Note: One of several informal border transit sector execs to become deceased in past couple weeks. Including in northern Sonora.
No media, no links.
A good bit of very quiet speculation on who is doing it..
Mostly computer english.
Note: One of several management level execs to Become deceased in past couple weeks. Including in northern Sonora.
Nephew of "El Mayo" Zambada killed in confrontation
11 / Dec / 2015 - 10:08 a.m.
http://tribuna.com.mx/nota.php?n=8255
Vicente Zambada trying to board a vehicle when he was caught by the armed group
By:
Culiacan, Sinaloa.- Thursday night an armed group killed Vicente Zambada Reyes, nephew of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, when he tried to board a late-model truck in Hidalgo, Culiacan, Sinaloa colony.
Zambada Reyes was in the company of three people, one of them died on the spot, while the rest was injured, who were taken to a private clinic for treatment.
Unofficially it was learned that the injured were identified as brothers Humberto Trinidad and Ignacio Benitez Osvaldo Avila.
In the scene more than 100 casings from 9 mm caliber and AK-47 rifles were found.
finish
Note: Exempt from the rules only while in the ruling class?
PGJE found weapons used exclusively by the army in search warrant
Details Published on Friday December 11, 2015,
Written by Drafting
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63303
Hermosillo.
In housing nephew of former Gov. Guillermo Padres.
The Attorney General of the State of Sonora (PGJE), yesterday several raids in the city of Hermosillo in different homes, whose owners or possessors to be related to investigations of insurance over 3.5 million pesos guarding and transporting who He was identified as Luis Lopez Moreno Aristiga.
It notes that these raids were authorized by the Fifth Criminal Judge of first instance of this same city.
The first of the raids occurred in Nightingale Street # 307 Fraccionamiento Los Lagos, domicile where receipts room services on behalf of Mr. lend in that house were found Jose Arturo Dagnino Acuña
In this place the experts of the Office found and secured firearms used exclusively by the army, as a 9MM caliber pistol s Luger brand, supplied with magazine, also a 40 caliber pistol Glock brand, Also supplied with a magazine, a high-powered rifle fitted with a telescopic sight .270 caliber, as well as a lot of rounds of ammunition for the 9 mm. All this is legally classified as exclusive use of military weapons, so will be given to the Attorney General's Office (PGR) with such evidence to be under federal jurisdiction.
In the same place a motorcycle Harley-Davidson brand, which it found indications that the number could be altered was seized.
Likewise a recent model Mercedes Benz vehicle, white, truck type, within which several rounds of ammunition were found caliber 9mm taken. they also collected and secured various documents related to the person named above, it is estimated that relevant to the clarification of the facts under investigation.
More:
http://www.elimparcial.com/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Sonora/11122015/1035585-Aseguran-armas-en-cateos.html
FINISH
PGR seizes methamphetamine in Sonora
Details Published on Thursday December 10, 2015,
Written by Drafting / El Diario
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63260
The Attorney General's Office (PGR) said more than nine kilos of methamphetamine, which were transported in a van type vehicle, on the road
Navojoa Estacion Don by the Toltecs ejido, municipality of Huatabampo, Sonora.
Officers located the vehicle after a citizen complaint up to the International Highway 15 Mexico-Nogales, from Culiacan, Sinaloa, bound for Tijuana, Baja California, achieving the arrest of three people.
finish
Authorities seize 53 pounds of drugs
Details Published on Friday December 11, 2015,
Written by Rosalia Muñoz
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63321
NOGALES, AZ.
Official at the junction Dennis DeConcini able to seize this amount in two inspections.
A resident of Nogales, Arizona, and other Rio Rico, were arrested last Tuesday with a total smuggle 53 pounds of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.
Official at the junction Dennis DeConcini sent to a resident of Nogales, Arizona, Nevares Francisco Huerta, 73, to a further inspection with his Nissan.
In the process of inspection, a narcotics detection canine alerted the presence of drugs in the car and then the officers located the vehicle in more than 25 pounds of methamphetamine valued at $ 76,000.
Later, officers in the same crossing, sent a second to review Jose Humberto Villa, 19, a resident of Rio Rico, Arizona.
The young man driving a Dodge sedan car which was carrying 13 pounds of cocaine valued at $ 139,000; 12 pounds of methamphetamine valued at $ 36,000 and a little more than two pounds of heroin with an estimated value of $ 32,000.
finish
Matan en enfrentamiento a sobrino de 'El Mayo' Zambada
11/Dic/2015 - 10:08 am
http://tribuna.com.mx/nota.php?n=8255
Vicente Zambada intentaba abordar un vehículo cuando fue sorprendido por el grupo armado
Por:
Culiacán, Sinaloa.- La noche de este jueves un grupo armado asesinó a Vicente Zambada Reyes, sobrino de Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, cuando pretendía abordar una camioneta de modelo reciente en la colonia Hidalgo, Culiacán, Sinaloa.
Zambada Reyes iba en compañía de tres personas, una de ellas murió en el lugar, mientras que el resto resultó con lesiones, quienes fueron trasladados a una clínica particular para ser atendidos.
Extraoficialmente se supo que los heridos fueron identificados como los hermanos Trinidad Humberto e Ignacio Osvaldo Ávila Benítez.
En el lugar de los hechos se encontraron más de 100 casquillos percutidos calibre .9 milímetros y rifles AK-47.
fin
Note: Exempt from the rules only while in the ruling class?
PGJE halla armas de uso exclusivo del Ejército en cateo
Detalles Publicado el Viernes 11 de Diciembre de 2015,
Escrito por Redacción
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63303
Hermosillo.
En vivienda de sobrino del ex gobernador Guillermo Padrés.
La Procuraduría General de Justicia del Estado de Sonora (PGJE), realizó ayer varios cateos en la ciudad de Hermosillo en distintos domicilios, cuyos propietarios o poseedores se consideran relacionados con las investigaciones del aseguramiento de más de 3.5 millones de pesos que custodiaba y transportaba quien se identificó como Luis Aristiga López Moreno.
Cabe señalar que dichos cateos fueron autorizados por el Juez Quinto del Ramo Penal de primer instancia de esta misma Ciudad.
El primero de los cateos ocurrió en la calle Ruiseñor # 307 del Fraccionamiento Los Lagos, domicilio en el cual se encontraron recibos de servicios que se prestan en esa casa habitación a nombre del Sr. José Arturo Dagnino Acuña
En dicho lugar los peritos de la Procuraduría encontraron y aseguraron armas de fuego de uso exclusivo del ejército, como una pistola tipo escuadra calibre .009 milímetros, marca Lugger, con un cargador abastecido, además una pistola tipo escuadra calibre 40 milímetros, marca Glock, también con un cargador abastecido, un rifle de alto poder provisto de mira telescópica calibre 2.70, así como una gran cantidad de cartuchos útiles correspondientes al calibre 009 milímetros. Todo esto es armamento clasificado legalmente como de uso exclusivo del ejército, por lo que al ser de competencia federal se dará vista a la Procuraduría General de la Republica (PGR) con tales evidencias.
En ese mismo lugar se aseguró una motocicleta de la marca Harley-Davidson, a la que se le encontraron indicios de que su serie pudiera encontrarse alterada o remarcada.
De la misma forma se aseguró un vehículo marca Mercedes Benz de modelo reciente, color blanco, tipo camioneta, en cuyo interior se encontraron diversos cartuchos útiles calibre .009 milímetros. También se recogió y aseguró diversa documentación relacionada con la persona mencionada anteriormente, misma que se estima relevante para el esclarecimiento de los hechos que se investigan.
More:
http://www.elimparcial.com/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Sonora/11122015/1035585-Aseguran-armas-en-cateos.html
FIN
Asegura PGR metanfetamina en Sonora
Detalles Publicado el Jueves 10 de Diciembre de 2015,
Escrito por Redacción / El Diario
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63260
La Procuraduría General de la República (PGR) aseguró más de nueve kilos de metanfetamina, que eran transportados, en un vehículo tipo vagoneta, en el tramo Estación Don-Navojoa, a la altura del ejido Los Toltecas, Municipio de Huatabampo, Sonora.
Los agentes localizaron el vehículo tras una denuncia ciudadana a la altura de la Carretera Internacional 15 México-Nogales, procedente de Culiacán, Sinaloa, con destino a Tijuana, Baja California, logrando la detención de tres personas.
fin
Decomisan 53 libras de droga
Detalles Publicado el Viernes 11 de Diciembre de 2015,
Escrito por Rosalía Muñoz
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63321
NOGALES, AZ.
Oficiales en el cruce Dennis DeConcini lograron incautar esta cantidad en dos revisiones.
Un residente de Nogales, Arizona, y otro de Río Rico, fueron detenidos el pasado martes con un contrabando total de 53 libras de cocaína, heroína y metanfetamina.
Oficiales en el cruce Dennis DeConcini enviaron a un residente de Nogales, Arizona, Francisco Nevares Huerta, de 73 años, a una inspección adicional junto a su automóvil Sedan Nissan.
En el proceso de inspección un canino de detección de narcóticos alertó la presencia de drogas en el auto y posteriormente los agentes localizaron dentro del vehiculo más de 25 libras de metanfetamina valorada en 76 mil dólares.
Más tarde, los oficiales, en el mismo cruce, enviaron a una segunda revisión a José Humberto Villa, de 19 años, residente de Río Rico, Arizona.
El joven conducía un automóvil sedán Dodge donde transportaba 13 libras de cocaína valuada en 139 mil dólares; 12 libras de metanfetamina valuada en 36 mil dólares y un poco más de dos libras de heroína con un valor estimado de 32 mil dólares.
fin
AZMEX UPDATE 8-12-15
AZMEX UPDATE 8 DEC 2015
Note: Local interest mostly.
From $300 to $50,000 USD per load, smuggling wages range widely
By Murphy Woodhouse
Nogales International Updated 23 hrs ago Comments
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/from-to-per-load-smuggling-wages-range-widely/article_ba54b638-9d37-11e5-a8ca-8ba3d9d0ce92.html
County Probation Officer Hugh Odom looks at the cases he's managing this year, which he catalogues on sticky notes and mostly involve drug smuggling.
On Nov. 9, 2014, Jorge Alberto Saracho Velarde, 37, approached the Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry with 26 pounds of cocaine, which was eventually found in his Chevy truck's tires by port officials.
Before being sentenced to 2.5 years in prison at Santa Cruz County courts, the Caborca, Sonora resident told a probation officer that he had been promised $2,000 for the load if he was successful in delivering it.
Just over a year later, then-Border Patrol agent and Rio Rico resident Juan Pimentel, 47, was pulled over on Interstate 10 northwest of Tucson with more than 100 pounds of the same drug hidden in several suitcases. Pimentel allegedly told one of the arresting officers that he had known about the drugs and was taking them to Chicago in exchange for $50,000, meaning he was expecting 25 times the payout for just four times as much coke as Saracho had carried. Pimentel, of course, had a much longer drive than Saracho and a federal badge to boot.
When it comes to moving drugs in the local area, or out of it, the payment smugglers receive ranges widely, according to testimony provided by suspects sentenced in local courts over the last year.
A number of factors are at play behind the compensation offered, including age, nationality, the type of drugs and their weight, the experience of the smuggler and the sort of smuggling work being done, several law enforcement officials who work on local drug cases said.
But for a lot of would-be smugglers, the payouts, coming under $4,000 for most and under $1,000 for many, especially minors, pale in comparison to the legal consequences faced by those who are caught, said Hugh Odom, a long-time adult probation officer in Santa Cruz County.
Odom, who conducts pre-sentence interviews with adults convicted at Superior Court for drug-smuggling offenses, noted that many cite "serious economic problems, of support of their family, wife and children, sometimes an invalid mother or father," as their motivation for the crime.
"And they do this, and they get caught, whatever the problem was before, they've compounded it, made it much worse," he said.
Short-lived success
Most of the people Odom speaks with are first-timers, people with limited or no previous criminal background who get talked into smuggling by recruiters on both sides of the border, often because their economic circumstances have recently worsened. Some, he said, aren't even told what it is they'll be carrying, either on their person or in a vehicle.
The most common offer for what Odom called "greenhorns" is $1,000, though he qualified that by saying that larger loads or more valuable drugs can drive the wage upward.
He said, "$1,000 impresses people, I guess," adding that he has come to trust the reported figures because those who have already pleaded guilty "have no reason to lie."
Francisco Burrola, assistant special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigation's Nogales office, said cartel operatives will scout the ports of entry, looking for frequent pedestrian and vehicle crossers and marking them for recruitment.
A first-time offer for a 20- to 25-pound vehicle-carried load of hard drugs, such as meth, cocaine or heroin, is often between $3,000 to $4,000, he said. But Burrola and Odom said that with a few successful deliveries, smugglers can start commanding higher wages, with Burrola citing upwards of $8,000 per load.
Those good times don't often last long, Burrola said, adding that few captured smugglers say they had more than a half-dozen successful carries before their luck ran out.
The highest reported offer found in a search of sentencing stories published in the NI was $5,000 offered to a Nogales man for smuggling nearly 15 pounds of meth through the DeConcini port in January. While most arrangements delay payment until delivery, Burrola and Odom said those overseeing the load pay the promised amount on time if things go well.
"That's why they go up to bat on the second run," Burrola said, adding that those in charge of the loads have an incentive to recruit talented smugglers because they are often on the hook for lost product.
However, Kismet Flores, a Santa Cruz County juvenile probation officer, said that minors sometimes get less than they were promised, and are sometimes even physically abused by their handlers if things don't go well.
Mostly Mexicans
Toward the lower end of the smuggling pay scale are those who cross marijuana in 50- to 60-pound backpacks out in the desert or small amounts of harder drugs on their persons at ports. Many of the desert crossers are migrants who are offered free or reduced-cost human smuggling services in exchange for carrying a load. Those who do it for money earn between $500 and $2,000 due to the lower profit margins on relatively small marijuana loads, Burrola said.
Body carriers can earn between $500 and $1,500, Burrola said. For example, a young Nogales woman carrying 2.4 pounds of heroin through the Morley Avenue pedestrian crossing last fall told a probation officer she was offered $700, with which she hoped to help her grandmother with bills.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the worst money is made by minors, though they are normally entrusted with marijuana or the smallest loads of hard drugs, usually as body carriers. Burrola said that teens as young as 13 have been caught at Nogales ports.
"It's rare that we get a juvenile over $1,000," Flores said, adding $400 is about as low as it goes for minors carrying drugs across the border.
Flores said many young smugglers are told they will face minimal legal consequences if they get caught. For U.S. citizen minors with no prior convictions, getting caught trafficking usually results in probation, but Mexican national minors can end up serving time even if they have no record, Flores said.
Most of those caught locally, minors and adults alike, are Mexican nationals, Odom and Flores said, though Flores said that more local youths are being recruited.
Port officers are constantly learning about new smuggling methods and finding ways to catch those employing them, Burrola said. However, a more vexing challenge for federal officers is the seemingly endless supply of people in challenging economic circumstances, especially in Mexico, who are willing to roll the dice with a load.
"Until the Mexican government makes a change in the way they take care of their people, we'll be battling that day in day out," he said.
fin
Arizona authorities seize 1,382 pounds of pot, arrest 14 in five days
KTAR NEWSROOM | December 8, 2015 @ 1:46 pm
Seized bales of marijuana are shown. (Pinal County Sheriff's Office Photo)
PHOENIX — In what turned out to be a busy five days for deputies, more than 1,300 pounds of pot was seized and 14 people were arrested in multiple incidents in Arizona's Pinal County.
The busts began Nov. 29, when a Pinal County Sheriff's Office deputy tried to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation. The driver, Guadalupe Acosta Gutierrez, allegedly sped off before ramming into some trees and attempting to run away. He was chased down and arrested.
Deputies said they found 20 bales of marijuana in Gutierrez's vehicle.
The next day, deputies were contacted by U.S. Border Patrol to help them chase a possible smuggler. After the vehicle was abandoned by all but the driver, German Nunez-Mojarro, an estimated 500 pounds of marijuana was found inside.
On Dec. 2, a deputy was involved in a short chase with a vehicle on Highway 84, north of Interstate 8. After the car came to a stop, three people fled into the desert while three others were caught at the car.
Deputies found two assault-type rifles and what appeared to be survival supplies. The driver and the two other people were arrested.
Later that evening, deputies spotted a minivan driving down a highway with its door open. A deputy pulled the vehicle over and seven people ran into the desert. Four people, including the driver, were arrested after 502 pounds of marijuana was found in the vehicle.
On Dec. 3, a deputy pulled an SUV over and nine men wearing camouflage jumped out. Five of them were captured.
Later that day, a deputy saw two drivers driving erratically and both vehicles were pulled over. Six people fled the vehicles and, though none were caught, two bales of marijuana were seized.
end
Border Patrol seizes $1M in drugs so far this month
A canine team seized nearly 14 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in the rear bumper of this vehicle, the Border Patrol said. The driver was attempting to travel through the Wellton Station checkpoint on Interstate 8, east of Yuma.
Related Stories
Related: Border Patrol seizes $1M in drugs, arrest 24 so far in December
Related: 3 women arrested, $522K in drugs seized by Border Patrol
Related: Border Patrol has busy holiday week on Arizona border
Posted: Wednesday, December 9, 2015 9:46 am
Staff Reports
http://www.trivalleycentral.com/casa_grande_dispatch/arizona_news/border-patrol-seizes-m-in-drugs-so-far-this-month/article_761cc5b0-9e94-11e5-8422-57137bceaed8.html
YUMA — Border Patrol agents patrolling the Interstate 8 corridor have seized more than $1 million in drugs and arrested 24 suspected smugglers during the first week of December.
Several incidents during the weekend resulted in the seizure of 1,658 pounds of marijuana, worth $829,000, and the arrest of 12 illegal immigrants, authorities said.
Also in the last five days, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office reported that deputies have arrested 14 suspected smugglers and seized 1,382 pounds of marijuana in separate incidents. The interdictions were the efforts of PCSO deputies working on regular patrol or assisting Border Patrol agents working in western Pinal County.
On Friday, Wellton Station Border Patrol agents seized 469 pounds of marijuana, valued at an estimated $234,500, and arrested five suspected illegal immigrants in the Sonoran Desert.
The following morning, Yuma Station Border Patrol agents seized a vehicle and an estimated $359,500 worth of marijuana after its occupants illegally crossed into the U.S. through a shallow point of the Colorado River and the vehicle became inoperable. Six people evaded arrest by running back to Mexico, abandoning 719 pounds of marijuana.
That afternoon, Wellton Station Border Patrol agents seized two abandoned bundles of marijuana weighing 45 pounds and valued at an estimated $22,500, discovered by Air and Marine Operations Yuma Branch pilots.
On Sunday, Border Patrol agents assigned to Camp Grip, Yuma Sector's forward operating base, seized an abandoned ATV and 247 pounds of marijuana. The drugs are valued at an estimated $123,500.
Also on Sunday, Wellton Station Border Patrol agents arrested seven suspected illegal immigrants and seized 178 pounds of marijuana valued at an estimated $89,000.
On Thursday, two incidents resulted in the arrest of 12 individuals and the seizure of more than 400 pounds of drugs. The drugs had an estimated value of $280,674.
A Border Patrol canine team seized nearly 14 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in the rear bumper of a vehicle. The driver was attempting to travel through the Wellton Station checkpoint on Interstate 8, east of Yuma. The drugs had an estimated value of $68,674.
Border Patrol agents arrested 11 suspected illegal immigrants and seized 424 pounds of marijuana while patrolling in Yuma Sector's remote southeast area of operations. The agents were assigned to the sector's forward operating base, Camp Grip. The drugs had an estimated value of $212,000.
end
Note: some good news, although overall numbers not good.
No local cases of dengue fever
Tribune San Luis
December 8, 2015
By Joel Olea Galindo
http://www.oem.com.mx/tribunadesanluis/notas/n4022315.htm
San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora.- So far this year, in San Luis Rio Colorado has not been presented so far no cases of dengue fever, so the continuing need for action to avoid the presence of the mosquitoes, following the recommendations for prevention based on hygiene.
That was announced by the director of the General Hospital of the Ministry of Health, Government of the State of Sonora, Dr. Joel Godinez Lopez, who noted that despite some cases not presented this year in the municipality will remain a constant operational for prevention and control of mosquito breeding dengue transmitter.
The state official addressed the importance of always keeping at home the four steps that are being promoted among the population to prevent this disease, the same consisting of "washing, cover, turn and throw."
He was emphatic Dr. Godinez Lopez in having a lot of attention in the vacant lots and report them to the authorities, in order to prevent the spread of the Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae, transmitter of the disease.
"The alert is real, but fortunately so far not presented any case of dengue fever in San Luis Rio Colorado, fundamental actions taken in health in the towns of the valley and the city remain, highlighting dengue control, so a deployment of health teams working hard to achieve the goal "is performed.
Joel Godinez Lopez said it's important that the sanluisina population aware of the risk of occurrence of dengue, even though there is no record of any, we insist to take precautions and follow the preventive measures that we issued in the Secretariat Bless you".
Interviewed reiterated that the main recommendations to prevent dengue are based on hygiene, so reminiscent of sanluisinas families keep their homes and yards clean and provide proper treatment for batteries, buckets, vases and basins, where many often is the larva of the mosquito Aedes aegypti.
Finally, just seven days ago, Health Secretary in the state, Gilberto Beltran Ungson reported that so far this year there have been at Sonora 2,015 dengue fever cases against 2,874, which had the same week 2014, ie about 850 cases less.
Health minister said that in the case of hemorrhagic fever have occurred in Sonora 523 cases in total this year, giving a total of 2,538 dengue cases with five deaths to date.
finish
Note: But we are Told That Rocks are not dangerous? Or just not when delivered north of the line? SLRC, Son. Just south of Yuma, AZ.
Two minors hit with stones in serious condition
Very serious Davy brothers were hospitalized Josia and Sergio David Avila 17 and 15 years, because of gang attack in Chulavista II.
Tribune San Luis
December 8, 2015
Fredy Mejia
http://www.oem.com.mx/tribunadesanluis/notas/n4022303.htm
San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora.-Yesterday at noon during a quarrel in the neighborhood Chulavista II, were seriously injured and feet beaten with stones by a gang Davy Josiah gang brothers Sergio and David Avila, 17 and 15 years.
Because of the traumatic head injury the family proceeded to make the necessary arrangements with the authorities of the United States for the transfer of David Josiah to Yuma Regional Medical Center.
The family made the transfer of injured from both the General Hospital Chulavista II aboard a 1998 Mercury Mystique white car with Arizona plates BPB9740, driven by stepfather Jeffery Alberto García Cruz.
García Cruz revealed unknown facts as they occurred, since at the time since they were awakened at home.
And stepchildren are students attending US schools where they originated.
Traffic police officers and to detect the car circulating on la Libertad , and proceeded to intercept because of the immoderate speed and were informed it was carrying two children who had been injured in Chulavista II.
With siren and escorted the unit to the General Hospital, seen by medical staff immediately after being brought.
Their mother said she would make the appropriate arrangements for them to be hospitalized in the United States, as the doctor said Josiah Davy was unconscious.
Later in intensive operation in the colony made possible the arrest of four of the participants of the assault identified as Jesus Eduardo, 15; Christian Alberto Macias Cervantes; a Jesus Alejandro Ortega Vidaña, 20, and Luis Antonio Garcia Alamillo, 21.
All were placed behind bars and available to the Office of the Public Prosecutor's Office for investigations.
end
Yaquis lift blockade Vícam
Details Published on Monday December 7, 2015,
Written by Drafting / El Diario
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63042
The state government managed by the Yaqui ethnicity lifting the roadblock at Vícam, after complying with the agreements with the tribe and was described by Sonora Governor Pavlovich Claudia Arellano as a reconciliation.
After talking with leaders on a satellite link that had the company of the Secretary of Government, Miguel Ernesto Pompa Corella alongside traditional authorities they admitted that no more blockades, said he was very satisfied with the work of the team, to also highlight the phrase 'Before like before and now like now. '
finish
Drugs Drugs Drugs
Seize drug plane in Magdalena
Details Published on Monday December 7, 2015,
Written by Drafting / The Journal
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63040
The National Defense Secretariat through the Commander of the Second Military Region (Mexicali, BC) and 45 / a. Military Zone (Nogales, Son.) Report that this date, approximately 9 kilometers southeast of the Municipality. . of Magdalena de Kino, Son, personnel of the Mexican Army, said:
➢ A Cessna plane.
➢ 500 kilograms of marijuana.
The aircraft and the drugs, were made available to the Federal Public Ministry of Nogales, Son.
FINISH
PESP seize the marijuana cargo equivalent to one hundred thousand doses
Details Published on Tuesday December 8, 2015,
Written by Cesar Barragan / El Diario
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63091
Nogales
Being distributed in small portions drugs may have reached a value of 2 million pesos.
Members of the State Police Public Safety PESP, made the seizure of more than 68 kilos of marijuana in a vehicle abandoned near the ranch "El Bellotoso" of the border.
According to official reports elements (PESP) conducted surveillance patrols on the road leading to the property mentioned, where at kilometer 5, they saw a white Chevrolet, Suburban that was in apparent condition of abandonment.
After taking appropriate safety measures, they proceeded to check the vehicle, finding inside 9 packages wrapped in tape, which contained the herb known as marijuana.
The officials took the narcotics weighing approximately 68 kilograms of the drug, which amount to over 100 thousand doses with value in excess of 2 million pesos on the black market.
The agents conducted drug seizure which was made available to the Federal Public Ministry, in the premises of the PGR of this city, where they continue with the investigations.
In another case of police agents of the Unified Command in the town of Tubutama, managed to secure a backpack with about 4 kilograms of drugs.
The weekend events around 15:00 occurred when members of the State Public Security Police (PESP) patrols conducted surveillance on the main road from Saric to the town of Sasabe.
In the place they saw a man who threw a backpack to run and avoid arrest, the person threw a camouflaged backpack to escape, which contained a package wrapped in tape, which contained marijuana with an approximate weight to 4 kg drug.
The drug was secured, leaving it to the Public Prosecutor's Office for appropriate inquiries.
FINISH
Note: Local interest mostly.
From $300 to $50,000 USD per load, smuggling wages range widely
By Murphy Woodhouse
Nogales International Updated 23 hrs ago Comments
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/from-to-per-load-smuggling-wages-range-widely/article_ba54b638-9d37-11e5-a8ca-8ba3d9d0ce92.html
County Probation Officer Hugh Odom looks at the cases he's managing this year, which he catalogues on sticky notes and mostly involve drug smuggling.
On Nov. 9, 2014, Jorge Alberto Saracho Velarde, 37, approached the Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry with 26 pounds of cocaine, which was eventually found in his Chevy truck's tires by port officials.
Before being sentenced to 2.5 years in prison at Santa Cruz County courts, the Caborca, Sonora resident told a probation officer that he had been promised $2,000 for the load if he was successful in delivering it.
Just over a year later, then-Border Patrol agent and Rio Rico resident Juan Pimentel, 47, was pulled over on Interstate 10 northwest of Tucson with more than 100 pounds of the same drug hidden in several suitcases. Pimentel allegedly told one of the arresting officers that he had known about the drugs and was taking them to Chicago in exchange for $50,000, meaning he was expecting 25 times the payout for just four times as much coke as Saracho had carried. Pimentel, of course, had a much longer drive than Saracho and a federal badge to boot.
When it comes to moving drugs in the local area, or out of it, the payment smugglers receive ranges widely, according to testimony provided by suspects sentenced in local courts over the last year.
A number of factors are at play behind the compensation offered, including age, nationality, the type of drugs and their weight, the experience of the smuggler and the sort of smuggling work being done, several law enforcement officials who work on local drug cases said.
But for a lot of would-be smugglers, the payouts, coming under $4,000 for most and under $1,000 for many, especially minors, pale in comparison to the legal consequences faced by those who are caught, said Hugh Odom, a long-time adult probation officer in Santa Cruz County.
Odom, who conducts pre-sentence interviews with adults convicted at Superior Court for drug-smuggling offenses, noted that many cite "serious economic problems, of support of their family, wife and children, sometimes an invalid mother or father," as their motivation for the crime.
"And they do this, and they get caught, whatever the problem was before, they've compounded it, made it much worse," he said.
Short-lived success
Most of the people Odom speaks with are first-timers, people with limited or no previous criminal background who get talked into smuggling by recruiters on both sides of the border, often because their economic circumstances have recently worsened. Some, he said, aren't even told what it is they'll be carrying, either on their person or in a vehicle.
The most common offer for what Odom called "greenhorns" is $1,000, though he qualified that by saying that larger loads or more valuable drugs can drive the wage upward.
He said, "$1,000 impresses people, I guess," adding that he has come to trust the reported figures because those who have already pleaded guilty "have no reason to lie."
Francisco Burrola, assistant special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigation's Nogales office, said cartel operatives will scout the ports of entry, looking for frequent pedestrian and vehicle crossers and marking them for recruitment.
A first-time offer for a 20- to 25-pound vehicle-carried load of hard drugs, such as meth, cocaine or heroin, is often between $3,000 to $4,000, he said. But Burrola and Odom said that with a few successful deliveries, smugglers can start commanding higher wages, with Burrola citing upwards of $8,000 per load.
Those good times don't often last long, Burrola said, adding that few captured smugglers say they had more than a half-dozen successful carries before their luck ran out.
The highest reported offer found in a search of sentencing stories published in the NI was $5,000 offered to a Nogales man for smuggling nearly 15 pounds of meth through the DeConcini port in January. While most arrangements delay payment until delivery, Burrola and Odom said those overseeing the load pay the promised amount on time if things go well.
"That's why they go up to bat on the second run," Burrola said, adding that those in charge of the loads have an incentive to recruit talented smugglers because they are often on the hook for lost product.
However, Kismet Flores, a Santa Cruz County juvenile probation officer, said that minors sometimes get less than they were promised, and are sometimes even physically abused by their handlers if things don't go well.
Mostly Mexicans
Toward the lower end of the smuggling pay scale are those who cross marijuana in 50- to 60-pound backpacks out in the desert or small amounts of harder drugs on their persons at ports. Many of the desert crossers are migrants who are offered free or reduced-cost human smuggling services in exchange for carrying a load. Those who do it for money earn between $500 and $2,000 due to the lower profit margins on relatively small marijuana loads, Burrola said.
Body carriers can earn between $500 and $1,500, Burrola said. For example, a young Nogales woman carrying 2.4 pounds of heroin through the Morley Avenue pedestrian crossing last fall told a probation officer she was offered $700, with which she hoped to help her grandmother with bills.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the worst money is made by minors, though they are normally entrusted with marijuana or the smallest loads of hard drugs, usually as body carriers. Burrola said that teens as young as 13 have been caught at Nogales ports.
"It's rare that we get a juvenile over $1,000," Flores said, adding $400 is about as low as it goes for minors carrying drugs across the border.
Flores said many young smugglers are told they will face minimal legal consequences if they get caught. For U.S. citizen minors with no prior convictions, getting caught trafficking usually results in probation, but Mexican national minors can end up serving time even if they have no record, Flores said.
Most of those caught locally, minors and adults alike, are Mexican nationals, Odom and Flores said, though Flores said that more local youths are being recruited.
Port officers are constantly learning about new smuggling methods and finding ways to catch those employing them, Burrola said. However, a more vexing challenge for federal officers is the seemingly endless supply of people in challenging economic circumstances, especially in Mexico, who are willing to roll the dice with a load.
"Until the Mexican government makes a change in the way they take care of their people, we'll be battling that day in day out," he said.
fin
Arizona authorities seize 1,382 pounds of pot, arrest 14 in five days
KTAR NEWSROOM | December 8, 2015 @ 1:46 pm
Seized bales of marijuana are shown. (Pinal County Sheriff's Office Photo)
PHOENIX — In what turned out to be a busy five days for deputies, more than 1,300 pounds of pot was seized and 14 people were arrested in multiple incidents in Arizona's Pinal County.
The busts began Nov. 29, when a Pinal County Sheriff's Office deputy tried to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation. The driver, Guadalupe Acosta Gutierrez, allegedly sped off before ramming into some trees and attempting to run away. He was chased down and arrested.
Deputies said they found 20 bales of marijuana in Gutierrez's vehicle.
The next day, deputies were contacted by U.S. Border Patrol to help them chase a possible smuggler. After the vehicle was abandoned by all but the driver, German Nunez-Mojarro, an estimated 500 pounds of marijuana was found inside.
On Dec. 2, a deputy was involved in a short chase with a vehicle on Highway 84, north of Interstate 8. After the car came to a stop, three people fled into the desert while three others were caught at the car.
Deputies found two assault-type rifles and what appeared to be survival supplies. The driver and the two other people were arrested.
Later that evening, deputies spotted a minivan driving down a highway with its door open. A deputy pulled the vehicle over and seven people ran into the desert. Four people, including the driver, were arrested after 502 pounds of marijuana was found in the vehicle.
On Dec. 3, a deputy pulled an SUV over and nine men wearing camouflage jumped out. Five of them were captured.
Later that day, a deputy saw two drivers driving erratically and both vehicles were pulled over. Six people fled the vehicles and, though none were caught, two bales of marijuana were seized.
end
Border Patrol seizes $1M in drugs so far this month
A canine team seized nearly 14 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in the rear bumper of this vehicle, the Border Patrol said. The driver was attempting to travel through the Wellton Station checkpoint on Interstate 8, east of Yuma.
Related Stories
Related: Border Patrol seizes $1M in drugs, arrest 24 so far in December
Related: 3 women arrested, $522K in drugs seized by Border Patrol
Related: Border Patrol has busy holiday week on Arizona border
Posted: Wednesday, December 9, 2015 9:46 am
Staff Reports
http://www.trivalleycentral.com/casa_grande_dispatch/arizona_news/border-patrol-seizes-m-in-drugs-so-far-this-month/article_761cc5b0-9e94-11e5-8422-57137bceaed8.html
YUMA — Border Patrol agents patrolling the Interstate 8 corridor have seized more than $1 million in drugs and arrested 24 suspected smugglers during the first week of December.
Several incidents during the weekend resulted in the seizure of 1,658 pounds of marijuana, worth $829,000, and the arrest of 12 illegal immigrants, authorities said.
Also in the last five days, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office reported that deputies have arrested 14 suspected smugglers and seized 1,382 pounds of marijuana in separate incidents. The interdictions were the efforts of PCSO deputies working on regular patrol or assisting Border Patrol agents working in western Pinal County.
On Friday, Wellton Station Border Patrol agents seized 469 pounds of marijuana, valued at an estimated $234,500, and arrested five suspected illegal immigrants in the Sonoran Desert.
The following morning, Yuma Station Border Patrol agents seized a vehicle and an estimated $359,500 worth of marijuana after its occupants illegally crossed into the U.S. through a shallow point of the Colorado River and the vehicle became inoperable. Six people evaded arrest by running back to Mexico, abandoning 719 pounds of marijuana.
That afternoon, Wellton Station Border Patrol agents seized two abandoned bundles of marijuana weighing 45 pounds and valued at an estimated $22,500, discovered by Air and Marine Operations Yuma Branch pilots.
On Sunday, Border Patrol agents assigned to Camp Grip, Yuma Sector's forward operating base, seized an abandoned ATV and 247 pounds of marijuana. The drugs are valued at an estimated $123,500.
Also on Sunday, Wellton Station Border Patrol agents arrested seven suspected illegal immigrants and seized 178 pounds of marijuana valued at an estimated $89,000.
On Thursday, two incidents resulted in the arrest of 12 individuals and the seizure of more than 400 pounds of drugs. The drugs had an estimated value of $280,674.
A Border Patrol canine team seized nearly 14 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in the rear bumper of a vehicle. The driver was attempting to travel through the Wellton Station checkpoint on Interstate 8, east of Yuma. The drugs had an estimated value of $68,674.
Border Patrol agents arrested 11 suspected illegal immigrants and seized 424 pounds of marijuana while patrolling in Yuma Sector's remote southeast area of operations. The agents were assigned to the sector's forward operating base, Camp Grip. The drugs had an estimated value of $212,000.
end
Note: some good news, although overall numbers not good.
No local cases of dengue fever
Tribune San Luis
December 8, 2015
By Joel Olea Galindo
http://www.oem.com.mx/tribunadesanluis/notas/n4022315.htm
San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora.- So far this year, in San Luis Rio Colorado has not been presented so far no cases of dengue fever, so the continuing need for action to avoid the presence of the mosquitoes, following the recommendations for prevention based on hygiene.
That was announced by the director of the General Hospital of the Ministry of Health, Government of the State of Sonora, Dr. Joel Godinez Lopez, who noted that despite some cases not presented this year in the municipality will remain a constant operational for prevention and control of mosquito breeding dengue transmitter.
The state official addressed the importance of always keeping at home the four steps that are being promoted among the population to prevent this disease, the same consisting of "washing, cover, turn and throw."
He was emphatic Dr. Godinez Lopez in having a lot of attention in the vacant lots and report them to the authorities, in order to prevent the spread of the Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae, transmitter of the disease.
"The alert is real, but fortunately so far not presented any case of dengue fever in San Luis Rio Colorado, fundamental actions taken in health in the towns of the valley and the city remain, highlighting dengue control, so a deployment of health teams working hard to achieve the goal "is performed.
Joel Godinez Lopez said it's important that the sanluisina population aware of the risk of occurrence of dengue, even though there is no record of any, we insist to take precautions and follow the preventive measures that we issued in the Secretariat Bless you".
Interviewed reiterated that the main recommendations to prevent dengue are based on hygiene, so reminiscent of sanluisinas families keep their homes and yards clean and provide proper treatment for batteries, buckets, vases and basins, where many often is the larva of the mosquito Aedes aegypti.
Finally, just seven days ago, Health Secretary in the state, Gilberto Beltran Ungson reported that so far this year there have been at Sonora 2,015 dengue fever cases against 2,874, which had the same week 2014, ie about 850 cases less.
Health minister said that in the case of hemorrhagic fever have occurred in Sonora 523 cases in total this year, giving a total of 2,538 dengue cases with five deaths to date.
finish
Note: But we are Told That Rocks are not dangerous? Or just not when delivered north of the line? SLRC, Son. Just south of Yuma, AZ.
Two minors hit with stones in serious condition
Very serious Davy brothers were hospitalized Josia and Sergio David Avila 17 and 15 years, because of gang attack in Chulavista II.
Tribune San Luis
December 8, 2015
Fredy Mejia
http://www.oem.com.mx/tribunadesanluis/notas/n4022303.htm
San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora.-Yesterday at noon during a quarrel in the neighborhood Chulavista II, were seriously injured and feet beaten with stones by a gang Davy Josiah gang brothers Sergio and David Avila, 17 and 15 years.
Because of the traumatic head injury the family proceeded to make the necessary arrangements with the authorities of the United States for the transfer of David Josiah to Yuma Regional Medical Center.
The family made the transfer of injured from both the General Hospital Chulavista II aboard a 1998 Mercury Mystique white car with Arizona plates BPB9740, driven by stepfather Jeffery Alberto García Cruz.
García Cruz revealed unknown facts as they occurred, since at the time since they were awakened at home.
And stepchildren are students attending US schools where they originated.
Traffic police officers and to detect the car circulating on la Libertad , and proceeded to intercept because of the immoderate speed and were informed it was carrying two children who had been injured in Chulavista II.
With siren and escorted the unit to the General Hospital, seen by medical staff immediately after being brought.
Their mother said she would make the appropriate arrangements for them to be hospitalized in the United States, as the doctor said Josiah Davy was unconscious.
Later in intensive operation in the colony made possible the arrest of four of the participants of the assault identified as Jesus Eduardo, 15; Christian Alberto Macias Cervantes; a Jesus Alejandro Ortega Vidaña, 20, and Luis Antonio Garcia Alamillo, 21.
All were placed behind bars and available to the Office of the Public Prosecutor's Office for investigations.
end
Yaquis lift blockade Vícam
Details Published on Monday December 7, 2015,
Written by Drafting / El Diario
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63042
The state government managed by the Yaqui ethnicity lifting the roadblock at Vícam, after complying with the agreements with the tribe and was described by Sonora Governor Pavlovich Claudia Arellano as a reconciliation.
After talking with leaders on a satellite link that had the company of the Secretary of Government, Miguel Ernesto Pompa Corella alongside traditional authorities they admitted that no more blockades, said he was very satisfied with the work of the team, to also highlight the phrase 'Before like before and now like now. '
finish
Drugs Drugs Drugs
Seize drug plane in Magdalena
Details Published on Monday December 7, 2015,
Written by Drafting / The Journal
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63040
The National Defense Secretariat through the Commander of the Second Military Region (Mexicali, BC) and 45 / a. Military Zone (Nogales, Son.) Report that this date, approximately 9 kilometers southeast of the Municipality. . of Magdalena de Kino, Son, personnel of the Mexican Army, said:
➢ A Cessna plane.
➢ 500 kilograms of marijuana.
The aircraft and the drugs, were made available to the Federal Public Ministry of Nogales, Son.
FINISH
PESP seize the marijuana cargo equivalent to one hundred thousand doses
Details Published on Tuesday December 8, 2015,
Written by Cesar Barragan / El Diario
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=63091
Nogales
Being distributed in small portions drugs may have reached a value of 2 million pesos.
Members of the State Police Public Safety PESP, made the seizure of more than 68 kilos of marijuana in a vehicle abandoned near the ranch "El Bellotoso" of the border.
According to official reports elements (PESP) conducted surveillance patrols on the road leading to the property mentioned, where at kilometer 5, they saw a white Chevrolet, Suburban that was in apparent condition of abandonment.
After taking appropriate safety measures, they proceeded to check the vehicle, finding inside 9 packages wrapped in tape, which contained the herb known as marijuana.
The officials took the narcotics weighing approximately 68 kilograms of the drug, which amount to over 100 thousand doses with value in excess of 2 million pesos on the black market.
The agents conducted drug seizure which was made available to the Federal Public Ministry, in the premises of the PGR of this city, where they continue with the investigations.
In another case of police agents of the Unified Command in the town of Tubutama, managed to secure a backpack with about 4 kilograms of drugs.
The weekend events around 15:00 occurred when members of the State Public Security Police (PESP) patrols conducted surveillance on the main road from Saric to the town of Sasabe.
In the place they saw a man who threw a backpack to run and avoid arrest, the person threw a camouflaged backpack to escape, which contained a package wrapped in tape, which contained marijuana with an approximate weight to 4 kg drug.
The drug was secured, leaving it to the Public Prosecutor's Office for appropriate inquiries.
FINISH
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
AZMEX F&F EXTRA2 9-12-15
AZMEX F&F EXTRA2 9 DEC 2015
Two given life sentences for 2010 killing of US border agent Brian Terry
Posted: Dec 09, 2015 7:46 AM MST
Updated: Dec 09, 2015 12:15 PM MST
By Som Lisaius
Brian Terry. (Source: U.S. Border Patrol)
About two dozen Border Patrol agents attended the sentencing in support of Brian Terry and his family. (Source: Tucson News Now)
Jesus Leonel Sanchez-Meza or Lionel Portillo-Meza. (Source: FBI)
Ivan Soto-Barraza. (Source: FBI)
TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now/AP) -
http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/30704740/two-to-be-sentenced-for-2010-killing-of-us-border-agent-brian-terry
Two men convicted of first-degree murder in the killing of a Border Patrol agent whose death brought to light a bungled federal gun-tracking operation were sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday in Tucson.
Brian Terry was killed in a shootout in December 2010.
Jesus Leonel Sanchez-Meza and Ivan Soto-Barraza faced a mandatory life sentence and 20 years for each of the other counts. They were convicted in October.
Counts 2, 4 and 5 were vacated without prejudice. Sanchez-Meza and Soto-Barraza were sentenced to 20 years for Counts 6, 7 and 8. They were sentenced to 10 years for Count 9.
About two dozen Border Patrol agents attended the sentencing in support of Terry and his family.
Terry's killing exposed the Fast and Furious operation in which federal agents allowed criminals to buy guns with the intention of tracking them. But the agency lost most of the guns, including two that were found at scene of Terry's death.
Authorities say Sanchez-Meza and Soto-Barraza were members of a rip-crew that planned on robbing drug smugglers. Instead, they encountered border agents and engaged in a shootout.
Five other men have been accused of being involved in the shooting.
Rosario Rafael Burboa-Alvarez pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on Aug. 11, 2015. Burboa, who authorities said was responsible for organizing the "rip-off" crew, received a 27-year sentenced in October.
Manuel Osorio Arellanes pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in February 2014 and was sentenced to 30 years.
Rito Osorio-Arellanes, who was in custody at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery in February 2013. He was sentenced to eight years.
Authorities are still searching for Jesus Rosario Favela-Astorga and Heraclio Osorio- Arellanes. Both are wanted on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, attempted interference with commerce by robbery, use and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer.
END
Two given life sentences for 2010 killing of US border agent Brian Terry
Posted: Dec 09, 2015 7:46 AM MST
Updated: Dec 09, 2015 12:15 PM MST
By Som Lisaius
Brian Terry. (Source: U.S. Border Patrol)
About two dozen Border Patrol agents attended the sentencing in support of Brian Terry and his family. (Source: Tucson News Now)
Jesus Leonel Sanchez-Meza or Lionel Portillo-Meza. (Source: FBI)
Ivan Soto-Barraza. (Source: FBI)
TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now/AP) -
http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/30704740/two-to-be-sentenced-for-2010-killing-of-us-border-agent-brian-terry
Two men convicted of first-degree murder in the killing of a Border Patrol agent whose death brought to light a bungled federal gun-tracking operation were sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday in Tucson.
Brian Terry was killed in a shootout in December 2010.
Jesus Leonel Sanchez-Meza and Ivan Soto-Barraza faced a mandatory life sentence and 20 years for each of the other counts. They were convicted in October.
Counts 2, 4 and 5 were vacated without prejudice. Sanchez-Meza and Soto-Barraza were sentenced to 20 years for Counts 6, 7 and 8. They were sentenced to 10 years for Count 9.
About two dozen Border Patrol agents attended the sentencing in support of Terry and his family.
Terry's killing exposed the Fast and Furious operation in which federal agents allowed criminals to buy guns with the intention of tracking them. But the agency lost most of the guns, including two that were found at scene of Terry's death.
Authorities say Sanchez-Meza and Soto-Barraza were members of a rip-crew that planned on robbing drug smugglers. Instead, they encountered border agents and engaged in a shootout.
Five other men have been accused of being involved in the shooting.
Rosario Rafael Burboa-Alvarez pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on Aug. 11, 2015. Burboa, who authorities said was responsible for organizing the "rip-off" crew, received a 27-year sentenced in October.
Manuel Osorio Arellanes pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in February 2014 and was sentenced to 30 years.
Rito Osorio-Arellanes, who was in custody at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery in February 2013. He was sentenced to eight years.
Authorities are still searching for Jesus Rosario Favela-Astorga and Heraclio Osorio- Arellanes. Both are wanted on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, attempted interference with commerce by robbery, use and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer.
END
AZMEX F&F EXTRA 9-12-15
AZMEX F&F EXTRA 9 DEC 2015
2 men to be sentenced in 2010 killing of US border agent
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -
The latest on the sentencing of two men convicted of killing a Border Patrol agent (all times local):
7:45 a.m.
http://www.kvoa.com/story/30702511/2-men-to-be-sentenced-in-2010-border-agents-murder
Two men convicted of first-degree murder in the killing of a Border Patrol agent whose death brought to light a bungled federal gun-tracking operation are scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday in Tucson, Arizona.
Jesus Leonel Sanchez-Meza and Ivan Soto-Barraza face a mandatory life sentence on the murder charges plus an extra 20 years for each of several other counts for which they were convicted in October.
The December 2010 killing of Brian Terry exposed the Fast and Furious operation in which federal agents allowed criminals to buy guns with the intention of tracking them. But the agency lost most of the guns, including two that were found at scene of Terry's death.
Authorities say Sanchez-Meza and Soto-Barraza were members of a rip-crew that planned on robbing drug smugglers. Instead, they encountered border agents and engaged in a shootout.
END
2 men to be sentenced in 2010 killing of US border agent
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -
The latest on the sentencing of two men convicted of killing a Border Patrol agent (all times local):
7:45 a.m.
http://www.kvoa.com/story/30702511/2-men-to-be-sentenced-in-2010-border-agents-murder
Two men convicted of first-degree murder in the killing of a Border Patrol agent whose death brought to light a bungled federal gun-tracking operation are scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday in Tucson, Arizona.
Jesus Leonel Sanchez-Meza and Ivan Soto-Barraza face a mandatory life sentence on the murder charges plus an extra 20 years for each of several other counts for which they were convicted in October.
The December 2010 killing of Brian Terry exposed the Fast and Furious operation in which federal agents allowed criminals to buy guns with the intention of tracking them. But the agency lost most of the guns, including two that were found at scene of Terry's death.
Authorities say Sanchez-Meza and Soto-Barraza were members of a rip-crew that planned on robbing drug smugglers. Instead, they encountered border agents and engaged in a shootout.
END
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
AZMEX UPDATE 1-12-15
AZMEX UPDATE 1 DEC 2015
Comment: Some of the usual turf & funding fights. It is suspected in some quarters that one or more of the SO's would continue to be ineffective regardless of resources.
Updated Nov 30, 2015 - 6:46 pm
Arizona sheriffs push back against Gov. Doug Ducey's border security plan
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS |
November 30, 2015 @ 4:22 pm
http://ktar.com/story/789599/arizona-sheriffs-push-back-against-governors-border-security-plan/
(AP Photo/Refugio Ruiz)
PHOENIX — Gov. Doug Ducey should restore money taken from counties and fix ongoing problems with the state Department of Public Safety before pouring more cash into a new state border security strike force, the state sheriffs association said Monday.
The Arizona Sheriffs Association said in an open letter that Ducey's new plan relies on cash previously taken by the state from counties that has hampered their efforts to secure the border. In addition, the group said the state police needs to fill about 100 vacant positions that are hindering normal highway patrol functions, upgrade its aging radio system, its counter-terrorism information center and its crime lab.
"Personally I don't think it's needed, I haven't met a border sheriff yet that says it is," Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot said of Ducey's new border force. "If they found moneys that they want to spend in regards to border security, they can send that money to the counties to help offset the cost that we've incurred doing the job we're doing now."
Wilmot signed the letter as president of the association, which represents all 15 county sheriffs. He said Ducey's plan to hire as many as 180 new DPS officers makes no sense given current understaffing and the time it would take to get the new officers hired, trained and deployed.
"You're biting off a lot more than you can chew. It would take you over a year to get an officer hired on and field trained before they can actually get out on the street," Wilmot said. "A better use of the money would be to boost funding for special teams already deployed around the state and by helping counties with their border-related costs."
Ducey formally announced the creation of the border strike force last week, saying he would ask the Legislature to approve tens of millions of dollars of new funding in the coming state budget. He said his proposal will add staffing, technology, air assets and highway patrol coverage. He also wants to boost spending on prosecutors, help county jails pay for holding added prisoners and temporarily use Arizona National Guard troops.
The opposition from the sheriffs association comes after years of budget cuts to counties by the state. Wilmot said sheriffs' ability to respond to border crime has been severely hampered by the cuts. Just this year, the budget Ducey signed shifted more than $54 million in new costs to counties. For several years, the state highway user fund known as HURF that normally supports county road-building efforts has been tapped to fund the Highway Patrol.
"Send the HURF money back to the counties, quit putting cost shifts onto the counties to fix the budget at the state level," Wilmot said in an interview. "The state needs to look at funding DPS through general fund moneys and address the concerns that we have before we even look at considering supporting any future additional projects the governor might have in mind for the Arizona Department of Public Safety."
Ducey said last week that his administration would work with local sheriffs to implement his plan, but he sidestepped a question about opposition from some sheriffs. Ducey spokesman Daniel Scarpinato said he was reviewing the letter Monday afternoon.
END
Note: and then Howie's take on it.
Sheriffs push back against Gov. Ducey's border security plan
Association says funds should go to communities
Border Security Hearing
With seized drugs and weapons from border-crossing drug smugglers, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, left, speaks at a news conference after testifying at a field hearing of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee at the Arizona Capitol Monday, Nov. 23, 2015, in Phoenix. R. Gil Kerlikowske, center, commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, listens in during the news conference. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Posted: Tuesday, December 1, 2015 8:38 am
By HOWARD FISCHER, Capitol Media Services
http://www.trivalleycentral.com/casa_grande_dispatch/arizona_news/sheriffs-push-back-against-gov-ducey-s-border-security-plan/article_9e8489b0-9841-11e5-8336-db6e3d0bc0d2.html
PHOENIX — County sheriffs are panning plans by Gov. Doug Ducey to use tax dollars to create a border strike force, with one calling the proposal "a little insulting."
In an open letter to the governor signed by Chris Nanos of Pima County and Leon Wimot of Yuma County, the pair said they are glad to see Ducey "taking a proactive stance in Arizona regarding border related crimes." The pair were writing on behalf of all 15 sheriffs in the Arizona Sheriffs Association. Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu is a vice president in the association. Wimot is the president.
The sheriffs derided the fact that Ducey's plan to add perhaps up to 200 new officers to the Department of Public Safety comes on the heels of the state, with the governor's blessing, taking more than $54 million this year alone from counties. "When the governor takes money from the local communities that's one thing,'' Nanos told Capitol Media Services. "But then to tell the local communities, 'I'm going to put it into a law enforcement effort at the state level to dictate to the local levels what kind of services they need for law enforcement,' that's a little insulting," the Pima sheriff continued.
The sheriffs told Ducey if he wants to pour more money into DPS he should deal with the agency's existing problems, like not having enough officers to patrol all the state's roads on a 24/7 basis.
"We applaud the effort to help curb drug smuggling in Arizona, but I'm concerned that the DPS is being stretched too thin to meet their primary responsibilities of patrolling our state's highways and running the state's crime lab," Babeu said. " On rural, state routes in Pinal County, when the troopers go off duty, PCSO deputies take their calls."
In his own county's case, Nanos said he would prefer that Ducey give back the $22 million the state took this fiscal year. "Maybe some of my deputies, who haven't seen a pay raise in 10 years, would get a pay raise," he explained. "Maybe my staff levels could increase from 80-90 percent up to a full staff level,'' Nanos continued. "Maybe I could have some needs to meet community policing efforts, not necessarily border crime fighting.''
In unveiling the plan last week, the governor said he wants "tens of millions'' of dollars for the strike force. He said that would pay for not only additional DPS officers but also more money to prosecute criminals and helping counties pay for incarceration costs.
And Ducey said he wants to use the Arizona National Guard, at least on a temporary basis.
"We appreciate the governor for wanting to step in and help us," Nanos said. "But we think he'd be better equipped at helping us if he asked us what our needs really were."
Gubernatorial press aide Daniel Scarpinato acknowledged that the budget signed by his boss took money from counties to balance the budget. But he said it's irrelevant that Ducey says the state has money now to invest in things like the strike force.
"You're conflating two issues here," he said.
Scarpinato said his boss is working with local sheriffs to understand and deal with their specific local problems. And he said some are being addressed, like having round-the-clock troopers on state roads — albeit only in the border area. He also said the task force, which actually has been in operation since September, has already seized more heroin at the border than DPS seized in all of 2014.
Nanos, however, said that still leaves the state making decisions on crime-fighting priorities.
The sheriff said there may be some sheriffs that want additional boots on the ground to deal with drug and human smuggling across the border. But he stressed that each county's law enforcement needs are different.
That failure to consult with them, the sheriffs say, is only half the problem. The other half is Ducey creating a new program for DPS when they said the agency does not have the funds to fulfill its current mission.
For example, they said the agency has about 100 vacant positions.
"Priority One should be to fill those positions to adequately handle their regular patrols on the interstates and highways of Arizona," they wrote to Ducey. They said counties must "fill those gaps," especially in rural areas, when there are no DPS officers working certain shifts.
They also pointed out what they called the DPS' "aging radio system" which cannot communicate with county and local law enforcement.
And then there's the crime lab which the sheriffs says is "plagued by long turnaround times for evidence analysis which prohibits timely prosecution of cases." "Wouldn't you be better off staffing your jobs that you're responsible for, get those up and running in an acceptable manner, and then come back and say, 'Hey, what else can we do?' " Nanos said.
It's not just the shortcomings of DPS that make the sheriffs wary of expanding the current DPS mission.
That sentiment was echoed in the letter on behalf of all the sheriffs who said in their letter that they're still waiting for the governor to provide them with information on exactly how the strike force would operate.
But they said they cannot support the plan until they get to see that and until DPS "is able to address some of the challenges ... with their current mandated services.'' Only then, they told Ducey will they "gladly reconsider our support of any future additional projects being taken on by the Arizona Department of Public Safety.''
The Pima sheriff also questioned how much difference some additional DPS officers along the border would actually make. "We have 4,000 Border Patrol (officers) down here,'' he said.
"I think they've got a pretty good handle on it,'' Nanos continued. "I don't think adding 100 to 200 more bodies is going to make a difference."
end
Comment: Some of the usual turf & funding fights. It is suspected in some quarters that one or more of the SO's would continue to be ineffective regardless of resources.
Updated Nov 30, 2015 - 6:46 pm
Arizona sheriffs push back against Gov. Doug Ducey's border security plan
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS |
November 30, 2015 @ 4:22 pm
http://ktar.com/story/789599/arizona-sheriffs-push-back-against-governors-border-security-plan/
(AP Photo/Refugio Ruiz)
PHOENIX — Gov. Doug Ducey should restore money taken from counties and fix ongoing problems with the state Department of Public Safety before pouring more cash into a new state border security strike force, the state sheriffs association said Monday.
The Arizona Sheriffs Association said in an open letter that Ducey's new plan relies on cash previously taken by the state from counties that has hampered their efforts to secure the border. In addition, the group said the state police needs to fill about 100 vacant positions that are hindering normal highway patrol functions, upgrade its aging radio system, its counter-terrorism information center and its crime lab.
"Personally I don't think it's needed, I haven't met a border sheriff yet that says it is," Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot said of Ducey's new border force. "If they found moneys that they want to spend in regards to border security, they can send that money to the counties to help offset the cost that we've incurred doing the job we're doing now."
Wilmot signed the letter as president of the association, which represents all 15 county sheriffs. He said Ducey's plan to hire as many as 180 new DPS officers makes no sense given current understaffing and the time it would take to get the new officers hired, trained and deployed.
"You're biting off a lot more than you can chew. It would take you over a year to get an officer hired on and field trained before they can actually get out on the street," Wilmot said. "A better use of the money would be to boost funding for special teams already deployed around the state and by helping counties with their border-related costs."
Ducey formally announced the creation of the border strike force last week, saying he would ask the Legislature to approve tens of millions of dollars of new funding in the coming state budget. He said his proposal will add staffing, technology, air assets and highway patrol coverage. He also wants to boost spending on prosecutors, help county jails pay for holding added prisoners and temporarily use Arizona National Guard troops.
The opposition from the sheriffs association comes after years of budget cuts to counties by the state. Wilmot said sheriffs' ability to respond to border crime has been severely hampered by the cuts. Just this year, the budget Ducey signed shifted more than $54 million in new costs to counties. For several years, the state highway user fund known as HURF that normally supports county road-building efforts has been tapped to fund the Highway Patrol.
"Send the HURF money back to the counties, quit putting cost shifts onto the counties to fix the budget at the state level," Wilmot said in an interview. "The state needs to look at funding DPS through general fund moneys and address the concerns that we have before we even look at considering supporting any future additional projects the governor might have in mind for the Arizona Department of Public Safety."
Ducey said last week that his administration would work with local sheriffs to implement his plan, but he sidestepped a question about opposition from some sheriffs. Ducey spokesman Daniel Scarpinato said he was reviewing the letter Monday afternoon.
END
Note: and then Howie's take on it.
Sheriffs push back against Gov. Ducey's border security plan
Association says funds should go to communities
Border Security Hearing
With seized drugs and weapons from border-crossing drug smugglers, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, left, speaks at a news conference after testifying at a field hearing of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee at the Arizona Capitol Monday, Nov. 23, 2015, in Phoenix. R. Gil Kerlikowske, center, commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, listens in during the news conference. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Posted: Tuesday, December 1, 2015 8:38 am
By HOWARD FISCHER, Capitol Media Services
http://www.trivalleycentral.com/casa_grande_dispatch/arizona_news/sheriffs-push-back-against-gov-ducey-s-border-security-plan/article_9e8489b0-9841-11e5-8336-db6e3d0bc0d2.html
PHOENIX — County sheriffs are panning plans by Gov. Doug Ducey to use tax dollars to create a border strike force, with one calling the proposal "a little insulting."
In an open letter to the governor signed by Chris Nanos of Pima County and Leon Wimot of Yuma County, the pair said they are glad to see Ducey "taking a proactive stance in Arizona regarding border related crimes." The pair were writing on behalf of all 15 sheriffs in the Arizona Sheriffs Association. Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu is a vice president in the association. Wimot is the president.
The sheriffs derided the fact that Ducey's plan to add perhaps up to 200 new officers to the Department of Public Safety comes on the heels of the state, with the governor's blessing, taking more than $54 million this year alone from counties. "When the governor takes money from the local communities that's one thing,'' Nanos told Capitol Media Services. "But then to tell the local communities, 'I'm going to put it into a law enforcement effort at the state level to dictate to the local levels what kind of services they need for law enforcement,' that's a little insulting," the Pima sheriff continued.
The sheriffs told Ducey if he wants to pour more money into DPS he should deal with the agency's existing problems, like not having enough officers to patrol all the state's roads on a 24/7 basis.
"We applaud the effort to help curb drug smuggling in Arizona, but I'm concerned that the DPS is being stretched too thin to meet their primary responsibilities of patrolling our state's highways and running the state's crime lab," Babeu said. " On rural, state routes in Pinal County, when the troopers go off duty, PCSO deputies take their calls."
In his own county's case, Nanos said he would prefer that Ducey give back the $22 million the state took this fiscal year. "Maybe some of my deputies, who haven't seen a pay raise in 10 years, would get a pay raise," he explained. "Maybe my staff levels could increase from 80-90 percent up to a full staff level,'' Nanos continued. "Maybe I could have some needs to meet community policing efforts, not necessarily border crime fighting.''
In unveiling the plan last week, the governor said he wants "tens of millions'' of dollars for the strike force. He said that would pay for not only additional DPS officers but also more money to prosecute criminals and helping counties pay for incarceration costs.
And Ducey said he wants to use the Arizona National Guard, at least on a temporary basis.
"We appreciate the governor for wanting to step in and help us," Nanos said. "But we think he'd be better equipped at helping us if he asked us what our needs really were."
Gubernatorial press aide Daniel Scarpinato acknowledged that the budget signed by his boss took money from counties to balance the budget. But he said it's irrelevant that Ducey says the state has money now to invest in things like the strike force.
"You're conflating two issues here," he said.
Scarpinato said his boss is working with local sheriffs to understand and deal with their specific local problems. And he said some are being addressed, like having round-the-clock troopers on state roads — albeit only in the border area. He also said the task force, which actually has been in operation since September, has already seized more heroin at the border than DPS seized in all of 2014.
Nanos, however, said that still leaves the state making decisions on crime-fighting priorities.
The sheriff said there may be some sheriffs that want additional boots on the ground to deal with drug and human smuggling across the border. But he stressed that each county's law enforcement needs are different.
That failure to consult with them, the sheriffs say, is only half the problem. The other half is Ducey creating a new program for DPS when they said the agency does not have the funds to fulfill its current mission.
For example, they said the agency has about 100 vacant positions.
"Priority One should be to fill those positions to adequately handle their regular patrols on the interstates and highways of Arizona," they wrote to Ducey. They said counties must "fill those gaps," especially in rural areas, when there are no DPS officers working certain shifts.
They also pointed out what they called the DPS' "aging radio system" which cannot communicate with county and local law enforcement.
And then there's the crime lab which the sheriffs says is "plagued by long turnaround times for evidence analysis which prohibits timely prosecution of cases." "Wouldn't you be better off staffing your jobs that you're responsible for, get those up and running in an acceptable manner, and then come back and say, 'Hey, what else can we do?' " Nanos said.
It's not just the shortcomings of DPS that make the sheriffs wary of expanding the current DPS mission.
That sentiment was echoed in the letter on behalf of all the sheriffs who said in their letter that they're still waiting for the governor to provide them with information on exactly how the strike force would operate.
But they said they cannot support the plan until they get to see that and until DPS "is able to address some of the challenges ... with their current mandated services.'' Only then, they told Ducey will they "gladly reconsider our support of any future additional projects being taken on by the Arizona Department of Public Safety.''
The Pima sheriff also questioned how much difference some additional DPS officers along the border would actually make. "We have 4,000 Border Patrol (officers) down here,'' he said.
"I think they've got a pretty good handle on it,'' Nanos continued. "I don't think adding 100 to 200 more bodies is going to make a difference."
end
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