AZMEX UPDATE 17-5-17

AZMEX UPDATE 17 MAY 2017


US supports Mexico in fight against narco: Jacobson
Details Posted on Wednesday May 17, 2017,
Written by Special

Http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=89701

CD. MEXICO

The United States will continue to support Mexico in the fight against drug trafficking, said the United States Ambassador to Mexico, Roberta S. Jacobson, in the framework of the first National Conference on Forensic Chemistry of Fentanyl.

"In the United States it is one of our top priorities, along with increasing access to addiction treatment; You can be sure that we will continue to support Mexico as we fight together against this shared challenge. "

She also warned of increased fentanyl in the United States, a drug more potent than heroin.

"My government has made it clear that stopping the flow of opioids and other illegal narcotic drugs entering the United States is one of our top priorities, along with increasing access to addiction treatment."

According to recent data, she detailed, in 2015 alone, more than 33 thousand people died in the US of opioid overdose, representing a 72 percent increase over 2014, "and everything indicates that the data for 2016 and 2017 will show even greater numbers. "

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Border authorities seize more than $7.2 million in drugs
Posted: May 17, 2017 12:19 PM MST
Updated: May 17, 2017 12:19 PM MST
By The Associated Press
By News Staff
http://www.azfamily.com/story/35453646/border-authorities-seize-more-than-72-million-in-drugs

NOGALES, AZ (AP) -

Authorities say more than 13,700 pounds of marijuana hidden in a tractor trailer with a load of bell peppers has been seized in southern Arizona.

Officials with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Port of Nogales say the marijuana had an estimated value of more than $6.85 million.

The big rig underwent a secondary inspection Saturday at the Mariposa Commercial Facility.

CBP officers searched the semi with the help of a drug-sniffing canine and found the marijuana hidden among the bell peppers.

On Saturday night, officers at the Dennis DeConcini Crossing used a drug-sniffing dog to search a suspicious SUV.

They reported finding more than 34 pounds of cocaine hidden in the truck's back seats.

Authorities say the cocaine had an estimated value of $386,000.

The narcotics and vehicles were seized, and both subjects were arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigation.

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ICE officers deport Mexican National wanted for sex trafficking
Posted: May 17, 2017 10:33 AM MST
Updated: May 17, 2017 10:33 AM MST
Posted By Faye DeHoff

http://www.kvoa.com/story/35452665/ice-officers-deport-mexican-national-wanted-for-sex-trafficking

PHOENIX -
A Mexican national wanted in his native country for sex trafficking minors was handed over to Mexican law enforcement officials Tuesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales.

Valentin Mendiola Castaneda, 35, was transferred to the custody of Mexico's Procuraduria General de la Republica (PGR) and Mexican immigration by deportation officers with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). Mendiola was arrested in January by officers with
ERO's Fugitive Operations and special agents with ICE Homeland Security Investigations.

In addition to sex trafficking, the Mexican arrest warrant issued in June 2014 charges Mendiola Castaneda with the aggravated sexual exploitation of minors. The charging document alleges Mendiola Castaneda sexually exploited two young girls at hotels and residences in Toluca, Mexico, and participated in sexual acts with the minors.

"The removal of this sex trafficking suspect to face criminal charges in Mexico is the direct result of continued cooperation between ICE and our law enforcement counterparts in Mexico," said Henry Lucero, field office director for ERO in Phoenix. "Foreign criminal fugitives who believe they can escape justice by fleeing to the U.S. will be apprehended and handed over to the proper law enforcement authorities."

Relevant Department of Homeland Security databases indicate Mendiola Castaneda has been repatriated to Mexico 11 times since 1998. He also has two federal convictions for entering the U.S. illegally and served prison time in both cases. ICE reinstated Mendiola Castaneda's prior removal order paving the way for Tuesday's repatriation.

Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 1,700 foreign fugitives from the United States who were sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. In fiscal year 2016, ICE conducted 240,255 removals nationwide. Ninety-two percent of individuals removed from the interior of the United States had previously been convicted of a criminal offense.

ERO works with the ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Office of International Operations, foreign consular offices in the United States, and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the United States.

Members of the public who have information about foreign fugitives are urged to contact ICE by calling the ICE tip line at 1 (866) 347-2423 or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also file a tip online by completing ICE's online tip form.

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