AZMEX UPDATE 2-6-18

Note: resend

AZMEX UPDATE 2 JUN 2018


Feds seize millions in drugs on GRIC, Tohono O'odham Nation
Staff Reports May 31, 2018 Updated May 31, 2018

https://www.pinalcentral.com/casa_grande_dispatch/area_news/feds-seize-millions-in-drugs-on-gric-tohono-o-odham/article_0fdac750-0794-5f09-9daf-d04aa150a740.html

PHOENIX — The Department of Interior says it's seized nearly 10,000 fentanyl pills and other drugs during a weeklong operation on tribal land in and around Pinal County.
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The sting also netted 48 pounds of methamphetamine, 863 pounds of marijuana, $30,000 in cash and 86 arrests. All in all, the street value of all the drugs seized was nearly $4.8 million.

The department says its opioid reduction task force conducted the operation on the Tohono O'odham Nation and Gila River Indian Community from May 15 to May 26 with the assistance of tribal police and other law enforcement authorities.

"It's heartbreaking to see the scale of the problem, and rather than further stigmatizing victims, we are cracking down on the dealers who are selling out our children, selling out our communities and selling out our nation," said Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke.

Here is a list of the significant seizures:

Methamphetamine — 33.2 pounds located in a vehicle tire with estimated street value of $1,754,212. (Tohono O'odham Nation)
Methamphetamine — 15 pounds located in a natural void of a Toyota Scion with a street value of $790,952. (Gila River Indian Community)
Heroin — 1.2 pounds located in a natural void of a Toyota Scion with a street value of $55,501. (Gila River Indian Community)
Cocaine — 0.5 pound located in a natural void of a Toyota Scion with a street value of $22,680. (Gila River Indian Community)
Marijuana — 863.588 pounds (four separate seizures) with an estimated street value of $1,802,072. (Tohono O'odham Nation)
Fentanyl — Approximately 9,050 pills with an estimated street value of $366,000. (Gila River Indian Community)
Total Seizure: 913.5 pounds of illegal narcotics and approximately 9,050 fentanyl pills with a total street value of approximately $4,791,417.

The task force for the interdiction operation consisted of special agents from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Division of Drug Enforcement and BIA K-9 uniformed officers, along with the Tohono O'odham Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol, Pascua Yaqui Tribal Police Department, San Carlos Apache Tribal Police Department, Gila River Tribal Police Department, Native American Targeted Investigations of Violent Enterprises Task Force and the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

The operation focused on highways known for being high drug trafficking routes into and through Indian Country.

Opioid overdoses claimed 800 lives in Arizona last year, and rural areas are particularly hit hard.

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Arizona National Guard has helped in 1200-plus arrests since April
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS
JUNE 2, 2018 AT 4:30 AM

http://ktar.com/story/2091479/arizona-national-guard-has-helped-in-1200-plus-arrests-since-april/

TUCSON, Ariz. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection says the Arizona National Guard has already helped with over 1,200 arrests and with the seizure of more than 1,300 pounds of marijuana since being deployed to help the Border Patrol in April.

Related Links
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey to send more National Guardsmen to border
Border Patrol union chief: National guard deployment a 'colossal waste'

The agency says in a news release that the guard lends significant help in keeping the border safe by providing aerial detection and logistical support and by repairing border infrastructure.

On Wednesday, a National Guard helicopter helped arrest six pot smugglers east of Ajo by guiding Border Patrol agents to their location from a helicopter. The agents found over 280 pounds of marijuana on the smugglers.

The National Guard has deployed over 300 troops to the Arizona-Mexico border at the request of President Donald Trump.

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