DPS commends local, federal law enforcement
Last updated 10/13/2011 at Noon
DPS commends local and federal law enforcement agencies in Texas for seizing over $8 billion in drugs and cash
In
2006, 18 Texas Border Sheriffs banded together under Operation
Linebacker to combat Mexican Cartel smuggling in their counties. This
initiative was expanded under Operation Border Star to combine forces
with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 65 police departments, 53
border and coastal counties, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas Military
Forces, U.S. Coast Guard and the Texas Department of Public Safety
(DPS).
This
combined effort has prevented over 6.9 million pounds of marijuana;
73,428 pounds of cocaine; 1,737 pounds of heroin; and 5,987 pounds of
methamphetamine from being sold and used in communities throughout the
nation. It has also denied the Mexican Cartels and the gangs that
support them over $8.4 billion in drug profits since this initiative
began in April 2006 and $219 million in cash seized while en route to Mexico. Local and state officers also turned over 56,041 suspected Illegal Aliens to the U.S. Border Patrol.
“Drug
abuse not only robs the souls of our citizens, it empowers the Mexican
Cartels with billions of dollars in cash to battle each other and the
Government of Mexico which has resulted in the deaths of over 40,000
people thus far,” said Steven C. McCraw, DPS Director.
Every
day, deputies, police officers, Border Patrol Agents and state law
enforcement officers in the border region of Texas risk their lives to
protect Texas and the nation from the Mexican Cartels and transnational
gangs.
The
Mexican Cartels have become increasingly confrontational with law
enforcement in Texas; shooting at local, state and federal officers
along the Rio Grande River,
and leading officers in over 1,928 high speed chases, deploying
caltrops (spikes) 77 times to disable U.S. patrol cars and there have
been 60 incidents in which Mexican Cartel boat recovery teams confronted
U.S. law enforcement officers on the Texas side of the Rio Grande
River.
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