TUCSON, Ariz. -- A secretive, daylong law enforcement operation around the Arizona border with Mexico resulted in the arrest of two dozen alleged high-level Sinaloa Cartel members Friday, according to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman.
The sting, known as Mexican Operation Diablo Express, took place all of Friday as numerous law enforcement agencies converged onto Lukeville, Ariz., which sits on the border with Mexico.
Homeland Security Investigations, a unit of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, helped Mexican authorities nab 24 alleged members of the Sinaloa Cartel who were operating around Sonoyta, Mexico, and the U.S. border, spokesman Gillian Christensen said. The DEA, FBI, Customs and Border Protection and Arizona state and local agencies were on hand to assist.
"The targeted Sinaloa cell has been responsible for the importation of millions of pounds of illegal drugs, including marijuana, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, into the United States from Mexico during its existence. The organization is also responsible for the smuggling of millions of dollars in U.S. currency, along with weapons, into Mexico," Christensen said in a statement.
The operation was conducted "with utmost secrecy" and took all day Friday as numerous law enforcement officers worked in both Lukeville and Sonoyta, bordering cities that are on the route to the Puerto Penasco, the popular beach destination many Americans know as Rocky Point.
ICE helped Mexican federal police into the U.S. to keep them safe during the operation, Christensen said.
A Section on 01/31/2016