Reporter: Crystal Gutierrez
KRQE
As the Mexican drug cartels wage war with each other, the FBI is working undercover in New Mexico to keep the bloodshed from spilling across the border.FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Rodney Miller said the Albuquerque field office has formed a new tactical team whose main objective is to hunt down cartel members. The team started working on cartel leads in December and has already made some big arrests, although Miller said he couldn't go into detail because the FBI is still on the hunt for more members.
“We intend to send shockwaves not only through New Mexico but Mexico itself,” Miller said.
Miller said Mexican Cartel activity is on the rise in New Mexico, from drug and human trafficking to money laundering. While you may never see them, Miller said they are everywhere.
“We believe they're operating in all parts of the state,” Miller said. “It’s very hidden; these drug cartels operate in secret.”
Miller said agents are using traditional techniques like wire-tapping, database intelligence and working with local law enforcement to find these criminals.
“They're focusing on the drug cartel activity on the highest level,” Miller said.
Miller said financial analysts are also hard at work trying to follow the money trail of cartel operations. “Illegitimate business practices or financial transactions and money laundering,” Miller said.
Miller said the cartel's operations are known to be sophisticated but can also be very deadly.
“In some other regions of the country we've seen an increase in border violence especially in kidnappings,” Miller said. “We didn't want that to become a problem here in New Mexico.”
The new tactical group is called the Strategic Target Action Team. Miller said the new squad was formed as part of the Southwest Border Initiative.
As the Mexican drug cartels wage war with each other, the FBI is working undercover in New Mexico to keep the bloodshed from spilling across the border.
FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Rodney Miller said the Albuquerque field office has formed a new tactical team whose main objective is to hunt down cartel members. The team started working on cartel leads in December and has already made some big arrests, although Miller said he couldn't go into detail because the FBI is still on the hunt for more members.
“We intend to send shockwaves not only through New Mexico but Mexico itself,” Miller said.
Miller said Mexican Cartel activity is on the rise in New Mexico, from drug and human trafficking to money laundering. While you may never see them, Miller said they are everywhere.
“We believe they're operating in all parts of the state,” Miller said. “It’s very hidden; these drug cartels operate in secret.”
Miller said agents are using traditional techniques like wire-tapping, database intelligence and working with local law enforcement to find these criminals.
“They're focusing on the drug cartel activity on the highest level,” Miller said.
Miller said financial analysts are also hard at work trying to follow the money trail of cartel operations. “Illegitimate business practices or financial transactions and money laundering,” Miller said.
Miller said the cartel's operations are known to be sophisticated but can also be very deadly.
“In some other regions of the country we've seen an increase in border violence especially in kidnappings,” Miller said. “We didn't want that to become a problem here in New Mexico.”
The new tactical group is called the Strategic Target Action Team. Miller said the new squad was formed as part of the Southwest Border Initiative.
As the Mexican drug cartels wage war with each other, the FBI is working undercover in New Mexico to keep the bloodshed from spilling across the border.
FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Rodney Miller said the Albuquerque field office has formed a new tactical team whose main objective is to hunt down cartel members. The team started working on cartel leads in December and has already made some big arrests, although Miller said he couldn't go into detail because the FBI is still on the hunt for more members.
“We intend to send shockwaves not only through New Mexico but Mexico itself,” Miller said.
Miller said Mexican Cartel activity is on the rise in New Mexico, from drug and human trafficking to money laundering. While you may never see them, Miller said they are everywhere.
“We believe they're operating in all parts of the state,” Miller said. “It’s very hidden; these drug cartels operate in secret.”
Miller said agents are using traditional techniques like wire-tapping, database intelligence and working with local law enforcement to find these criminals.
“They're focusing on the drug cartel activity on the highest level,” Miller said.
Miller said financial analysts are also hard at work trying to follow the money trail of cartel operations. “Illegitimate business practices or financial transactions and money laundering,” Miller said.
Miller said the cartel's operations are known to be sophisticated but can also be very deadly.
“In some other regions of the country we've seen an increase in border violence especially in kidnappings,” Miller said. “We didn't want that to become a problem here in New Mexico.”
The new tactical group is called the Strategic Target Action Team. Miller said the new squad was formed as part of the Southwest Border Initiative.
Good luck with that. All they are going to arrest and capture are street level dealers. nothing new.
ReplyDeleteThey have to start somewhere,get the lower echelon, the lowlifes, then get leads and go up
ReplyDeletethe ladder. This will put a dent in their illicit activities. Those mexican narco-terrorists do not have a right to be in the United States. Kill them all, let God sort them out!
WHAT CARTELS ARE OPERATING IN NEW MEXICO?? IS THAT JUAREZ TERRITORY?
ReplyDeleteThe question is what group isn't. It is the US. They can't come in and start fighting like they do in Mexico.
ReplyDeleteI live in albuquerque and yeh this and almost all new mexico is juarez cartel territory especially here in albuquerque where one of the biggest gangs is juaritos mara villa which they have ties to gangsters in juarez that are connected to the juarez cartel its all a chain link there isnt to much from sinaloa here but chapo guzman is moving in to juarez and trying to take control of drug interstates in new mexico also like i 25,i 40,and the i 10
ReplyDeleteThey shoot for mid level than over them shorter sentences for information. If the information pans out they just continue collecting info everyday building a database of on running real time intelligence. We learned some of this in Iraq from the FBI , CIA which ever group had the manpower to train us on intelligence.
ReplyDeleteWe need to eliminate all the illegals so that we can stop this drug and other crime invasion in our country. Anyone dealing in drugs need to be killed on the spot. Anyone who uses it for medicinal use needs to grow their own and that hes to be strictly monitored. If we are serious the border needs to be shut down to all traffic. All traffic. The border needs to be patrolled by the guard and any civilian who wants to help. Time to stop all the border games that are played down at the border whether it be the ones at the gate trying to come in illegally or bring things in illegally. We are in a world crisis and the only way we are going to survive is to shut dwon our borders
ReplyDeletethe American public is slowly waking up..
ReplyDeletetoo slowly
you have to take into account that most Americans feel sorry for illegals because they have been fed misinformation...
they are fed the old cliche that all Mexicans still wear big sombreros, ride burros , only eat beans, tortillas and chiles, that Mexico is poor, and that all Mexicans live in little adobe houses way out in the cactus desert...
this is not an accurate representation and doesn't reflect the prevalent conditions in modern Mexico
there are approx 10 to 15 million illegal Mexicans in the USA..there are approx 14 to 15 million Americans out of work...hmmm
we need a sane immigration policy...i think it is fine for Mexicans to be in the USA..legally..we should make it easier...50 dollars and 20 minutes for a six month visa.. along with a tax number for those who want to look for work
Legal people could not be exploited by shady US employers and also would have to compete equally with native workers..
our immigration policies make criminals out of people who only want a better life , and put these same people at the mercy of Mexican criminals who rob, rape, and force them to smuggle
we empower the Mexican smugglers and allow them to not only sneak the good people in..but the bad ones as well
secure our borders..no contraband in..no contraband out
@February 3, 2011 7:03 PM
ReplyDeleteDamn lito brito for once I have to agree with you, on what you said...I thought I would never see the day...
@February 3, 2011 3:04 PM
as for the idiot who suggest we shut down our borders tell me who are our biggest trading partners are??? Its Canada and Mexico so by closing down the borders, our economy would go down the shit hole too....learn economics!! I agree secure the border but to close them down SERIOUSLY???
Z-1
@ Z
ReplyDeleteawww thanks..
mebbe yer jus gettn soft in the hed ..
jajajja
and i got to say seems like yer wuz krecct bout the gob not favern them 'ol zitas..
they been kikn ner asses good latelee
"L"B
More like 50 million Americans out of work
ReplyDeleteI lived in ABQ about 15 years ago and the Juarez crew was already dug in pretty deep. I can imagine they still have a pretty good grasp on the markets in NM. There are lots of addicts in the state and on the rezs around the state.
ReplyDeleteyeap..they have let the fox get in the henhouse ..it might be too late to close the door now
ReplyDelete"L"B
time to pluck these fat ducks, when faced with long jail time most of these big times will rat on their buddys, and the govt gets to keep what it kills
ReplyDeleteMexicans have a lot more reasons to blame Americans for Mexico's own lack of jobs available than the reverse.
ReplyDeleteyeah uhrrny ..and all 15 million illegal Mexicans in the USA will agree with you...
ReplyDeleteand maybe the 2 or 3 illegal Americans in Mexico
just DUH..i mean really DUH
"L"B
The estimation of illegal US citizens in Mexico was 200,000 17 years ago Brito. Dude you hate evrything. Why are you so unhappy?
ReplyDelete