TUCSON: Joint enforcement operations, aimed at combating transnational criminal organisations operating in the west desert, resulted in the seizure of nearly 14,500 pounds of marijuana.
West Desert Task Force members, working with Customs and Border Protection Office of Air and Marine air assets, responded to detection technology near the village of Ventana on the Tohono O’odham Nation. There, agents discovered five abandoned vehicles containing a total of 683 bundles of marijuana. The vehicles were seized and the narcotics will be turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The West Desert Task Force is a joint initiative between U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations and the Pinal County Sheriff’s Department to combat narcotics trafficking in the West Desert region of Arizona. The task force is sponsored by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and works in association with the Alliance to Combat Transnational Threats (ACTT).
The Tucson Sector Border Patrol values its strong partnerships with other federal, state, tribal and local agencies. Together, these organizations continue to negatively impact transnational criminal organizations attempting to exploit Arizona’s border region.
Customs and Border Protection welcomes assistance from the community. Citizens can report suspicious activity to the Border Patrol and remain anonymous by calling (877) 872-7435 toll free.
US Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of US laws.
