U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested two cartel scouts on U.S. soil. The two men were relaying information on the presence of law enforcement and directing smuggling traffic for their criminal organization.
The most recent incident became public this week, when U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks shared some information on social media. In his post, Banks revealed that the two men were Mexican nationals illegally present in the country, who had various communication devices they were allegedly using to scout for a Mexican cartel by monitoring the movements of USBP agents.
Details of the case were not revealed in the post; however, the use of scouts is a known tactic used by drug cartels along the U.S. border. Depending on the region, cartel scouts set up on high ground near the Rio Grande, or in a mountain area deep inside Arizona, and keep watch for U.S. agents in order to lead human and drug smugglers around law enforcement.
In May, Banks announced a joint effort with Mexican authorities to identify and target cartel scouting sites near Nogales, Arizona. As Breitbart Texas reported at the time, Mexican authorities had been able to locate a spot in a mountain area used by cartel scouts on the south side of the border that they had been using to spy on law enforcement, to coordinate the shipments of drugs
For more than ten years, Breitbart Texas has reported on cartel scout activities along the U.S.-Mexico border. In May 2016, Pimal County, Arizona, Sheriff Paul Babeu issued a warning to campers regarding cartel scouts and rip crews working in remote areas of his county.
Even mainstream media has been forced to report on the widespread presence of cartel scouts up to 100 miles north of the U.S. border. In 2016, a Phoenix TV station reported on a ride-along with the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, during which they learned about cartel scouting sites. The journalist went to a similar spot on their own and had a brief encounter with a cartel scout who asked whether they were with Border Patrol. Breitbart News reported on the encounter, which is a cartel activity that the Breitbart Texas team had been reporting on for years.
As Breitbart Texas has reported, drug cartels have also turned to the widespread use of drones as part of their scouting operations. The use of those drones has become common, with border patrol agents reporting dozens of sightings a day. The issue of cartel drones drew headlines this week, when the U.S. government shut down the airspace around El Paso. According to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, the shutdown was tied to a cartel drone incursion.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
