Last week a delegation of law enforcement members from the State of Alabama returned from a covert trip to Mexico and to the State of Sinaloa.
Sinaloa is the home of the Sinaloa Cartel, where the group toured a captured drug lab.
The trip was announced by U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Clay Morris.
“The efforts and actions of this Alabama delegation underscores the commitment and lengths to which law enforcement in the state will go to ensure the safety of its citizens and fully understand the breadth and sophistication of the enemy we face,” Town said. “That enemy is not just the cartels. It is not just the dealers. That enemy is also addiction and abuse. The entire delegation owes its thanks to the DEA for making arduous coordination look effortless.”
“It is the hope and prayer of this delegation of law enforcement executives that the citizens of Alabama understand that we are steadfast in our combined efforts to keep our communities safe,” Morris said.
“Collectively, we will not tolerate the destruction drug trafficking brings to our great state. We witnessed firsthand the lengths Mexican drug cartels will go to fuel the disease of addiction. We are resolved to do everything in our power to stem the flow drugs into Alabama.”
On September 11, 2019, a delegation of twelve federal, state and local law enforcement officials traveled to Mexico to see, hear and smell the sophistication of the illegal narcotics trade there.
The members of the delegation were: U.S. Attorney Jay Town, Alabama Northern District; U.S. Attorney, Louis Franklin, U.S. Alabama Middle District; U.S. Attorney Richard Moore, Alabama Southern District; Clay Morris, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Birmingham, New Orleans Division; Sean Stephen, Group Supervisor, Birmingham, New Orleans Division; Alabama Attorney General Steven Marshall; John Harold Taylor – Alabama Law Enforcement Secretary; Madison County Sheriff Kevin Turner; Executive Director, Alabama District Attorney’s Association Barry Matson; Hoover Police Chief Nicholas Derzis; Madison County District Attorney Robert Broussard; and Governor Ivey’s General Counsel Bryan Taylor.
The delegation was briefed in Mexico City at the highest levels, by the Mexican Attorney General and top ranking U.S. Embassy officials. They were then flown in Blackhawk helicopters with the Mexican Army to tour the captured drug lab in Sinoloa.
The delegation was in country for less than 72 hours, traveled nearly 5500 total miles and was constantly under the heavily armed protection of United States and Mexican law enforcement. The U.S. Attorney’s office said that the crime intelligence accumulated by the delegation was immeasurable.
The Justice Department said that the overall message was clear, narcotics trafficking and production in Mexico is dominating the drug trade in the United States. Heroin, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and even cocaine egressing from Columbia, are all being trafficked into the United States by the drug trade in Mexico. The precursor chemicals are being sourced primarily from China, but chemists working for the cartels are making strides sourcing the precursor materials inside of Mexico. The profit margins for fentanyl and methamphetamine are driving the drug trade by the cartels.
President Donald J. Trump (R) has proposed building a border wall to help slow the flow of illegal narcotics into the country as well as people entering the country illegally.
