A Month Long Crackdown Headed by Joe Arpaio on Smuggling Turned up 4 Million Dollars in Drugs, Among Other Things
October was the month. Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona, applauded by many for his tough treatment of criminals in the area, decided October would lead the way in a month long investigation on drug smuggling. This month long crackdown headed by Joe Arpaio did not disappoint to say the least. Arpaio called the investigation “Operation Borderline”. He used deputies, volunteer posse members, and aircraft during the investigation to collect as much intel and offenders as possible. Joe is very resourceful when it comes to the resources he is given.
The results for this operation were astounding. In just one month, Arpaio arrested 38 offenders for drug trafficking. On top of that Arpaio and his crew seized over 2.5 tons of marijuana. Along with the marijuana, they found 26 pounds of methamphetamine and around 11 pounds of heroin. The street value of all of these drugs totaled up to be around 4 million dollars. Can you imagine if Sheriff Arpaio did this investigation every month? He is truly a leader when it comes to law enforcement. He is well known for attracting media attention, good and bad. He is also known for speaking his mind, which also gets him into trouble. Awhile back, he was put on the hot seat for racial profiling and for other immigrations laws. The bad press does not stop Sheriff Joe Arpaio, it simply fuels him forward. Although he has many people that are against him, he has just as many more followers. Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been elected 6 times for his position as sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona. Arpaio considers himself “America’s Toughest Sheriffâ€.
Joe and his crew did not stop at just finding a large amount of drugs and arresting 38 drug trafficking offenders. They also found over $147,000 in cash, six stolen vehicles, and the remains of 2 partially buried people in the desert just outside of Phoenix. The investigation on these 2 bodies is still underway. Arpaio believes it is related to his investigation and plans to get to the bottom of it.
Arpaio released a statement saying, “This October operation marks the beginning of a far more concerted effort by my office to fight drug traffic and drug abuse.”
“Obviously the need exists,†Joe continues, “for a continuous law enforcement emphasis using all the necessary equipment to track and arrest these drug traffickers as well as local drug dealers.” One thing is for sure, once Joe and his crew put their minds to something, they will stop at nothing to get the task completed. This is just the beginning for Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
The sheriff and his team have established a new hotline number. Call 602-262-3784 to report tips relating to illegal drug activity. It will be interesting to see how many more offenders this 82 year old sheriff can catch next month.
