ICE HSI Las Cruces, NM, assists in multi-agency warrant roundup resulting in the arrest of 26 fugitives, seizure of 3 firearms
LAS CRUCES, NM - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Las Cruces, New Mexico, assisted the White Mountain Drug Task Force of Otero (New Mexico) County on Feb. 24 with a multi-agency warrant roundup that resulted in the arrest of 26 fugitives – all U.S. citizens – wanted on state narcotics charges.
HSI agents embedded in a DEA Strike Force as well as agents and officers with the U.S. Marshal’s Service, U.S. Border Patrol, Otero County Sheriff’s Office, and the Alamogordo Police Department conducted the enforcement action dubbed, “Operation Crystal Blues”, in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
“A key component of HSI’s border security mission is to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the United States, and the trafficking of dangerous drugs in our neighborhoods," said Frank B. Burrola, special agent in charge of HSI El Paso. “HSI works closely with our local, state and federal partners in crucial efforts, such as this, to protect the health and safety of our citizens."
The special operation followed an undercover narcotics investigation by the White Mountain Drug Task Force. Between August 2021 and last month, undercover officers purchased methamphetamines, cocaine, and fentanyl from numerous drug traffickers in Otero County.
As a result of the roundup, eight additional criminal investigations involving possession of controlled substances, possession of a firearm by a felon, and possession of drug paraphernalia were initiated. All defendants from this operation are being charged with either trafficking a controlled substance or conspiring to traffic a controlled substance.
HSI is a directorate of ICE and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.
Updated: