San Diego BEST Combats Human Smuggling and Trafficking

  • Dec 09, 2011

Every day, human smuggling and trafficking groups like the CARLOS human smuggling organization attempt to illegally bring people across U.S. borders. Organized, adaptive and vicious, these groups have little regard for human life and even less respect for the law.

Unfortunately for these criminals, the special agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are dedicated to combating them on every front and are tireless in their defense of our nation's security.

This point was highlighted when special agents with the ICE HSI-led San Diego Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) successfully executed four federal residential search warrants, two vehicle search warrants, eight criminal arrest warrants, and nine administrative arrests in Los Angeles, Orange County, and Jacumba, Calif., on Nov. 16.

The operation culminated a complex human smuggling investigation that began in June 2010. It was led by the ICE HSI office in Santa Ana, Calif., and U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Office of Border Patrol. Special agents focused on members of the CARLOS human smuggling organization, which was responsible for at least 60 human smuggling events. One of those arrested was the leader of the CARLOS human smuggling organization, Gil Reyes-Cruz.

"The San Diego BEST's mission is to identify, disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal organizations posing significant threats to border security," said Erik Cortes, unit chief, National BEST Unit. "Our special agents and task force members employ the full range of ICE's authorities and those of their respective agencies to enforce federal, state and international laws that secure our borders and combat transnational crime."

BESTs were formed throughout the U.S. and in Mexico in response to surges in cross-border crime and violence by Mexican drug cartels and criminal smuggling organizations employing predatory tactics to realize profits. Each BEST is a multi-agency team consisting of ICE HSI special agents and federal, state, local and foreign law enforcement counterparts.

"San Diego and other BEST units attack and dismantle transnational criminal organizations from the top leadership down to their supporting elements," said Cortes. "In short, we take the fight to transnational criminal organizations and deny them all havens of operation."

Since their inception, BEST investigators have collectively initiated more than 5,980 cases. These actions have resulted in more than 7,273 criminal and 5,778 administrative arrests, and seizures of more than 663,764 pounds of illicit drugs and $83.5 million in currency.

Learn more about BESTs.

SOURCE: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Featured

  • The Evolution of IP Camera Intelligence

    As the 30th anniversary of the IP camera approaches in 2026, it is worth reflecting on how far we have come. The first network camera, launched in 1996, delivered one frame every 17 seconds—not impressive by today’s standards, but groundbreaking at the time. It did something that no analog system could: transmit video over a standard IP network. Read Now

  • From Surveillance to Intelligence

    Years ago, it would have been significantly more expensive to run an analytic like that — requiring a custom-built solution with burdensome infrastructure demands — but modern edge devices have made it accessible to everyone. It also saves time, which is a critical factor if a missing child is involved. Video compression technology has played a critical role as well. Over the years, significant advancements have been made in video coding standards — including H.263, MPEG formats, and H.264—alongside compression optimization technologies developed by IP video manufacturers to improve efficiency without sacrificing quality. The open-source AV1 codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media—a consortium including Google, Netflix, Microsoft, Amazon and others — is already the preferred decoder for cloud-based applications, and is quickly becoming the standard for video compression of all types. Read Now

  • Cost: Reactive vs. Proactive Security

    Security breaches often happen despite the availability of tools to prevent them. To combat this problem, the industry is shifting from reactive correction to proactive protection. This article will examine why so many security leaders have realized they must “lead before the breach” – not after. Read Now

  • Achieving Clear Audio

    In today’s ever-changing world of security and risk management, effective communication via an intercom and door entry communication system is a critical communication tool to keep a facility’s staff, visitors and vendors safe. Read Now

  • Beyond Apps: Access Control for Today’s Residents

    The modern resident lives in an app-saturated world. From banking to grocery delivery, fitness tracking to ridesharing, nearly every service demands another download. But when it comes to accessing the place you live, most people do not want to clutter their phone with yet another app, especially if its only purpose is to open a door. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.

  • Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden Door Controls is pleased to announce that, in response to soaring customer demand, it has expanded its range of ValueWave™ no-touch switches to include a narrow (slimline) version with manual override. This override button is designed to provide additional assurance that the request to exit switch will open a door, even if the no-touch sensor fails to operate. This new slimline switch also features a heavy gauge stainless steel faceplate, a red/green illuminated light ring, and is IP65 rated, making it ideal for indoor or outdoor use as part of an automatic door or access control system. ValueWave™ no-touch switches are designed for easy installation and trouble-free service in high traffic applications. In addition to this narrow version, the CM-221 & CM-222 Series switches are available in a range of other models with single and double gang heavy-gauge stainless steel faceplates and include illuminated light rings.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”