Chihuahua police establish air-patrol division

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Faced with migrant smuggling in the northern deserts , illegal logging to the west and mountain towns under siege by drug traffickers, Chihuahua state authorities are seeking help from above.

They’re hiring pilots to fly five surveillance and rescue helicopters and training staff to operate 75 drones in the state police’s new Air Security Division.

“We are excited to announce this new public safety tool,” Chihuahua Public Safety Director Gilberto Loya said on Monday. “The aircraft are already in operation including two new helicopters […] They have been involved in medical evacuations and in incidents like the one in the mountains. We were able to locate and (disperse) a caravan of vehicles headed (to towns).”

The air units were also busy last Saturday, when residents of Valle de Allende in the Western Sierra Madre reported a shootout between rival groups. The Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office said police found a burned-up Volkswagen Jetta and hundreds of 7.62-caliber bullet casings usually associated with AK-47 style assault rifles.

Loya said the new helicopters are Bell 429 models. Trade sites describe them as twin-engine aircraft capable of carrying up to seven occupants and reaching speeds of 180 miles per hour. The cost runs between $5 million and $6.4 million and cost $1,075 an hour to operate, according to Global Air.

The state police chief said information gathered from the air will be shared with other government entities combating organized crime such as the Mexican Army and the National Guard. The aircraft also will be involved in searches, such as migrants missing or abandoned in the desert , Loya said.

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