Although it sounds far-fetched, Mexican Cartels are (unwillingly) funding a Texas Border Task Force confiscating its profits, guns, and ammo being smuggled back into Mexico - as well as the drugs and migrants the cartels are smuggling north into the United States to finance its illegal activities.
The roots of the Specialized Crimes & Narcotics Task Force were planted in 1990 by now-legendary South Texas Sheriff Adan Munoz, Jr.Photo byFamily of Adan Munoz, Jr
This improbable story began in 1990, after the election of now-legendary South Texas Kleberg County Sheriff Adan Munoz, Jr. (You can read more in an article I wrote about him HERE).
He targeted smugglers moving dope and migrants north through his county as well as drug profits, ammo, and guns south back to Mexico by creating a narcotics task force that soon became feared by smugglers - and continues to this day.
Along the way, they have made huge (six and seven-figure) seizures of cash, dope, and cartel assets - to finance their operations in a county with a population of barely over 31,000 people.
(The task force has agreements with many neighboring counties to patrol roads over a much larger area of South Texas than Kleberg County).
A key reason for their success is their experience targeting a busy smuggling route along U.S. highways where two of the Border Patrol's busiest Texas checkpoints (Sarita and Falfurrias) are located - and hundreds of thousands of trucks and cars pass through each week.
While the Border Patrol concentrates on Northbound smuggling traffic, Southbound traffic (where guns, ammo, and cash flow back to the cartels) is often targeted by the Kleberg County Task Force with great effect.
The task force regularly "punches above its weight" - including seizing $5.4 million and nearly 1,200 gaming machines in an operation in a neighboring county in May of 2015.
Since the task force's founding they have continued to make routine six-figure cash seizures, all at the expense of Mexican Cartels:
Recent notable busts include the seizure of $456,935 in suspected cartel drug profits after a task force officer stopped the driver of a southbound semi-truck in Kleberg County on June 6, 2024, which aroused his suspicions.
As he looked around the tractor-trailer he discovered the first of what would be sixteen bundles hidden within the big rig - all stuffed with massive amounts of cash.
All of the busts I have cited total well over $2 million dollars in cash confiscations this year so far - which gives you an idea of the impact the task force has on cartel operations in this part of Texas. That does not take into account all of the drugs, ammo, and weapons they have seized. They are a major thorn in the side of the Mexican Cartels' criminal operations in South Texas (and we still have a quarter of 2024 to go!).
Today the task force is overseen by a former Texas Department of Public Safety lawman credited with personally seizing over $15,000,000 in U.S. Currency and over 13,000 pounds of illegal drugs while working for that agency.
The cartels should not look for any relief for their smugglers passing through South Texas (northbound or southbound) anytime soon.
Is enough being done to disrupt Mexican Cartel operations along the U.S. Southern Border?
Share your opinion in the comments on this article!
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