Border Patrol Strikes Back: Scouts and Guides Nabbed in Arizona Smuggling Crackdown

Tucson Sector Border Patrol officials announced the arrest of four men allegedly involved in facilitating a smuggling organization operating in the desert north of Tucson. The detainees are suspected scouts and a guide linked to Los Memos, a faction of the Cártel de Sinaloa.

On February 24, Border Patrol agents from the Casa Grande station were patrolling south of the Maricopa Mountains near Interstate 8 when they encountered a Mexican national, believed to have illegally crossed the border. This individual possessed communication and observation devices frequently used by cartel scouts.

The following day, agents arrested two more individuals, one from Mexico and the other from Guatemala, in the Silverbell Mountains after observing suspicious activity in elevated areas previously linked to smuggling operations. They found additional communication and surveillance equipment, including solar panels and batteries.

On the same day, agents apprehended two Mexican nationals near Pisinemo Village, approximately 80 miles west of Tucson, on the Tohono O’odham Nation. One of the men identified himself as a foot guide for Los Memos.

All five detainees were taken to the Casa Grande Border Patrol station, where three of them will face criminal charges related to human smuggling and conspiracy due to their involvement in these activities.

These arrests occur in the context of declining apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border. On March 1, Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks reported that just 8,326 individuals were apprehended in February, marking the lowest monthly total in recorded history. “We will continue to detect, arrest, identify, prosecute, and REMOVE all individuals who dare to break our country’s laws by entering illegally,” he stated emphatically.

Since the beginning of the fiscal year, CBP has detained over 366,000 individuals. Comparatively, this represents a significant downturn in apprehensions, reminiscent of the low figures recorded during the fiscal year of 2017.

In a bid to combat cartel scouts more effectively, efforts have also extended into Mexico. On Monday, Mexican officials dismantled and destroyed two scout camps in the desert south of Ajo. The Tucson Sector highlighted this operation, which involved Mexican state police acting on information received from U.S. Border Patrol.

In an effort to prosecute scouts under federal law, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has initiated numerous cases involving harboring or conspiracy in Arizona since January 20. “Taking away the eyes and ears of the smugglers makes it harder to move people and contraband,” said Sean McGoffin, chief patrol agent for the Tucson Sector, endorsing the collaborative approach with federal prosecutors.

This initiative echoes previous operations targeting cartel scouts, including a notable 2016 ambush on an observation post near the Silver Bell range, which resulted in the arrest of one suspect.

Amid these developments, President Donald Trump previously issued Executive Order 14157, categorizing certain transnational criminal organizations, including the Sinaloa cartel, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. His administration targeted various groups, including Tren de Aragua and MS-13, emphasizing the severe implications of organized crime on the U.S. southern border.