Westmorland, Calif. – Today, El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Indio station arrested a suspected drug smuggler with more than nine pounds of cocaine worth more than $300,000.
The incident occurred around 11 a.m., at the Highway 86 Checkpoint near Westmorland. A Border Patrol Canine Team alerted to a white Freightliner truck. Agents then utilized a large-scale imaging system and discovered a non-factory installed compartment in the truck. Concealed within the compartment were two packages of cocaine. During a pat-down of the smuggler, two additional packages of cocaine were discovered duct taped to the smuggler’s body.
The suspect, a 34-year-old Mexican national, was placed under arrest and turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration along with the truck and narcotics.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
Nogales, Ariz. — Customs and Border Protection officers assigned to the Tucson Field Office seized more than 27 pounds of cocaine, valued at nearly $250,000, at the Dennis DeConcini Port Friday.
A 20-year-old Mexican male, attempting to enter the United States, was selected for a secondary inspection of his Chevrolet van. After a CBP narcotics detection canine alerted to the presence of drugs, the van was taken to a vehicle lift where officers located 10 packages of cocaine inside a non-factory compartment. The drugs and vehicle were processed for seizure. The man was arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
Individuals arrested are charged with a criminal complaint, which raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
CBP's Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within Homeland Security tasked with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. Officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the United States while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes carrying out border-related duties, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation's food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
Yuma, Ariz. — Border Patrol agents from Yuma Sector’s Wellton Station seized approximately 150 pounds of marijuana, valued in excess of $75,000, and apprehended four suspected smugglers Thursday morning.
Agents patrolling 14 miles west of Gila Bend intercepted the small group carrying large rectangular backpacks of marijuana through the desert. The suspects all Mexican nationals, and marijuana were turned over to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
Arizona-based Border Patrol agents have made significant progress combating transnational criminal organizations by impacting their ability to transport contraband farther into the United States, and ensuring smugglers face stiff federal penalties for their actions. In Arizona, the probability of being detected and the consequences of doing so are higher than ever before.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
Tucson, Ariz. – Agents from the Tucson Sector Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, working jointly, arrested two smugglers and seized 2,805 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $1,402,000 over the past week.
Ajo and Casa Grande Border Patrol agents conducting joint operations with HSI agents near Stanfield, Ariz., discovered an abandoned pick-up truck loaded with 42 bundles of marijuana. The vehicle was stopped on the side of the road but still running. Stacked in the cab and in the bed of the truck, agents found 947 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $473,500. The truck and drugs were seized and processed.
In a second incident, Ajo agents received information from HSI concerning a group of suspected narcotics smugglers moving through the west desert. Agents on horseback, supported by CBP air assets, responded to the area and discovered two smugglers and a vehicle loaded with 101 bundles of marijuana. The vehicle and 1,858 pounds of narcotics, valued at approximately $929,000, were seized and processed. The smugglers are in custody facing federal prosecution on drug charges.
The Border Patrol continuously works with federal, state and local partners to reduce crime and improve the quality of life in Arizona communities. Combined efforts and intelligence-sharing has made it increasingly difficult for smugglers to operate with impunity and transport their contraband throughout the United States.
Customs and Border Protection welcomes assistance from the community. Citizens can report suspicious activity to the Border Patrol and remain anonymous by calling (1-877) 872-7435 toll free.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
Pine Valley, CA. — U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Interstate 8 checkpoint in East San Diego County prevented a recent narcotics smuggling attempt that resulted in the seizure of more than 47 pounds of cocaine.
After a positive canine alert, agents searched the vehicle and discovered a total of 20 bundles of cocaine concealed inside of the rocker panels on both sides of the vehicle.
On January 8, at approximately 10:30 a.m., agents encountered a 43-year-old male Mexican national driver of a light blue 2006 BMW X3 as he arrived at the checkpoint. During inspection, agents became suspicious of the man’s nervous demeanor and referred him for a secondary inspection.
A CBP Border Patrol K-9 team performed a cursory inspection of the vehicle resulting in a positive alert to the driver’s side door. Agents searched the vehicle and discovered a total of 20 bundles of cocaine concealed inside of the rocker panels on both sides of the vehicle.
The cocaine weighed a total 47.09 pounds and had an estimated street value of $470,900. The suspected smuggler and narcotics were taken into custody and subsequently turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation. The BMW was seized by the CBP U.S. Border Patrol.
To prevent illicit smuggling of humans, drugs, and other contraband, the CBP U.S. Border Patrol maintains a high level of vigilance on major corridors of egress away from our nation’s borders. To report suspicious activity, contact San Diego Sector at (619)-498-9900.
El Paso, Texas – A convicted sex offender was apprehended yesterday by Border Patrol agents working in the El Paso area soon after entering the United States illegally.
The incident unfolded as El Paso Station agents were working approximately one-mile east of the Paso Del Norte port of entry. The agents encountered one subject immediately after he illegally entered the United States. The subject was later identified as 45-year-old Luis Rene Lemus, a Cuban National.
Lemus’ biographical and biometric information were submitted into the Integrated Automated Identification System (IAFIS). The system positively identified the subject and further revealed that Lemus had prior convictions for Sex Offense Against a Child/Fondling Conduct on a 16-year-old child, Cruelty to a Child, Child Abuse-no Great Bodily Harm and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Dependency of a Minor.
Lemus also has a prior immigration history of being previously ordered removed by an Immigration Judge in 2002. Lemus now faces charges for illegal re-entry into the U.S., and is currently being detained at the El Paso County Detention Facility awaiting prosecution.
This latest arrest of a convicted sexual offender is another prime example of the U.S. Border Patrol’s constant efforts to bring law violators to justice. Our mission is reflective in reduced criminal activity in the U.S. as we ensure the safety and security in our communities.
Tucson, Ariz. – A 30-year-old Mexican male from Tlaxcala, Mexico, who was apprehended by Casa Grande Border Patrol agents early last year, was sentenced to 30 months in prison on Monday, January 9.
The United States Attorney’s Office prosecuted Victor Corona after his apprehension on March 23, 2011, for attempting to illegally re-enter the United States. During CBP processing at the Casa Grande Station, the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System revealed that Corona was previously convicted in 2010 for criminal restraint in the third degree in the state of New Jersey and sentenced to 187 days in jail.
Record checks also revealed Corona had previously been removed from the U.S. through Brownsville, Texas.
Following initial processing, CBP U.S. Border Patrol submitted the case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for re-entry of a felon. Corona will be formally removed from the U.S. following his 30 month incarceration. He is now banned for life from all legalization processes.
All illegal immigrants apprehended by the Border Patrol undergo criminal history checks using IAFIS. This vital tool accesses criminal records throughout the United States, thereby assisting agents to quickly identify violent criminals and wanted persons.
In January 2011, the Tucson Sector Border Patrol enhanced the Consequence Delivery System as an integral component of its enforcement strategy. CDS centers on delivering a targeted consequence to illegal immigrants, while simultaneously disrupting the smuggling cycle and reducing recidivism rates by ensuring consequences are upheld to the full extent of the law.
Customs and Border Protection welcomes assistance from the community. Report suspicious activity to the Border Patrol by calling (1-877) 872-7435 toll free. All calls will be answered and remain anonymous.
Yuma, Ariz. — Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents seized approximately 257 pounds of marijuana Tuesday morning valued in excess of $128,000.
Wellton Station agents patrolling west of Gila Bend detected a group of seven individuals traveling on foot through the desert. Agents confronted the group carrying five burlap backpacks filled with marijuana.
The subjects are being processed for removal. The marijuana was seized for destruction per Yuma Sector guidelines.
The Border Patrol has made significant progress toward combating transnational criminal organizations by impacting their ability to transport contraband throughout the United States and ensuring smugglers face stiff federal penalties for their actions. In Arizona, the probability of being detected and the consequences of doing so are higher than ever before.
Tucson, Ariz. – Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents seized 823 pounds of marijuana worth more than $411,000, a vehicle, and apprehended the smuggler near Naco, Ariz. Monday morning.
Naco Station agents, after witnessing suspected narcotics smugglers loading several bundles into a vehicle, followed the suspects while Tucson Air and Marine dispatched air support. The air crew spotted the vehicle and observed the driver abscond into the desert, attempting to hide in brush. Agents apprehended the driver and secured the vehicle, loaded with 16 bundles of marijuana. The driver, vehicle and marijuana were transported to the Naco Station for further processing. The driver is being held for federal prosecution.
The Border Patrol is committed to working with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners to secure and keep communities safe. CBP’s OAM is an invaluable resource for assisting the Border Patrol and other agencies to secure the nation’s borders.
CBP welcomes assistance from the community. Citizens can report suspicious activity to the Border Patrol and remain anonymous by calling (877) 872-7435 toll free.
President Obama's State Department announced, during a press briefing today, the creation of the Bureau of Counterterrorism, which will coordinate with United States entities such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and foreign governments to develop civilian counterterrorism strategies and operations.
"The mission of the new bureau will be to lead the [State] Department in the U.S. Government’s effort to counter terrorism abroad and to secure the United States against foreign terrorist threats," Ambassador Dan Benjamin told reporters. "The bureau will lead in supporting U.S. counterterrorism diplomacy and seek to strengthen homeland security, countering violent extremism, and build the capacity of partner nations to deal effectively with terrorism."
The bureau has previously operated on a smaller scale as an office under Benjamin. The upgrade comes as Obama has enjoyed foreign policy success due to the killing of Osama bin Laden, but also faced criticism over a quick withdrawal from Iraq, increasing aggression from Iran, and for negotiating with the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. "I want to underscore we all know that there is no way to shoot our way out of this problem conclusively and forever," Benjamin said today, "and that’s why strengthening our engagement with others to support their civilian institutions so that they can actually hold that territory, police that territory, try people who want to carry out violent attacks either against people who live there or abroad, is an absolutely vital undertaking."
The bureau will focus on foreign terrorists, but their activities have some bearing on domestic security. It collaborates with "the Department of Homeland Security to work jointly to stop terrorist travel, to improve aviation security," for instance, but will focus more on "the bilateral kind of diplomacy that we do with others on a number of different issues, whether it has to do with how we reduce the space that terrorist groups have to fundraise, [or] to operate," Benjamin explained.
ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - New Mexico State Police have blown up the final batch of explosives found inside of a personal laboratory.
The man who built the explosives, had them stored in a shed on his property, much to the surprise of police and his neighbors.
His collection of explosives was so large that it filled two large storage sheds as well as a lab. Everywhere you look: dangerous chemicals and hybrid, experimental explosives.
News 13 received pictures of David O'Keefe's explosives factory. It shows just how precise he was.
O'Keefe had been a scientist for most of his life, working at Sandia National Labs where he specialized in high powered explosives.
O'Keefe passed away in November and left behind a startling surprise for his landlord behind his house located just south of Estancia.
The landlord called the Torrance County Sheriff's Department Friday morning, after walking into O'Keefe's lab.
"When you walk in there you see those type of chemicals, in that quantity, with that type of finished product, it makes you think a little quicker," said Sheriff Heath White.
The Sheriff's Department, along with the FBI, ATF, State Police and National Guard spent four days disarming the explosives.
O'Keefe's family was reluctant to do an interview, but his sister spoke highly of him. She called him a man of "strong character and intellect." She knew of O'Keefe's hobby before he died, saying he would never cause harm to anyone, adding that "he just liked to tinker."
His neighbors, though, had no idea what he'd been doing.
"It's not a safe place anymore to live," said neighbor Theresa Muth.
There was no evidence that he ever tested his explosive creations in the area.
"Our best guess is he was still doing what he enjoyed," said Sheriff White.
Sheriff White said O'Keefe's family has been very cooperative throughout the investigation. He added that if O'Keefe was alive, he wouldn't face criminal charges, but would have had to pay fines for the disposal of the explosives.
(CNN) -- The man authorities believe was responsible for the New Year's Day shooting death of a national park ranger in Washington state was a former soldier who owned many knives and guns despite an emotionally unstable, vindictive and anger-prone mind-set, the mother of his toddler daughter said in court documents.
Authorities on Monday found Benjamin Colton Barnes' body face down in a creek in Mount Rainier National Park, not far from where investigators believe he fatally shot park ranger Margaret Anderson.
Investigators say they believe Barnes shot the ranger after he blew through a checkpoint set up to check vehicles to make sure they had the proper winter gear necessary to travel the park.
Anderson and another ranger had set up a second roadblock to stop him when he jumped out of the car and opened fire. She was struck before she was able to get out of her vehicle, authorities said.
Anderson, 34, was the first Rainier park employee to be a homicide victim and the devastated staff needed a few more days to recover before the park reopens Saturday, officials said Tuesday.
While investigators said they had little insight into Barnes' mind-set or motivations, the woman with whom he was in a custody dispute over their young daughter said in court documents filed last year that she was frightened to be in the same state with him.
"The weapons are harmful and I don't know if he will try to use them against myself or my family," the woman wrote in a filing for a temporary restraining order filed with the Pierce County Superior Court on May 24.
She wrote in other documents reported on by CNN affiliate KIRO that Barnes might be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after a deployment to Iraq.
Barnes, 24, served as a radio and communications repair specialist with 2nd Squadron, 1st Calvary Regiment, a unit of the 2nd Infantry Division located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Seattle, according to Army spokesman Troy Rolan.
He joined the Army in February 2007 and was deployed to Iraq from that year to shortly before his discharge in 2009, Rolan said. Details of his discharge were not immediately available, Rolan said, and Army policy prohibits release of information about a soldier's medical condition.
Despite photos of a muscular Barnes, shirtless, tattooed and brandishing two guns, Barnes wasn't a combat soldier. Instead, he was responsible for fixing radios and other communications equipment, Rolan said.
The weapons in the widely circulated photo didn't appear to be government-issued, Steven Dean, an assistant special agent in charge at the FBI's Seattle office, said Monday.
And he didn't appear to have any special wilderness or survival training, Dean said. Barnes was found face down near a creek in a T-shirt, jeans and one shoe.
Before the shooting at the national park, Barnes was wanted in connection with a shooting early Sunday in the Seattle suburb of Skyway that left four people wounded, two critically, according to the King County Sheriff's Office.
"There was kind of a show-and-tell with guns in the evening at a party," spokeswoman Sgt. Cindi West told CNN.
Shortly before 3 a.m. Sunday, one of the males at the party asked to see a gun belonging to another person, West said. When asked to give the gun back, the male refused.
"A fight ensued and at one point at least two people pulled guns and a shootout ensued. Witnesses said that Benjamin Barnes was one of the subjects that pulled a gun and fired," West said in a statement. Barnes left the scene with two others.
"It is unclear at this point who shot first and who was shot by whom," West said.
Authorities contacted Barnes' family after the incident in a bid to have him come in for questioning, according to authorities.
Meanwhile, a woman who said she had spurned Barnes' romantic advances said he visited her on Sunday morning, before Anderson's shooting, to wish her a happy new year, according to CNN affiliate KCPQ.
She told the station that she thought Barnes was a nice guy when they first met, but that he "seemed sketchy" after she got to know him better. That he turned to violence in his final days wasn't shocking to her, she told the station.
"It doesn't surprise me, honestly. He is a loose cannon. If he doesn't get his way or something makes him upset, he goes all the way out of control," she told the station.
The park remained closed Tuesday as authorities continued to investigate the shooting and Barnes' death.
"We are still dealing with the loss," said Mount Rainier National Park spokesman Kevin Bacher. "Everybody is just devastated and exhausted by this, trying to get back on an even keel."
The last ranger fatalities at the park was in 1995 when two climbing rangers died during a rescue, officials said.
About 125 employees at Rainier are being offered counseling and other measures. "A very large number of our staff are very shook up by this event," said Bacher.
Anderson was one of about a dozen commissioned law enforcement officers at the park. They assist motorists, firefighters, campers and search-and-rescue personnel.
"Our rangers are trained to be prepared for anything," Bacher told CNN.
Condolences continued to pour in Tuesday to the Officer Down Memorial Page; 955 messages had been posted as of Tuesday evening in praise of Anderson's service and offering comfort to her family, including her husband Eric Anderson, who also worked as a ranger at the park, and their two children, 1 and 4.
"Everyone is talking about her," Patty Wrzesien, a waitress at Cruiser's Cafe, told CNN affiliate KING on Monday. "She was such a sweet, sweet lady."
Anderson had always liked the outdoors and she liked helping people, her father, Paul Kritsch, told KING. And that is why she loved her job as a ranger, he said.
Her family is planning a memorial service, according to Bacher.
In this undated photo provided by the Pierce County Sheriff's Dept., Benjamin Colton Barnes, is shown. (AP Photo/Pierce County Sheriff's Dept.)
MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK, Wash. — An armed Iraq War veteran suspected of killing a Mount Rainier National Park ranger managed to evade snowshoe-wearing SWAT teams and dogs on his trail for nearly a day. He couldn't, however, escape the cold.
A plane searching the remote wilderness for Benjamin Colton Barnes, 24, on Monday discovered his body lying partially submerged in an icy, snowy mountain creek with snow banks standing several feet high on either side.
"He was wearing T-shirt, a pair of jeans and one tennis shoe. That was it," Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.
Barnes did not have any external wounds and appears to have died due to the elements, he said. A medical examiner was at the scene to determine the cause of death. Troyer said two weapons were recovered, but he declined to say where they were located.
According to police and court documents, Barnes had a troubled transition to civilian life, with accusations in a child custody dispute that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder following his Iraq deployments and was suicidal.
The mother of his toddler daughter sought a temporary restraining order against him, according to court documents.
She alleged that he got easily irritated, angry and depressed and kept an arsenal of weapons in his home. She wrote that she feared for the child's safety. Undated photos provided by police showed a shirtless, tattooed Barnes brandishing two large weapons.
The woman told authorities Barnes was suicidal and possibly suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after deploying to Iraq in 2007-2008, and had once sent her a text message saying "I want to die."
In November 2011, a guardian ad litem recommended parenting and communication classes for both parents as well as a visitation schedule for Barnes until he completed evaluations for domestic violence and mental health and complied with treatment recommendations.
Maj. Chris Ophardt, an Army spokesman, told The News Tribune that Barnes had been stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, near Tacoma, and was released from the Army in November 2009 after two years and seven months on active duty after charges of driving under the influence and improperly transporting privately owned weapons.
Steven Dean, FBI special agent, said Barnes worked in communications.
Barnes is believed to have fled to the remote park on Sunday to hide after an earlier shooting at a New Year's house party near Seattle that wounded four, two critically. Authorities suspect he then fatally shot ranger Margaret Anderson.
Immediately after the park shooting, police cleared out Mount Rainier of visitors and mounted a manhunt.
Fear that tourists could be caught in the crossfire in a shootout with Barnes prompted officials to hold more than a 100 people at the visitors' center before evacuating them in the middle of the night.
Late Sunday, police said Barnes was a suspect in another shooting incident.
On New Year's, there was an argument at a house party in Skyway, south of Seattle, and gunfire erupted, police said. Barnes was connected to the shooting, said Sgt. Cindi West, King County Sheriff's spokeswoman.
Police believe Barnes headed to the remote park wilderness to "hide out" following the Skyway shooting.
"The speculation is that he may have come up here, specifically for that reason, to get away," parks spokesman Kevin Bacher told reporters early Monday. "The speculation is he threw some stuff in the car and headed up here to hide out."
Anderson had set up a roadblock Sunday morning to stop a man who had blown through a checkpoint rangers use to check if vehicles have tire chains for winter conditions. A gunman opened fire on her before she was able to exit her vehicle, authorities say.
Before fleeing, the gunman fired shots at both Anderson and the ranger that trailed him, but only Anderson was hit.
Anderson would have been armed, as she was one of the rangers tasked with law enforcement, Bacher said. Troyer said she was shot before she had even got out of the vehicle.
Park superintendent Randy King said Anderson, a 34-year-old mother of two young girls who was married to another Rainier ranger, had served as a park ranger for about four years.
King said Anderson's husband also was working as a ranger elsewhere in the park at the time of the shooting.
The shooting renewed debate about a federal law that made it legal for people to take loaded weapons into national parks. The 2010 law made possession of firearms subject to state gun laws.
Bill Wade, the outgoing chair of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, said Congress should be regretting its decision.
"The many congressmen and senators that voted for the legislation that allowed loaded weapons to be brought into the parks ought to be feeling pretty bad right now," Wade said.
Wade called Sunday's fatal shooting a tragedy that could have been prevented. He hopes Congress will reconsider the law that took effect in early 2010, but doubts that will happen in today's political climate.
Calls and emails to the National Rifle Association requesting comment were not immediately returned on Monday.
The NRA said media fears of gun violence in parks were unlikely to be realized, the NRA wrote in a statement about the law after it went into effect. "The new law affects firearms possession, not use," it said.
The group pushed for the law saying people have a right to defend themselves against park animals and other people.
King said the park would remain closed Tuesday as the investigation continued and the rangers grieve the loss of their colleague.
"We have been through a horrific experience," King said. "We're going to need a little time to regroup."
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Associated Press writer Donna Gordon Blankinship contributed from Seattle.
