December's string of three criminal organization take-downs makes an emphatic statement about the high value of combined law enforcement investigations and the need for more multi-agency efforts as we begin this new year.     

In separate operations that targeted a drug smuggling cartel, a human trafficking ring and a violent urban street gang, 188 people were indicted, dozens of violent criminals were taken off the streets and three criminal syndicates were shut down. 

All three cases involved months of coordinated investigation by local, state and federal agencies. And all three showed the formidable strength of law enforcement when agency professionals join hands, sharing resources and expertise.

These operations make sense in terms of dollars as well as public safety. In a time of tight budgets, law enforcement can execute these complex investigations at a lower cost by working together than they could working independently.   

Here's a brief look at each case:

(1) Operation En Fuego, announced Dec. 12. This seven-month investigation led to the indictment of 35 individuals on felony charges related to smuggling more than 10,000 undocumented immigrants in the past two years. The Palacios-Alfaro organization contracted with other criminal groups during the past two years to transport 40 to 90 undocumented immigrants a week from Phoenix to destinations throughout the United States. In the past six months, this investigation led to the discovery of five drop houses and the detention of 86 undocumented immigrants who were turned over to federal authorities for deportation.

(2)  Operation Blank Check, announced Dec. 19. Ninety-four people were indicted in this latest phase of a year-long investigation of drug-smuggling and criminal fraud. Drugs included Ecstasy, cocaine and marijuana. To date, 183 people have been indicted and 127 arrested for crimes that also include mail theft and a fraudulent check scheme believed to have produced more than $3 million. The investigation began in December 2007 when postal inspectors contacted Phoenix police with information that people involved in mail theft and fraudulent schemes were gang members. This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the FBI's Violent Street Gang Task Force.

(3) Operation Tumbleweed, announced Dec. 23. This one-year investigation broke up the Garibaldi-Lopez drug trafficking organization, a bi-national crime syndicate, with the indictment of 59 people and the arrest of 39. Since 2003, this organization is believed to have smuggled close to two million pounds of marijuana from Mexico into the United States with a wholesale value estimated near $1 billion. Working with a drug cartel in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, the organization is alleged to have used vehicles stolen in the U.S. to transport large quantities of marijuana across the border into Arizona and then on to major cities across the country.

Agencies involved in these cases include the Phoenix Police Department, Mesa Police Department, Arizona Department of Public Safety, Phoenix Division of the FBI, U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs Border Protection Air and Marine, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Arizona Department of Corrections, Pinal County Sheriff's Office and the Arizona Attorney General's Office.

The significance of these operations is underscored by the recent release of the 2009 National Drug Threat Assessment by the U.S. Department of Justice. It identified Mexican drug trafficking organizations as representing "the greatest organized crime threat to the United States." With the Mexican drug cartels growing stronger and more violent, we know that combating their crimes in our state will demand our best coordinated efforts. 

Collaborative crime-fighting work is not limited to Arizona's side of the border.

More than ever, we are sharing information and working cooperatively with Mexican authorities. Last spring, at a forum in Phoenix of top law enforcement officials from both the U.S. and Mexico, we reached precedent-setting agreements to work more closely together to fight organized crime in both countries and eliminate the border as a refuge for criminals. More specifically, we agreed to concentrate our efforts in four primary areas: human trafficking, drug smuggling, arms trafficking and money laundering. We have already seen positive results in each of these four areas.         

The joint operations announced in December serve as a model for future investigations. By combining forces, law enforcement agencies in our state are accomplishing far more than they could individually to secure our border, stop organized crime and keep our communities safe.   

Terry Goddard