In an effort to combat the increasing threat posed by Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced a significant expansion of its operations, including the extension of Operation Plaza Spike to the El Paso and Juarez regions and the inception of a new counter-fentanyl campaign known as Apollo X, during a press conference at the Bridge of the Americas in El Paso, CBP Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner Troy A. Miller revealed these strategies accompanied by Chief Patrol Agent Scott Good, Director of Field Operations Hector Mancha, and Air and Marine Operations Branch Director Efren Gonzalez, underscoring a unified CBP stance against drug trafficking and related criminal activities.
Miller highlights the depth and malignancy of the enterprises they are up against, stating, “These ruthless criminal organizations peddle chaos and profit from human suffering. They traffic illicit drugs into our country that make their way into our communities. They exploit vulnerable migrants, leaving them for dead in the unforgiving desert. And they cause cross-border violence that puts border communities – and our law enforcement personnel – at risk. They are sophisticated, innovative, and relentless. But so are the men and women of Customs and Border Protection.”
Meanwhile, Apollo X marks CBP's border-wide surge operation aimed at deploying its comprehensive resources to target supply chains, with a focus on intelligence-driven enforcement to locate, seize, and trace fentanyl's origin and distribution paths, information Miller shared will be leveraged in collaboration with CBP's state, local, and federal partners to dismantle drug trafficking operations, in a recent statement obtained by CBP Newsroom, Miller expressed the impact of joint efforts, “These partnerships are critical in all of our enforcement efforts. CBP is proud to lead the federal government’s efforts in the fight against fentanyl. We bring our unique position and authorities — and we are even more impactful when working together.”
CBP remains the front-line defense against TCOs that present continuous threats to the nation's security and well-being; these latest operations serve to reaffirm their stance and capabilities in combating the distribution of illicit drugs, weapons, and human trafficking, operations that benefit from the aggregated intelligence analysis and information sharing among a networked coalition of agencies both domestic and foreign, with Miller adding a warning to those involved in such disfranchising endeavors, "Let me be very clear: if you are making or moving fentanyl across our borders, if you are responsible for smuggling and exploiting people, and if you are profiting from the suffering of others, we know who you are and we are bringing the full force of the federal government to shut you down," according to the CBP Newsroom statement.
