Mexico Deploys US-Trained Police Unit to Arizona Border

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The Mexican border state of Sonora has deployed an elite new unit to counter organized criminal activities in cities across the border from Arizona.

The Border Operations Division will operate from bases in Agua Prieta and Sonoyta, which are south of the U.S. border at Douglas and Lukeville, Arizona, respectively. The unit will also operate in Nogales and San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora Gov. Alfonso Durazo said.

“The collaboration between the governments of Mexico, the United States and the state of Sonora continues to bear results that strengthen our bilateral relations,” Durazo said this week in announcing the new unit. “The formation of this new border unit is a firm step toward a border that is more modern and secure and where there is more cooperation to benefits communities on both sides.”

The unit will focus on human trafficking, drug smuggling and other organized criminal activities, he said. At least 18 of its officers received training from U.S. Customs and Border Protection advisers, Durazo’s office said.

The presence of the Sinaloa cartel in northern Sonora has attracted the attention of the Department of Homeland Security. Last year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the launch of Operation Plaza Spike targeting fentanyl smugglers in Nogales (Sonora) such as Sergio Valenzuela, aka “Don Gio.”