>>> ARIZONA SOUTHERN BORDER WITH
MEXICO FALLS INTO SINALOA CARTEL
TERRITORY.
CARTELS CONTROL THE ROUTES USED
BY MIGRANTS TO REACH THE U.S.
AND THEY'RE PROFITING OFF THE
SEARCH.
TONY COULSO RETIRED AS HEAD OF
THE DRUG ENFORCEMENT IN TUCSON
AND NOW CONSULTS LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCIES.
IN OUR STUDIO HE DISCUSSED WHEN
CARTELS ADDED HUMAN SMUGGLING TO
THE BUSINESS MODEL.
>> PRIOR TO THE MID 2000s THE
HUMAN TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATIONS
ALONG THE BORDER WERE PRETTY
INDEPENDENT OF THE DRUG
TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATIONS.
THAT PARADIGM CHANGED WHEN CHAPO
TOOK CONTROL OF THIS BORDER
AREA.
WHAT HE DID WAS CO-OPT AND TAKE
OVER OF THE HUMAN TRAFFICKING
PIECE ALONG THE BORDER BECAUSE
THE HUMAN TRAFFICKING PIECE
BEFORE THAT WAS OFTEN WORKING
AGAINST HIS DRUG TRAFFICKING AND
DRUG SMUGGLING OPERATIONS.
SO TO COMBINE THOSE, HE THEN
USED HUMAN TRAFFICKING ROUTES
AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING, THE
PEOPLE SMUGGLING TO HELP WITH
THE DRUG SMUGGLING.
THE HUMAN TRAFFICS WAS SECONDARY
TO THE DRUG SMUGGLING, BUT
INSTEAD OF HAVING A DRUG
SMUGGLING GROUP ALONG THE BORDER
AND A HUMAN TRAFFICKING GROUP
ALONG THE BORDER RUNNING INTO
EACH OTHER AND BRINGING BORDER
PATROL FOCUS INTO THAT AREA,
THEY USED THE HUMAN TRAFFICKING
AS A DIVERSION TO THE DRUG
TRAFFICKING OPERATION.
THAT IS OUTSIDE OF THE PORTS OF
ENTRY.
SO THAT IS WHEN MARIJUANA
SMUGGLING WAS VERY LARGE AND WAS
THE CASH CROP THAT FUELED
EVERYTHING.
IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO CONTROL
THAT AND HE DID.
AND THAT IS STILL THE PARADIGM
TODAY THAT EXISTS ALONG THE
BORDER.
>> LAST WEEK THE CHIEF OF THE
BORDER PATROL TESTIFIED IN
WASHINGTON, D.C. AND SAID THE
CARTELS WATCH US.
THEY WATCH OUR INACTION AND THEY
CHANGE THEIR GAME.
IS THAT ACCURATE?
>> THEY WATCH OUR -- THEY WATCH
EVERYTHING.
CARTELS HAVE AN INTELLIGENCE
APPARATUS THAT IS REMARKABLE.
THEY KNOW WHAT THE CAPACITY IS
OF OUR JUDICIAL SYSTEM.
THEY KNOW WHAT LOSSES THEY CAN
TAKE FOR DRUGS AND STILL
SURVIVE.
THEY KNOW HOW MANY PROSECUTORS
THAT WE HAVE.
HOW MANY LAW ENFORCEMENT.
THEY CAN PERFECT A WAY TO GET
ACROSS OR TUNNEL UNDER THE
BORDER AT ANY POINT, NO MATTER
HOW STRONG YOUR BORDER WALL IS,
PEOPLE WILL FIND A WAY TO GET
OVER OR UNDER IT AND IF YOU
DON'T HAVE THE PERSONNEL OUT
WATCHING IN THESE AREAS TO
APPREHEND OR TO TURN BACK,
THEY'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO
COME.
>> YOU RETIRED LAW ENFORCEMENT
ALONG THE BORDER.
YOU KNOW WHAT THEY KNOW,
PROBABLY IN YOUR CONSULTING WORK
THAT YOU DO NOW, OTHER AGENCIES
UNDERSTAND THIS, WHY CAN'T THE
SITUATION BE FIXED?
WHY CAN'T AMERICAN LAW
ENFORCEMENT BE ONE STEP AHEAD
NOW?
>> AMERICAN LAW ENFORCEMENT CAN,
BUT THE PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE,
AND I'LL STATE IT, IT IS
CONTROVERSIAL BUT I'LL STATE IT,
IS THAT YOU HAVE ORGANIZATIONS,
ESPECIALLY OUR INTERDICTION
ORGANIZATIONS, ALONG THE BORDER
THAT ARE TOO TIED TO THE
POLITICAL PROCESS.
AND IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT
ADMINISTRATION IT IS, WHETHER
DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN, THE
PROBLEM WE HAVE ESPECIALLY WITH
CUSTOMS AND BOARDIR PROTECTION
IS THEY'RE TOO TIED TO THE
POLITICAL PROCESS.
SO RETURN IMMIGRATION
ENFORCEMENT ON AND OFF AND WE
FEEL FIT AND WE'VE DONE THIS IN
THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION AS WELL
AS THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
AS WE FEEL FIT WE TURN THE
SPIGOT OF WHAT WE'RE GOING TO
ENFORCE ON AND OFF.
AND SO TOMORROW WE ENFORCE DRUG
TRAFFICKING AND THE NEXT DAY
WE'RE ENFORCING IMMIGRATION
TRAFFICKING FOR A POLITICAL
OBJECTIVE AND NOT A STRATEGIC
OBJECTIVE.
>> IN YOUR OPINION, COULD WE GET
THERE?
>> WE CAN GET THERE.
THE SOLUTION IS VERY EASY.
IT IS A VERY EASY SOLUTION.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO STOP DRUG
TRAFFICKING.
WE SHOULD NEVER EXPECT THAT
WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT WHEN WE
HAVE SUCH A DEMAND IN THE UNITED
STATES FOR DRUGS.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO STOP HUMAN
TRAFFICKING OR SMUGGLING OR
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION BECAUSE OUR
ECONOMY IS GOOD AND PEOPLE ARE
ALWAYS GOING TO LOOK FOR A
BETTER OPPORTUNITY HERE THAN
THEY -- IN THEIR HOME COUNTRY.
SO THAT HOW DO WE -- HOW DO WE
MANAGE THAT?
WE MANAGE DRUGS BY MAKING THAT
INVESTMENT IN PEOPLE AND FIXING
THEM TO REDUCE THE DEMAND.
AT THE SAME TIME WE START
DENYING SERVICE TO THESE DRUG
TRAFFICKERS.
WE ANTICIPATE WHAT THEY'RE GOING
TO DO AND WE DENY THEM ENTRY
INTO THE U.S. BY FLOODING THE
COURT OR BY WORKING
COOPERATIVELY BETWEEN
ORGANIZATIONS, LAW ENFORCEMENT
ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE RIGHT
ALONG THE BORDER, WE WORK
TOGETHER TO DENY THEM ACCESS AND
THEREFORE DRIVING UP THE PRICE
OF THE DRUGS THAT WE HAVE.
WE HAVE MORE DRUGS ON THE STREET
NOW THAN WE'VE EVER HAD IN OUR
HISTORY.
THOSE PRICES OF THOSE DRUGS ARE
THE LOWEST THEY'VE EVER BEEN IN
THE HISTORY OF OUR -- THE PURITY
IS INCREDIBLY HIGH.
THOSE ARE ALL BAD, BAD
INDICATORS OF WHERE WE ARE IN
TERMS OF THE NATION WITH DRUGS.
AND IT'S GOT TO START WITH AN
INVESTIGATION IN FIXING PEOPLE.
>> OKAY.
TONY, THANK YOU.