"I am pleased at the tremendous results of this operation, which greatly reduced all types of crime, led to dozens of arrests, and shut down the activities of international crime syndicates across a five-county region," Perry said. "The international drug cartels and human smuggling rings will not know when or where law enforcement operations like this will occur or how long they will last. The message we are sending to criminals who exploit our border is that the cost of doing business in Texas is going up substantially."
The effort was conducted as part of Operation Rio Grande, Perry's comprehensive border security initiative that coordinates local, state and federal assets. Planning began weeks before the operation was launched, and intelligence to support the operation was coordinated through the state Border Security Operations Center.
The operation brought together sheriffs from five counties, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Public Safety, the Texas National Guard, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Civil Air Patrol, the Texas National Guard and the Governor's Division of Emergency Management.
State assets involved in the operation included a team of DPS Highway Patrol troopers with communications support personnel, a DPS SWAT team, DPS helicopters and crew members providing 24-hour support, a team of Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens and ground Units with all-terrain vehicles.
"We are proving that the Texas model works: when we increase law enforcement patrols and coordination, we see a decrease in every kind of crime which protects our border and our communities," Perry said.
