Border Security Operations Center 6100 Guadalupe St., Bldg E, Rm 108 Texas Ranger Division Austin, TX 78752 Texas Department of Public Safety Office (512) 424-7561 Fax (512) 424-7041 DPS & THP Daily Operations Summary With Border-Centric Open Source Reporting Date of Report: November 28, 2011 Hydroponic Marijuana Heroin Methamphetamine Currency Marijuana Seizures Seizures Seizures Seizures Seizures 353 0 lbs 0 0 $ 14, 801 Cocaine Hashish Weapon Xanax Criminal Seizures Seizures Seizures Seizures Arrests 1 kg 0 1 0 6 Seizures: Currency – $14,801 USD; Criminal Arrests - 1 Reported by: THP Date/Time: 11/21/2011; 1501 hrs Location: IH-10, MM: 810/E, near Anahuac, Chambers Co. Following a routine traffic stop, a THP Trooper seized $14,801 USD (riding in a 2011 Chevrolet Express, bearing LA registration). A consent to search was requested and granted. A subsequent search revealed $14,801 packaged in multiple denominations in a manner consistent with criminal activity. The passenger did not know how much money was in his possession nor did he possess any documentation for the money. The passenger was not arrested. The currency was traveling from Houston TX, destined for Baton Rouge, LA. Seizures: Marijuana – 100 lbs; Criminal Arrests - 2 Reported by: THP Date/Time: 11/23/2011; 0730 hrs Location: IH-40, MM: 122/E, near Groom, Gray Co. Following a routine traffic stop, a THP Trooper seized 100 lbs of marijuana and arrested two subjects (riding in a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze, bearing NM registration). A probable cause search revealed the marijuana inside a false compartment in the seats. The currency was traveling from El Paso, TX, and destined for Oklahoma City, OK. Seizures: Marijuana – 200 lbs; Cocaine – 1 kg; Criminal Arrests - 1 Reported by: THP Date/Time: 11/22/2011; 1413 hrs Location: IH-40, MM: 96/E, near Conway, Carson Co.. Following a routine traffic stop, a THP Trooper seized 200 lbs marijuana, 1 kg of cocaine, and arrested one subject (riding in a 2007 Dodge pickup, bearing AZ registration). A consent to search was requested, but no clear answer was given. A k-9 was called to the scene and positive alert given. During the search, trooper located nine bundles of marijuana and one kg of cocaine under the camper shell of the pickup. The drugs were traveling from Arizona destined for Louisville, MS. Seizures: Marijuana – 53 lbs; Weapon – Glock 9mm; Criminal Arrests - 2 Reported by: THP Date/Time: 11/22/2011; 1211 hrs Location: IH-40, MM: , near Wheeler, Shamrock Co. Border Security Operations Center 6100 Guadalupe St., Bldg E, Rm 108 Texas Ranger Division Austin, TX 78752 Texas Department of Public Safety Office (512) 424-7561 Fax (512) 424-7041 Following a routine traffic stop, numerous indicators of criminal activity were present along with strong odor of raw marijuana. THP Trooper seized 53 lbs of marijuana, one US Arms 32 cal Glock 9mm and arrested two subjects (riding in a 2011 Dodge Nitro, bearing CA registration). A probable cause search revealed the marijuana inside the luggage. The marijuana was traveling from California, and destined for Alabama. OPEN SOURCE INPUTS Mail Online, November 28, 2011 Bodies Of 26 Strangled Men Stuffed Into Vans And Left By Mexican Highway As War Between Drug Cartels Escalates Bound and gagged corpses were found dumped in Mexico's second-largest city, in what experts said could mark a new stage in the full-scale war between the country's two main drug cartels. The 26 male bodies were stuffed in two vans and a pick-up truck and abandoned on an expressway near the Milennium Arches in Guadalajara yesterday, one of the most recognisable landmarks in the picturesque city that hosted last month's Pan-American Games. Most of the men died of asphyxia, according to officials in Jalisco state, although initial reports indicated some had been shot. Gruesome discovery: Bodies of 26 men were found bound and gagged in the back of trucks today in Guadalajara, Mexico The victims, aged between 25 and 35, had the words 'Milenio Zetas' or 'Milenium' written on their chests in oil, said state interior secretary Fernando Guzman Perez. A law enforcement official, who was not authorised to speak on the record, said the writing was apparently meant as the killers' calling card, identifying the assassins as being from the cartel, the Zetas and a smaller, allied gang, the Milenio Cartel The official said a banner found in one of the vehicles - Border Security Operations Center 6100 Guadalupe St., Bldg E, Rm 108 Texas Ranger Division Austin, TX 78752 Texas Department of Public Safety Office (512) 424-7561 Fax (512) 424-7041 whose contents Mr Guzman Perez refused to reveal - was in fact signed by the Zetas. Mexican cartels frequently leave threatening messages with the bodies of their victims as a way of intimidating rivals and claiming responsibility for their actions. Warnings: The feet of one victim (left) and the hands of another can be seen through the windows of a van abandoned by a Mexican highway All out war: The 26 corpses were believed to be retaliation by the drug gang the Zetas against rival faction Sinaloa The killings, believed to have been carried out in the early hours of yesterday morning, bore a similarity to the dumping of 35 bodies on an expressway in the Gulf coast city of Veracruz on September 20. The victims in the mass slaying were purportedly Zetas and the killers were allegedly linked to their rivals, the Sinaloa cartel. The two drug gangs have emerged as Mexico's most powerful and have each been trying to expand into each others' territories. Border Security Operations Center 6100 Guadalupe St., Bldg E, Rm 108 Texas Ranger Division Austin, TX 78752 Texas Department of Public Safety Office (512) 424-7561 Fax (512) 424-7041 Raul Benitez, a professor at Mexico's National Autonomous University who studies security issues, said the Guadalajara mass killing may have been retaliation for the Veracruz slayings. Mr Benitez said: 'I think the Zetas are responding by giving back in kind ... it is a game of one- upmanship.' Grisly: Forensic workers cover the car window after several vehicles were left packed with dead bodies by the side of the road early yesterday morning The Guadalajara International Book Fair, which opens tomorrow, is expected to draw as many as 600,000 visitors from around the world and describes itself as the world's most important Spanish-language book fair. The bodies were found about a mile from the Expo Guadalajara, where the event is being held. Guadalajara sits on the main highway running through western Mexico from the state of Michoacan toward the Pacific Coast state of Sinaloa. In recent months, security officials and analysts have grown concerned that the city could become a target for the Zetas, who have rapidly expanded since breaking with old allies in the Gulf cartel last year. The Zetas have been expanding west, from their base on the Gulf coast, and Sinaloa has apparently been sending proxy forces eastward into the territory of the Zetas, in what now appears to have become a nationwide battle. Mr Benitez said: 'As long as there is definition on the division of territories, between Sinaloa and the Zetas, we are going to continue seeing this.' High alert: Soldiers arrive on the scene after 26 dead bodies were dumped less than a mile from where an international book festival is being held this weekend Border Security Operations Center 6100 Guadalupe St., Bldg E, Rm 108 Texas Ranger Division Austin, TX 78752 Texas Department of Public Safety Office (512) 424-7561 Fax (512) 424-7041 Guadalajara's mayor Jorge Aristoteles Sandoval said that 'these acts of barbarism show how the war between cartels, and crime, is getting more brutal'. Crime in the city of 1.5 million people was historically dominated by the powerful Sinaloa cartel, but the group's tight grip was shattered by the death of its regional commander, Ignacio 'Nacho' Coronel, in a shootout with federal police in July 2010. Guadalajara's murder rate soared as factions of the cartel known as the New Generation and the Resistance battled to control Coronel's territory and assets. Street battles have left hundreds dead in the city and surrounding areas. On their doorstep: Residents of Guadalajara stand on a ridge above the the highway looking down on the crime scene. Violence in the city of 1.5million has escalated this month Killing slowed down during the Pan American Games last month, which brought a massive influx of police and soldiers. Law-enforcement officials and analysts said they were nonetheless concerned that a Zetas onslaught could be imminent. On Wednesday, 17 bodies were found burned in two pickup trucks in a strikingly similar attack in the home state of the Sinaloa cartel. Twelve of the bodies were in the back of one truck, some of them handcuffed and wearing bulletproof vests. KRGV.com, November 28, 2011 Holidays Bring Increase In Drug Traffic STARR COUNTY - The holiday rush has a different meaning in Starr County. In that county, it's about drug smuggling. With miles of empty roads and rural areas, the county is a prime area for smugglers who think they can operate under the radar. "The last few months have been unusual. The drug task force headed by my office has taken down close to 34,000 pounds," says Starr County District Attorney Heriberto Silva. Silva tells CHANNEL 5 NEWS the winter is the end of the growing season, which means the cartels are trying to move their product. "It's a commodity that will deteriorate.