Bondy expands task force against human trafficking and smuggling cartels

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the expansion of the Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), an initiative to block transnational criminal organizations and cartels that fuel trafficking and smuggling.

At a Tampa press conference Florida Thursday, Bondi Warnings say “the cost of human smuggling is huge” and deadly networks are “killing people.”

She went on to describe JTFA as a key weapon against the war Organized smuggling networkusually led by cartels and “coyotes” who profit from immigrants trying to cross the U.S. border.

She added: “We are more active than ever to investigate and prosecute their crimes.

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“These operations are killing people,” Bundy said. “The cost of human smuggling is huge. So many families are dying.”

The Attorney General also detailed how a person smuggling ring guides their clients, including children who come to the airport alone and are connected to the flight by plane.

“They can reach up to $40,000 per victim,” she said. “They used Zelle to transfer $7 million during the course of the program, and I believe their cash profit is over 18 million.”

Bondy told reporters that President Donald Trump takes officeJTFA has charged 56 defendants related to smuggling conspiracy.

She highlighted a case involving what she called a “monster” that attempted to transport immigrants to the U.S.-Canadian border, resulting in the exposure to death.

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Soldiers patrolled the streets of Aquilila, Mexico on March 11, 2022, following a violent cartel activity. (Getty Image)

Other Texas officials outlined specific cases in news events, highlighting the brutality of smuggling operations.

U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons of the West District of Texas said Children One third of the traffickers suffered poison after they gave them drugs to keep them calm and “compliant throughout the process.”

“The cartels saw kids like cocaine,” he said, describing how children are viewed as expendable in a billion-dollar illegal trade.

Nicholas J., U.S. Attorney for the Southern Texas Region

JTFA was launched in June 2021 at the then Attorney General Merrick Garland to target the most prolific JTFA People leave and trafficking networks in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

Since then, the task force has expanded to cover operations covering Panama, Colombia and now the northern and marine U.S. borders.

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JTFA has been sentenced to more than 300 arrests, more than 240 convictions and more than 170 sentencings, while seizing millions of dollars in illegal profits, vehicles, weapons and property from smuggling organizations.