Ducey to expand Border Strike Force following successful operations

PHOENIX — Governor Doug Ducey’s office released statistics on the success of the Border Strike Force which was created in Sept. 2015.

The force has seized more than 50,000 pounds of marijuana, 7,500 prescription pills, 12 million hits of heroin, 250 firearms and nearly $10 million cash. These seizures are a result of more than 2,480 arrests.

Gov. Ducey has thus decided to expand the program by including $2.9 million of funding in his 2019 Executive Budget.

“The Governor really felt that this was a public safety issue for the state of Arizona,” said Gov. Ducey’s spokesman Daniel Scarpinato. “This is an issue that for too long has been ignored in Washington D.C. but he really saw an opportunity for some collaboration.”

The Governor’s office has worked in collaboration with the Arizona Department of Public Safety in creating the force.

“The governor really felt that this should be a joint effort spearheaded by DPS, by the governors office, using all of our law enforcement partners,” said Bart Graves, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety.

Highlights of success for the group include Operation Sidewinder II and III which led to the seizure of 5,084 pounds of marijuana and Operation Organ Grinder which led to 73 felony arrests.

KTAR News’ Mark Carlson contributed to this report.

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