Operation Desert Guardian leads to over 600 arrests, seizure of over 900 pounds of drugs

PHOENIX — Arizona’s joint border security task force has made more than 600 arrests and seized more than 900 pounds of drugs in its first six-plus months, officials announced Friday.

The task force, officially known as Operation Desert Guardian, was created in February in an executive order issued by Gov. Katie Hobbs.

Since the operation began, it has made 622 arrests, including those of 10 fugitives, and seized more than 971 pounds of drugs, Hobbs said in a press conference in Cochise County on Friday.

Specifically, 72,250 fentanyl pills and over 400 pounds of methamphetamine were seized, Hobbs said.

Six months into Operation Desert Guardian, Arizona’s first-of-its-kind statewide task force has seized drugs with a street value of over $77M and made 622 arrests—proof that intelligence-led, cross-agency collaboration is disrupting cartels, dismantling networks, and keeping our… pic.twitter.com/KDSLK7PhPK

— Governor Katie Hobbs (@GovernorHobbs) September 5, 2025

“Operation Desert Guardian is what’s possible when we put politics aside and work hand-in-hand with sheriffs and federal law enforcement to take on the cartels and secure our border,” Hobbs said in a press release. “I’m proud to report how this statewide, intelligence-driven operation is turning our vision into action.”

Who worked on the Operation Desert Guardian task force?

Members of the state’s Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, Department of Public Safety and Department of Homeland Security partnered on the task force and worked with federal and local authorities in Cochise, Santa Cruz, Pima and Yuma counties in an effort to disrupt cartel, drug smuggling and human trafficking operations at the border.

It was paid for through Arizona’s Border Security Fund, the governor’s office said in February.

Hobbs added that the operation is working with Task Force SAFE, which is comprised of members of the Arizona National Guard.

Through the partnership, authorities have seized about $77 million worth of drugs and 988 weapons since March, according to the Governor’s Office.

“(The task forces) have sent a clear message to the cartels: Don’t come here,” Hobbs said. “If you do, we will find you, arrest you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”

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