Mexico’s violent drug cartels have reached the streets of Britain, France and the Netherlands, according to US immigration officials, with undercover British agents undergoing training in El Paso to combat the problem.
Three members of Britain’s Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) met US agents on the Texas-Mexico border this week in a bid to put a stop to cartels taking hold on Britain and Europe.
The British agents spoke about surveillance tactics, special operations teams and cybercrime units, according to a US immigration officials.
On Thursday, they watched how ICE investigators tore apart a car where a cargo of marijuana was found at the Paso del Norte Bridge in this West Texas city.
The agents are expected to head to Miami next week to learn about port operations in the US.
“The most important lesson that we have shared with SOCA, is that if they are not prepared to deal with the Mexican cartels, they will spread like a cancer and will entrench themselves in the economy and community in an attempt to ‘legitimise’ their illicit profits.” Oscar Hagelsieb, an agent at the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations office, said. “They must also be aware of the violence that will undoubtedly follow.”
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